From Grip Invest's securitised debt instruments to the legacy of Zardozi: Our most-read stories of the week

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1) Taking bonds to the masses

Last year, two regulatory changes by the Securities and Exchange Board of India altered the bond investment plane in the country. The first change was regulating online bond buying platforms, which stipulated the rights and obligations of both platforms and consumers. The second change was reducing the ticket size from Rs100,000 to Rs10,000. Taking advantage of these changes, Grip Invest has innovated the process of buying and selling plain vanilla company bonds and offered securitised debt instruments to retail investors. Here's how these new fixed-income instruments are appealing to retail investors.

2) Bonds and disappearing FII

The first story of the newsletter shows promise for the bond market as retail investors get interested in these instruments. One can hope this market might get the same boost as retail investors gave the equity market. However, the flip side of this scenario is the lack of enthusiasm among foreign institutional investors (FIIs). The inclusion of Indian government bonds in two global indices starting this June was expected to bring FIIs to the Indian shores. But upon closer look, the excitement seems to be fizzling out. So why are FIIs selling Indian bonds? Will this tide turn? Let's find out.

3) Tough road to trade

A new report released on Thursday by LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub reveals that organisations are actively working towards gender diversity and adopting an inclusive hiring approach. There has been an increase in the overall representation of women in senior positions—directors, vice presidents, C-suites, and partner positions—rising from 24 percent in 2016 to 26 percent by 2020 and 27 percent in 2024. Data from more than a billion members on LinkedIn, across 41,000 skills, 67 million companies, and 133,000 schools globally, was analysed to understand the trend of women in leadership. But all is not rosy. Here are some essential highlights from the report.

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1)  Clash of the Titans?

The campaign frenzy for the Lok Sabha elections has already settled. The last phase of polling is on June 1. On June 4, the results of these long-fought battles will be out. But this will be just two days before India witnesses another clash of the Titans. This year's bidding for fresh 5G technology spectrum opens on June 6. While a fresh scramble of aggressive bidding—of the likes of 40 rounds in seven straight days, which we saw in mid-2022—is unlikely, we will see India's leading telcos Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel go head to head for the airwaves. Here's a quick explainer before the fireworks begin next week.

2) Going back to the roots

Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez's fine-dining restaurant in Lima offers a 14-course menu. Each course represents the ecological diversities of the 14 altitudes housed within the Latin American nation—from the Pacific coast to the Andean peaks via the jungles of the Amazon. Called Central, the restaurant has been voted the world's best for two consecutive years—2023 and 2024—by the prestigious World’s 50 Best list. Martinez is often out foraging across the country and devising ways to capture the uniqueness of the local produce on the menu at Central. In a chat with Forbes India, the chef discusses why he digs deep into ancient cultures, how the future of food can be sustainable and what being No. 1 means to him.

3) Cooking up a storm

Like two bond stories, we have two culinary journeys for you this weekend. While chef Virgilio Martinez is about returning to the culture's roots to better his cooking, back home, Aditi Dugar is an accidental entrepreneur whose fine-dining space Masque in Mumbai, is about showing off the wealth of India's produce. Masque's 10-course degustation menu has brought it to the extended World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. At No. 78, Masque is one of only two Indian restaurants to have made it to the list, along with Indian Accent (at No. 89). Masque is currently the crown jewel in Dugar's sprawling empire under Urban Gourmet India. Here's a look at Dugar's journey, which began from helping her mother in the kitchen.

4) The Michelangelo of Zardozi

When one thinks of Agra, quite a few attributes pop into the head—Taj Mahal, Petha, Agra fort, Mughlai cuisine, Kachori-jhol, Dayal Bagh, and other numerous UNESCO World Heritage, leather goods, and even a psychiatric hospital. But the labyrinthine alleys of Basai Khurd, adjacent to Shiv Kothi in Agra, carry the legacy and rich history of generations devoted to the art of zardozi embroidery. Faizan Uddin, grandson of Sheikh Shamsuddin, renowned for his role in resurrecting the art of zardozi and stands as the sole innovator in India credited with pioneering the technique of 3D zardozi embroidery, carries the torch of a legacy that reshaped the landscape of Indian embroidery. Here's all you need to know about the family that crafts masterpieces.