This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in ITWO over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Indian Clearing Corporation Limited (ICCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE Ltd, has unveiled its new brand identity as BSE Clearing Limited (BSECL), according to a company release issued on Thursday.

The company said the transition marks a significant milestone in strengthening alignment with parent entity BSE Ltd and reinforces its role within the broader BSE ecosystem.

BSECL will continue to provide clearing, settlement and risk management services across the equity, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, debt, commodity, mutual fund, electronic gold receipt (EGR) and securities lending and borrowing (SLB) segments, among others.

The company said it remains committed to ensuring financial market stability, efficient collateral management and the highest standards of regulatory compliance as mandated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

“The transition from ICCL to BSE Clearing Limited reflects our strong alignment with the BSE brand and our role as a trusted pillar of India’s financial market infrastructure. Over the years, we have built robust clearing, settlement, and risk management capabilities that support market integrity and investor confidence,” said Vaisshali Babu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BSE Clearing Limited.

“As we embark on this new chapter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to operational excellence and regulatory compliance while supporting the long-term resilience of India’s capital markets,” she added.
According to the release, the rebranding will have no impact on the corporation’s operations, legal obligations, contracts or service commitments towards members, participants and stakeholders.All existing agreements, memberships and regulatory registrations will continue without interruption, the company said.

BSE, Asia’s oldest stock exchange, is also the world’s largest exchange by number of listed companies. Over the years, it has played a key role in the development of India’s capital markets and serves as a major platform for companies raising capital. Its benchmark index, the Sensex, is widely tracked by domestic and global investors as a gauge of Indian equity market performance.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

The Indian stock market will remain closed on June 26 as the NSE and BSE observe a trading holiday on account of Muharram. The last market holiday was on May 28 for Bakri Id, making this the second exchange holiday in less than a month.

A total of 16 stock market holidays have been scheduled for 2026, out of which nine have already passed.

Following next week’s closure, the next market holiday will fall on Monday, September 14, for Ganesh Chaturthi. In the second half of the year, markets will also remain closed on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti, October 20 for Dussehra, November 10 for Diwali Balipratipada, November 24 for Guru Nanak Jayanti and December 25 for Christmas, which will be the final market holiday of 2026.

Will MCX be closed?

Meanwhile, Multi Commodity Exchange of India will remain closed during the morning session on June 26 but will resume trading in the evening session. According to MCX’s annual trading calendar, the exchange has 16 trading holidays in 2026, with either partial or full-day closures.

The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited will remain shut for both trading sessions on the same day.

Stock Market Holidays 2026

In 2026, four key holidays fall on weekends and therefore will not lead to additional market closures. These include Mahashivratri on February 15 and Eid-Ul-Fitr on March 21, both of which have already passed, along with Independence Day on August 15 and Diwali Laxmi Pujan on November 8.
Diwali Laxmi Pujan will fall on a Sunday this year, though exchanges will conduct the customary Muhurat Trading session on November 8. The timings for the special one-hour session will be announced closer to the date. Independence Day, meanwhile, falls on a Saturday.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Capita chiefs promised MPs on the Public Accounts Committee it would fix long-running problems with its administration of one of the biggest pension schemes in the country by the end of this month.
Tens of thousands of retired and serving civil servants have been reporting long delays to payments, leading to serious financial hardship to pensioners and their families. 
But Money Box has learned the deadline isn’t likely to be met. We speak to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee about what happens next.
And cases of reported are still increasing. We explain how AI has become the latest weapon in the fraudsters’ armoury.
Also, holiday season is upon us. What can we do to minimise the hit from those annoying non-sterling transaction fees levied every time we use our plastic. A consumer expert shares his advice.

Show less

More than four months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home, a retired FBI agent says a leading cybersecurity company has publicly classified the case as a cryptocurrency-motivated kidnapping — what the industry calls a “wrench attack by proxy.” If the designation holds up, it would reframe the disappearance of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother as part of a documented and growing pattern of violent crimes targeting people connected to digital-currency wealth.

What CertiK Said

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and NewsNation contributor, posted on X on Saturday, June 13, sharing a screenshot from cybersecurity firm CertiK. In it, CertiK described Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping as part of a “$6 million bitcoin ransom demand” and tied it to what the company called “the documented trend of proxy target selection already identified in our 2025 report.”

CertiK published a broader report documenting 34 verified wrench attacks between January and April 2026, a 41% increase from the 24 incidents recorded during the same period in 2025. Total losses from these attacks exceeded $101 million in just four months. Among the cases flagged in the report was the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, which CertiK categorized as a potential “wrench attack by proxy.” Ransom notes demanding $6 million in Bitcoin were reportedly sent to multiple media outlets, including KGUN9 and TMZ.

What a “Wrench Attack” Means

The term “wrench attack” comes from the cryptocurrency world. It refers to a physical assault or threat, sometimes literally with a wrench or other weapon, aimed at forcing someone to hand over digital assets. A “proxy” variation targets not the crypto holder directly but a family member or associate, using the threat against that person as leverage. The term traces back to a satirical XKCD webcomic first published in 2009, built on the joke that it’s easier to beat someone with a wrench until they give up their password than it is to hack a cryptocurrency wallet.

Coffindaffer characterized the development in stark terms in her post. “Nancy Guthrie: It’s the biggest public break in Nancy’s Case as CertiK, arguably the Leading Crypto Security company in the World, has designated Nancy’s abduction as a Wrench attack by Proxy,” she wrote. “Does CertiK have knowledge as to (whether) Savannah has a Bitcoin account? This is a huge breakthrough. Times have changed. And how these networks operate is new to LE. Unless LE knows who took Nancy, then a Wrench by Proxy Is on the Table.”

An Important Caveat

Despite the attention generated by Coffindaffer’s post, the designation remains, at this stage, an outside assessment rather than a confirmed law enforcement finding. Nothing in the public domain confirms CertiK’s internal knowledge beyond the screenshot Coffindaffer shared, and the assessment remains speculative rather than established fact. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the inquiry, says detectives are still examining DNA and pursuing leads, but no suspect has been identified. The FBI is assisting, yet there has been no confirmation that agents accept the “wrench attack” label or see the case as part of a wider crypto-crime pattern.

Authorities have not officially confirmed any motive in the case, despite the various theories that have circulated publicly in recent weeks.

A Pattern Beyond This Single Case

CertiK’s broader research frames the Guthrie case as one example of an accelerating trend rather than an isolated incident. The blockchain security firm’s data shows wrench attacks are not slowing down. As the report notes, hardware wallets, multisig setups, and time-locked transactions were designed to protect against digital threats, but they do very little when someone threatens a person’s family. The Guthrie case illustrates that wealth proximity, not just wealth ownership, creates risk — meaning a person doesn’t need to hold Bitcoin to become a target, only to be connected to someone who does, or who is perceived to.

The Broader Investigation

The case has remained under intense investigation since Guthrie’s disappearance from her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson. She was last seen at her home on January 31, according to reports, and was reported missing by family the following day. Since then, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have been processing DNA evidence, following up tips, and reviewing ransom letters connected to the case.

The investigation was formally upgraded from a missing persons case to a homicide investigation earlier this year, even as no official suspect has been named. A masked individual captured on Guthrie’s doorbell camera around the time of her disappearance remains a central, unidentified focus of the inquiry.

Savannah Guthrie’s Continued Absence

Savannah Guthrie has continued to navigate her role at Today amid the ongoing search for her mother, periodically stepping away from her anchor duties. She returned to the broadcast earlier this year following an extended leave of absence after her mother’s disappearance, though she has continued to take intermittent breaks from the show as the investigation has stretched on.

What Comes Next

With CertiK’s assessment now circulating widely but still unconfirmed by the FBI or Pima County investigators, the central question facing the case remains the same one that has persisted for months: whether law enforcement can convert the various competing theories — cryptocurrency ransom, the unidentified masked suspect, or other leads — into an actual identified perpetrator. Coffindaffer’s post suggests the crypto angle may open investigative doors that traditional law enforcement has been slow to walk through, but until the FBI or Pima County Sheriff’s Department issues an official statement addressing CertiK’s designation directly, the “wrench attack” theory remains one competing explanation among several in a case that has now stretched well past the four-month mark without a confirmed suspect or a resolution for the Guthrie family.

Anyone with information related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The family’s $1 million reward and the FBI’s $100,000 reward for information remain active.