Business & Finance
Anthropic Eyes IPO as Air Traffic Declines, Ather Turns Profitable, Workers Earn Less, Kane Wins Ballon d’Or
Anthropic PBC, a five‑year‑old generative‑AI firm, filed for a U.S. IPO and disclosed its June‑quarter results: revenues rose to $11.55 billion from $4.73 billion in March, and the company posted its first operating profit of $974 million. Its six‑month operating loss was $693 million. Current and prospective investors value Anthropic at about $1.5 trillion, down from roughly $2 trillion earlier in October, but still more than 50 % higher than the $965 billion valuation at its May funding round.
Domestic air passenger traffic fell for the fourth straight month in September, with 11.82 million passengers compared with 12.64 million a year earlier – the steepest year‑on‑year decline since the pandemic. September is traditionally a lean month for airlines, but weaker demand has coincided with higher airfares and capacity cuts as carriers grapple with rising fuel costs linked to the West Asia war. In Delhi, aviation turbine fuel prices rose nearly 25 % in three months, from about ₹110 a litre in July to ₹137 on 1 October.
Electric‑two‑wheeler maker Ather Energy reported its first quarterly net profit in the September quarter. Operating revenue rose 63 % year‑on‑year to ₹1,464 crore, while net profit was ₹1.26 crore. Over the last ten quarters, Ather has moved toward profitability, with its EBITDA margin improving from a loss of 35.6 % in Q1 of FY25 to a positive 0.8 % in Q2 of FY27. Production grew 45 % to 98,400 units, but management said monthly retail demand of 18,000‑20,000 units remained unmet due to supply constraints.
Other highlights: Jio Platforms’ shares listed at a premium of 21 % over the issue price, giving the telecom company a market capitalisation of about ₹12.5 trillion. India’s industrial production grew 6.7 % year‑on‑year in September, down from a revised 7.8 % in August. Advent International raised $27 billion for its 11th flagship fund, exceeding its $26 billion target, and more than $3 billion for a new mid‑market strategy. The UN’s Fund provisionally allocated $20 million to Nepal for loss and damage following August floods, less than 1 % of the estimated reconstruction cost. Indian bowler Abhishek Sharma took 35 balls to score a century against New Zealand in the third T20 international, setting a record for the fastest T20I century against the Black Caps.
A statistical brief released by the International Labour Organization on 27 October found that domestic workers worldwide earned an average of 53.3 % of the average monthly wage of other employees across all sectors in 2025, down from 56.4 % in 2019. The brief estimated 80 million people aged 15 and above were employed as domestic workers worldwide in 2025, with about 83 % informally employed.
In football, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane became the first English player to win the men’s Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. Kane beat France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal to the award, scoring 73 goals in 65 matches during the 2025‑26 season, including 61 for Bayern. Lionel Messi has won the award the most times (eight), followed by Cristiano Ronaldo (five). Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time in her career this year.