Business News

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s top software exporter, reported a 1.7% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 12,224 crore for the quarter ended March 2025, compared to Rs 12,434 crore in the same period last year. This is below Street estimates of Rs 12,650 crore.Revenue from operations, meanwhile, rose 5.3% year-on-year to Rs 64,479 crore, up from Rs 61,237 crore in the same period last year. However, it came in below the ET NOW poll estimate of Rs 64,856 crore.The company has proposed a final dividend of Rs 30 per share, subject to approval at the annual general meeting.For FY25, TCS reported revenue of Rs 2,55,324 crore, marking a 6% YoY growth. In constant currency terms, revenue grew by 4.2%. The growth was primarily driven by strong performance in regional markets, which saw a robust 37.2% year-on-year increase.In Q4, the company reported an operating margin of 24.2% and a net margin of 19.0%. Its delivered strong cash conversion, with operating cash flow at 125.1% of net income.TCS also posted a record total contract value (TCV) of $12.2 billion for the quarter, with a healthy book-to-bill ratio of 1.6. For the full year, TCV stood at $39.4 billion.K Krithivasan, CEO and MD, said “We are pleased to cross the $30 Billion in annual revenues and achieve a strong order book for the second consecutive quarter. Our expertise in AI and Digital Innovation, coupled with the unmatched knowledge of customer context and global scale makes us the pillar of support for our customers in this environment of macroeconomic uncertainty.”Free cash flow for the year stood at Rs 46,449 crore, while shareholder payout through dividends totalled Rs 44,962 crore.IT services attrition (LTM) was reported at 13.3%.Growth by marketsIts North America business contributed 48.2% in Q4 FY25, down 1.9 percentage points from 50% in the year-ago period. The UK business grew 1.2% accounting for 16.8% of its business.India business rose 33% YoY to account for 8.4% of total revenue.Research and InnovationAs on March 31, 2025, the company applied for 8,816 patents, including 267 applied during the quarter, and has been granted 4,820 patents including 235 granted during the quarter.

When Smriti and her husband welcomed their daughter, it wasn’t her career that took a backseat — it was his. A decorated naval officer, he stepped away from uniformed service so she could continue building hers. The decision, quiet yet bold, was shaped by long conversations, careful planning, and a shared belief that partnership can rewrite the rules. It startled tradition-bound families but stood firm on a foundation of trust — and the kind of financial clarity that makes space for choice.Smriti’s story is one of 15 featured in Money and Her, a book by financial educator and author Lisa Pallavi Barbora, that spotlights the deeply personal, often overlooked relationship women have with money — told through real stories that are part memoir, part reportage, and part financial playbook.Structured in distinct sections — singlehood, marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and financial independence — the book is a reflection of contemporary Indian womanhood, with money as its quiet but consistent companion. Barbora weaves in financial planning tips throughout, but it’s clear that she doesn’t want this to be just another money manual.Barbora’s narratives move beyond basic financial literacy to probe a more fundamental question: what does financial agency mean for women, and how does it shape their sense of identity?The stories are as varied as the women behind them — a corporate executive who never took money from her husband, a widowed Air Force wife who rebuilt her life from scratch, a divorced mother starting over at 41, and an entrepreneur recovering from a COVID-era setback. Yet they share common threads: persistence, tough choices, and the imperative of financial clarity.Money beyond numbersAt the heart of the book lies a quiet argument — money isn’t just about wealth. It’s about identity, agency, and emotional honesty. Earning money, as the author notes in one section, is not only about financial independence but about recognizing who you are and what you’re capable of.The author makes no sweeping declarations. She simply documents: sometimes the woman is the breadwinner, sometimes she starts over at 41 after a divorce, sometimes she lives through unimaginable grief and builds a life of dignity on the back of diligent mutual fund investments.Financial choices, life outcomesBarbora annotates each story she tells with tangible data. Each chapter ends with a “financial report card” summarizing the woman’s financial tools: insurance, mutual funds, debt exposure, asset ownership, nominations. These are not prescriptive, but illustrative. The women in these stories are not always financially savvy from the start. They learn — often the hard way — and adapt.There’s Pooja, who lost her Air Force pilot husband in a crash at 27, and went on to raise her son alone, relying on a modest pension, a government job and methodical investments. There’s Aarti, who unknowingly financed two homes in her husband’s name before discovering, during a divorce, that she legally owned nothing. At 41, she began again — with savings, self-reliance, and a quiet determination to build her own financial security.In the section on entrepreneurship, we meet women who turned personal struggles into business opportunities — one of whom, Gauri, rebuilt her travel venture after COVID-19 brought it to a standstill. Another, a seasoned fund manager named Lakshmi, has been investing since 2001 with a focus on beating inflation. Her approach — “will it, shut it, forget it” — reflects long-term discipline and a preference for compounding over consumption.Not just what women think, but what men learnScattered across the book are short segments titled What Do Men Think? — candid reflections from male spouses, colleagues, and partners. In one such section, Smriti’s husband shares his perspective on stepping back from a promising career. In another, men express how seeing their partners manage money changed their own approach to finances.Barbora suggests that true financial independence is less about separation and more about collaboration. It’s about being able to make decisions from a place of confidence — and having your family benefit from your ability to do so.The real takeaway: Talk about moneyBarbora’s book urges readers to normalize money conversations — within families, with partners, and with oneself. Money, she reminds us, is present in every decision: vacations, groceries, college funds, health emergencies. Yet, in many households, it remains a taboo topic.By grounding financial lessons in real stories, Money and Her becomes more than a finance book — it becomes a mirror. One that reflects the quiet, radical resilience of women who choose to face, rather than fear, their finances.For anyone navigating life transitions, partnerships, or just the question of “what next?” — the stories in this book offer something often missing from personal finance discourse: empathy, nuance, and the courage to begin, wherever you are.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)