The Thai government is negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, clarifying that no agreement on UPOV 1991 exists and emphasizing farmers’ rights to save seeds under current laws.

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Key Points

• The Thai government is actively negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, refuting claims that it has agreed to the UPOV 1991 convention, which purportedly infringes on farmers’ rights to save seeds.
• Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perisvivatana affirmed that current domestic laws allow farmers to save and replant seeds, with existing legal exemptions for education and non-commercial breeding activities. The EU’s UPOV proposal is merely a starting point for discussions.
• The government is committed to balancing international trade with farmers’ rights, biodiversity, and food security. Any final FTA will require parliamentary review and adherence to the legislative process before making changes to domestic regulations.

The Thai government has confirmed that negotiations for the Thailand-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are ongoing and has dismissed rumors that Thailand has already agreed to the UPOV 1991 convention, which some claim would remove farmers’ rights to save seeds.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perisvivatana stated on September 21, 2026, that the Ministry of Commerce, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Suphajee Suthumpun, is closely monitoring the intellectual property and plant protection aspects of the negotiations. She emphasized that the EU’s proposal regarding the 1991 International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) is only a starting point for discussions and does not reflect any agreement by Thailand.

Under current domestic law, specifically Section 33 of the Plant Varieties Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999), farmers have the legal right to save and replant propagating materials they produce, subject to certain conditions. The law also exempts activities for education, research, and non-commercial plant breeding. The spokesperson clarified that while unauthorized commercial sale of protected plant varieties is illegal, it is incorrect to claim that current laws prevent farmers from saving seeds for personal use.

Addressing concerns about UPOV 1991, the spokesperson explained that while the convention strengthens breeders’ rights, Article 15(2) allows member states to create domestic exemptions so farmers can reuse seeds on their own land. Therefore, claims that the convention completely bans seed saving are inaccurate. The government emphasized that the final impact on farmers’ rights will depend on the outcome of negotiations and future domestic legislation.

The Deputy Prime Minister has instructed negotiators to balance international trade and agricultural innovation with protecting farmers’ rights, biodiversity, and national food security. The Ministry of Commerce is working with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Intellectual Property, and health agencies to thoroughly assess all potential impacts. 

The spokesperson added that any finalized FTA will not automatically change Thai law, as agreements under Section 178 of the Constitution require formal parliamentary review and the standard legislative process before amending any domestic regulations.

Source : Thailand Says No Final Agreement Reached on UPOV 1991 in EU FTA Talks

Artificial intelligence is now part of everyday work across many UK companies. Office for National Statistics research published in July 2026 put usage at around 35 per cent. The figure covers businesses with at least 10 employees using one AI technology. It stood at around 12 per cent during late 2023.

Large language models were the most common technology recorded in June 2026. Around 18 per cent of businesses reported using them at work. The figures show why company rules now need to catch up quickly.

A useful starting point for responsible AI is a complete internal system register. Your register should show every tool currently approved across the company. It should also identify each tool’s purpose and name the internal owner.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology recommends maintaining an AI system record. Its AI Management Essentials guidance was updated during February 2026.

Businesses can include these practical details in the record:

• supplier and product name;
• department using the system;
• information entered into the service;
• people affected by its output;
• approval date and next review date;
• known limits and previous incidents.

This record gives managers a clear view of actual internal use. It can also expose unofficial tools before sensitive information reaches them.

Clear AI governance needs named responsibility rather than broad ownership by technology teams. The ICO advises organisations to assign operational roles for systems processing personal information. Senior management should also understand the risks linked with higher-impact systems.

Your company can classify systems according to possible harm or business impact. Meeting summaries need less scrutiny than recruitment screening or customer credit decisions. A three-level process can keep the review proportionate for each use case.

Low-risk tools can receive basic approval after security checks are completed. Medium-risk systems need documented testing before wider staff access begins. High-risk systems should receive specialist review before operational deployment begins.

Practical AI risk management should test failures before real customers encounter them. Your team should examine inaccurate outputs and possible bias during testing. Security weaknesses and personal-data exposure also need separate testing before launch.

Use difficult examples during testing rather than carefully selected successful cases. Teams should record failure rates against agreed measures before approving wider deployment. Testing evidence also gives managers something concrete to review later.

Data protection needs attention before employees upload information into external services. ICO guidance updated in February 2026 says privacy starts during system design. It should continue throughout the processing lifecycle after deployment.

Staff need simple rules covering information that cannot enter external tools. Customer records may need restrictions under your existing privacy controls. Employee files and confidential contracts can require tighter access rules.

Supplier checks should answer these questions before signing contracts:

• Where will company information be stored?
• Can prompts train the supplier’s underlying models?
• How long will submitted information remain stored?
• Which subcontractors can access submitted company information?
• How can your organisation delete stored information?
• What happens after a supplier security incident?

Business AI products can depend on several outside providers behind one interface. Your procurement team should understand those relationships before approving regular use.

Human oversight also needs a defined process with named reviewers. Government guidance says people should retain responsibility for decisions supported by automated systems.

Reviewers need authority to challenge recommendations before they affect customers or employees. Higher-impact decisions need clear instructions about when people must intervene.

Your reviewer should know which evidence requires checking before approval. Staff should also record overrides when they reject automated recommendations.

Those records can reveal recurring problems during later performance reviews. Repeated overrides may point towards weak data or poor system performance.

Training should focus on situations employees encounter during normal working days. Finance teams need different guidance from marketing staff using writing assistants. Your training should cover approved tools and restricted company information.

Employees also need a simple route for reporting incorrect outputs. Managers should know who receives reports involving privacy or security incidents.

AI adoption should include regular checks after a system reaches employees. The ONS found only 10 per cent of adopting businesses used AI extensively. The June 2026 finding covered businesses employing at least 10 people.

Companies can track errors and complaints through existing reporting processes. Human overrides should also form part of routine performance reviews. Clear thresholds can tell managers when access needs temporary suspension.

External AI consulting can support companies without specialist knowledge in technical testing. It can also help procurement teams question complicated supplier claims. Final ownership should still remain with named leaders inside the business.

The practical aim is keeping useful technology within clear company boundaries. A system register gives businesses a sensible place to begin. Risk checks and privacy rules can then support safer daily use.

Human review adds another safeguard when automated outputs affect important decisions. Regular monitoring then gives leaders evidence for deciding where wider use makes sense.

Mumbai: The long-awaited public debut of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Thursday could be a relatively modest affair if grey market prices for the bourse’s shares are considered an accurate proxy for listing-day demand. However, exit curbs on most large investors could crimp immediate stock supply and boost prices later, analysts said.

Traders in the unlisted market are quoting a grey market premium (GMP) -the amount investors are willing to pay over the expected IPO issue price before listing – of around ₹83 a share, or about 4.8%, over the IPO price of ₹1,785, compared with ₹250-310, or around 14-17%, earlier. The sharp contraction points to expectations of modest listing gains.

“While investors have been waiting for the NSE listing for long, the enthusiasm has moderated because of the large issue size and expected supply,” said Abhay Doshi, co-founder of UnlistedArena.com.

NSE’s ₹22,561-crore IPO, the largest so far in 2026, was subscribed 5.71 times, riding a bullish primary market wave over the past three months. The issue received bids for 505.81 million shares against 88.6 million shares on offer, led by demand from institutional and high net-worth investors.

At the IPO price of ₹1,785 a share, NSE commands a valuation of ₹4.42 lakh crore. Rival BSE’s market cap is at ₹1.33 lakh crore. Some market participants said the demand-supply dynamics could have a significant bearing on NSE’s share price in the initial days after listing.

Read more: Gautam Adani reclaims top spot as India’s richest, edges out Mukesh Ambani: Hurun Rich List
“At a valuation of ₹4.42 lakh crore, the NSE IPO would immediately position it among India’s top companies by market capitalisation,” said Manish Bhandari, founder, CEO and portfolio manager at Vallum Capital Advisors. “While GMP indicators hint at a muted 2-5% premium, the real story lies in its tight initial supply.” Experts said that while the grey market could be pointing to a more modest listing pop, the current limited supply of shares makes the grey market prices more unpredictable.According to unofficial estimates, of NSE’s 2,475 million outstanding shares, 2,348.6 million, or 94.9%, constitute pre-issue capital.

Rules Limit Stock Supply

Under Sebi rules, pre-issue shares held by non-promoter shareholders, barring some categories of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), are locked in for six months from the IPO allotment date.

Read more: NSE IPO shares all set to list: GMP signals 2% listing gain ahead of market debut

To be sure, although the Life Insurance Corp is the biggest owner of stock in the bourse, the NSE has no identifiable promoter.

While the IPO involved the sale of 126.4 million shares, equivalent to about 5.1% of NSE’s total equity, 37.8 million of the IPO shares went to anchor investors. These shares are also locked in after listing. That leaves only about 88.6 million shares immediately available for trading when NSE lists on Thursday. NSE’s book-built issue was entirely an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 126.4 million equity shares by 10 existing shareholders, including state-owned insurers and banks.

In the absence of large supply on account of selling soon after listing day, any fresh purchases from institutional or deep-pocketed investors could drive up the stock sooner than what the grey market expects, said brokers.

As of the June quarter, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) held 26.41% of NSE, while individual shareholders with holdings of up to ₹2 lakh accounted for 12.71%. Individuals with holdings above ₹2 lakh held another 9.58%. Alternative investment funds (AIFs) held 5.31% and insurance companies 0.13%.

Among NSE’s major shareholders, LIC held 10.7%, followed by SBI Capital Markets with 4.33% and State Bank of India with 3.23%. PI Opportunities held 2.4%, while investor Radhakishan Damani owned 1.58%. Sunil Kant Munjal held 0.41%, S Gopalkrishnan 0.38% and Indian Bank 0.34%.

New Delhi: Airtel Africa is considering listing its financial services arm, Airtel Money, on the London Stock Exchange with a secondary offer for sale (OFS) in what could be the UK’s largest such listing since 2021. In filings Wednesday with the London bourse on Mobile Money, Airtel Africa indicated it would give some of its existing shareholders an exit option, industry experts said. Airtel Africa has roped in International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank group, as a cornerstone investor in the proposed OFS.

Minority shareholders in the business include TPG, Mastercard, Qatar Investment Authority and Chimetech Holding who together invested $550 million in the business in 2021. Analysts said the listing provides a structured liquidity for pre-IPO investors but will not look to infuse fresh capital in the business.

Read more: Chasing IPO debut highs? All 10 listing multibaggers of last 2 years bleed negative returns

“Airtel Money operates with zero external borrowings and only 3% of its revenue spent as capex as of FY26, which gives it enough room to invest in growth directly from its balance sheet,” an industry executive who did not wish to be named told ET.

IFC has signed an agreement with the company and some of the existing shareholders to purchase up to 67.2 million British Pounds (approximately $90 million) of the offer shares at the final offer price, Airtel said in the intimation to LSE. Airtel Africa is already listed on the LSE main market and is a constituent of the FTSE 100.

Read more: NSE IPO shares all set to list: GMP signals 2% listing gain ahead of market debut
The telco’s Africa unit, backed by Sunil Mittal, said the offer will also be made to qualified institutional buyers in the US and outside the US along with retail investors who are residents of the United Kingdom.

Andrew Fishwick is the founder and chief executive of Hestia, a London-based platform that acquires premium restaurant groups and gives their founders capital and a shared central team.

The company says it is aiming to build a premium hospitality portfolio worth more than £500m, spanning ten brands, within five years, and Fishwick is now putting in place a facility to fund its first acquisitions, with a corporate bond to follow. Before hospitality he produced more than two dozen West End and Broadway shows. He tells Business Matters why founders deserve long-term backing, what theatre taught him about a busy service and why he keeps asking whether the numbers reconcile.

What do you currently do at Hestia?

I run Hestia, which is acquiring premium restaurant groups and helping them grow. We look for businesses with a strong name, a loyal following and inspirational founders. Our central team takes on the work that tends to hold a growing group back, such as finance and reporting, property, technology, purchasing and governance.

Most of my week goes on the acquisitions themselves and the capital behind them, which is a polite way of saying I spend a lot of time with lawyers (love you, Julian). We are putting in place a facility to fund our first acquisitions, with a corporate bond to follow.

The rest of the week I spend eating in restaurants we admire, which is the bit most people offer to help with. My accountant calls this due diligence, and I have not corrected him.

I am also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs, and we are working on helping scale-ups across the UK at the moment, which I am really enjoying.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I have spent around 25 years as an operator and chief executive, first in the cultural sector and then in hospitality. People assume that is a big leap. It really is not. Both put on a show every night, and both can lose money alarmingly fast if the audience stays at home.

Over that time, I kept meeting the same kind of business. A brilliant restaurant group, loved by its guests and run by people who had put everything into it, would reach a point where it could not grow any further on its own.

Private equity wanted an exit within a few years, and the pressure to get there often wore away the very thing that made the place special. The banks, when asked, mostly looked at their shoes.

Hestia is my answer to that. Founders get proper capital and a group-level back office while keeping hold of what they built. I think they deserve backing for the long term.

Who do you admire?

Operators who grow without losing what made them good in the first place. The ones I admire most can open their twentieth restaurant and it still feels like their first.

In business more widely, I have learned a great deal from Justin King, who I am fortunate to count as my Chair at Hestia and a friend and confidant. His decade at Sainsbury’s showed how a large consumer business can be turned round by keeping the customer at the centre of every decision.

He also still takes my calls, which after some of the questions I have asked him shows remarkable patience.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have started working with the partners we have now much sooner. What we are trying to achieve with Hestia is simple. The financing and mechanics behind it are anything but, and I now know more about warehouse facilities than any normal person reasonably should.

There are still rogues out there too. But we now have a team in place that can bring this home.

What defines your way of doing business?

Long-term partnership. When we invest in a restaurant group the founders stay, and they stay because they want to, with a real share in what comes next.

I am also particular about numbers. My team will tell you that the four words they least like to hear from me are “does this still reconcile?” Hospitality is a small world, and a reputation for doing what you said you would do takes years to build.

Theatre taught me a lot of the rest. I produced more than two dozen West End and Broadway shows and built the first new purpose-built theatre in London for over half a century. On opening night every person in the building matters, from the lead to the stage door. A good restaurant on a Saturday night works in much the same way.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Know your numbers before anyone asks you for them. Few things go down worse in a pitch than promising to “come back to you” on gross margin.

Choose your partners with care, as you will probably spend longer with them than with your family. Look after your team, and they will look after the business for you.

Finally, eat out as often as you can afford. It counts as research, whatever my wife says.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said the gradual growth of commuter students was linked to the cost of living.

“Aside from tuition fees, the single biggest cost is rent where you can pay up to £1,000 a month depending where you live,” he said.

“Even if you receive the maximum maintenance loan rate, it may not be enough to cover both rent and other daily expenditures.”

Hillman said there were advantages and disadvantages to being a commuter student.

“If you live at home, you are more likely to keep your network of family and friends, and other support network,” he said.

“However, you may be not immersing in campus life experience.

“Some universities are adapting to this commuter student trend by reducing on-campus attendance to three days a week and offering hotel-style accommodation.”

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ET Intelligence Group: Moneyview, a digital lending and financial services platform, plans to raise ₹750 crore through a fresh issue to fund growth in loan disbursals and strengthen the capital base of its subsidiary along with ₹342 crore through an offer for sale. The promoter shareholding will fall to 19.3% after the IPO from 23.9%. Its registered user base has increased 61% annually over the past two years, while its monetised users have more than doubled. However, asset quality has deteriorated — gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio rose to 2.7% in FY26 from 0.9% in FY24. It remains exposed to regulatory risk. Any changes in norms by the banking regulator to restrict unsecured loans may affect its loan growth. Given these factors, investors may wait for a better clarity on financials after the listing.

Business

Incorporated in 2014, the company primarily offers services through its digital platform with personal loans remaining a key revenue driver. It has expanded into credit cards, earned wage access, home loans, loans against property, insurance, digital gold, UPI and bill payments though these offerings remain at a nascent stage. The company primarily serves households with annual income between ₹3 lakh and ₹11 lakh. Its registered users rose 27% annually to 13.4 crore between FY24 and FY26. The number of monetised users grew 53% annually to 1.1 crore over the same period. Revenue is primarily derived from fees, commissions and interest income. In FY26, fees and commissions contributed 56.7% to revenue. According to the Redseer Report, India’s personal loan market is projected to grow 18-20% annually to ₹33-36 lakh crore by FY31.
Read more: Chasing IPO debut highs? All 10 listing multibaggers of last 2 years bleed negative returns

Financials

Total income increased annually by 56.5% to ₹3,404.3 crore in FY26 from ₹1,389.2 crore in FY24. Loan disbursals increased 31% to ₹23,098.52 crore in FY26 from ₹14,527.2 crore in FY24 while loan margin expanded to 8.6% from 7.5%. Assets Under Management (AUM) rose 28% to ₹21,380.1 crore from ₹12,884.8 crore in FY24. Net profit increased to ₹242.7 crore from ₹171.2 crore in FY24. Return on equity increased to 19.2% in FY26 from 13.6% in FY25. Credit costs have risen sharply, with impairment increasing to 28.9% of total income in FY26 from 18.2% in FY24.
Read more: Gautam Adani reclaims top spot as India’s richest, edges out Mukesh Ambani: Hurun Rich List

Valuations

The issue is valued at a price-book (P/B) of 1.9 on post-IPO basis. OnEMI Technology Solutions, which provides app based digital lending, trades at a P/B of 2.9; its premium valuation reflects a better asset quality, with GNPA falling to 2.3% in the June 2026 quarter from 3.6% in the year-ago period.