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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

22/07/26, 200% Tariff on Indian Generics

 US President Donald Trump has escalated his push to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to America, announcing a phased tariff regime that could eventually impose a staggering 200 percent duty on imported generic medicines. For India's $9.7-billion pharmaceutical export engine to the US, the announcement has triggered fresh uncertainty but not immediate alarm.

On July 21, Trump posted on Truth Social that generic drugs entering the US will continue to enjoy zero tariffs for two years starting August 1. The duty will jump to 100 percent in August 2028 and double to 200 percent from August 2029. Trump has tied the tariffs to a broader effort to force manufacturers to set up production facilities in the US.

The official order is not yet out.

Why Trump is pressing ahead

The move is part of a wider pharmaceutical reshoring strategy that Trump has been pursuing through Section 232 investigations, a trade mechanism that allows the US administration to impose restrictions if imports are deemed a national security threat.
The commerce department's Section 232 review concluded that America's heavy dependence on imported medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients poses risks to both healthcare security and national preparedness.

In April, Trump used the Section 232 framework to impose steep tariffs on patented drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients while exempting generic medicines. The proclamation said generic drugs would not be subject to tariffs "at this time" and directed authorities to review the segment within a year. The latest announcement suggests that Washington has now turned its attention to generics market where India is the dominant overseas supplier.

Currently, generic drugs are exempt from tariffs in the US.

Impact on Indian drugmakers

Indian drugmakers account for roughly 40-50 percent of all generic prescriptions dispensed in the US.

There is no immediate earnings hit for India drugmakers. India exports more than $9.7 billion worth of pharmaceuticals to the US annually, with generics forming the backbone of that trade.

The two-year window provides time to evaluate manufacturing investments, restructure supply chains or negotiate potential exemptions. All major Indian drugmakers have manufacturing facilities in US to make formulations and finished dosages.

A key unanswered question is whether tariffs will apply only to finished formulations or also to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), many of which are sourced globally. Industry executives say the final rules will determine the real impact on profitability.

What experts are saying

Thomas V Abraham, research analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said the market is waiting for greater clarity. According to him, most major Indian companies already have a manufacturing presence in the US, either through acquisitions or organic investments. A two-year runway may be sufficient to comply if local manufacturing requirements become a prerequisite.

Branded drugmakers previously negotiated arrangements with the US government to soften the impact of policy changes, a route that generic companies could potentially explore as well, he said.

Industry body the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance struck a conciliatory tone. Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said Indian companies operate more than 40 facilities in the US, support local jobs, and contribute to supply-chain resilience. The association said it would continue engaging with the US administration to strengthen healthcare and medicine security for both countries.

Others see the announcement as a strategic wake-up call. Entod Pharmaceuticals CEO Nikkhil Masurkar said Indian pharma has become overly dependent on the US market and should accelerate expansion in the Middle East and other regions in Asia as well as Africa and Latin America. Diversification is an essential rather than an option, he said.

Is it a negotiating tool?

An analyst who didn't want to be named said the announcement may be a negotiating tool to extract a favourable trade deal with India.

"Generic medicines operate on razor-thin margins and manufacturing in the US carries significantly higher costs than India," he said.

Generics account for more than 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in America, raising concerns that steep tariffs could ultimately increase healthcare costs for US consumers.

Analysts say that doubling the prices of essential medicines in an election year would be a political disaster.

Report by Vishwanath Pillai
Source:moneycontrol

22/07/26, The pay gap between private and public sector bank chiefs widened further in FY26, with the heads of leading private banks earning more than 15 times the average remuneration of their public sector counterparts.

 Despite receiving higher percentage hikes, PSU bank chiefs continued to lag their private sector peers, whose pay packages remained significantly higher due to performance-linked compensation structures and market dynamics. According to a Moneycontrol analysis of annual reports, the average daily pay of a public sector bank chief stood at Rs 15,840 in FY26, compared with Rs 1.39 lakh per day for a private bank chief.

HDFC Bank Managing Director and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan followed with a remuneration of Rs 15.17 crore, up 25.7 percent from Rs 12.06 crore a year earlier. Axis Bank Managing Director and CEO Amitabh Chaudhry received Rs 10.30 crore in FY26, marking a 13.5 percent increase from Rs 9.08 crore in the previous year, while ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Sandeep Bakshi's compensation rose 1.56 percent to Rs 10.64 crore from Rs 10.48 crore.

Among private sector banks, Kotak Mahindra Bank Managing Director and CEO Ashok Vaswani emerged as the highest-paid executive, drawing Rs 17.24 crore in FY26, a 33 percent increase from Rs 12.96 crore in FY25. The increase was driven by a Rs 3.2 crore bonus and stock options worth Rs 6.68 crore.
The contrast with public sector banks remained stark. Of the 10 PSU banks, eight have released their annual reports, while Central Bank of India and Punjab and Sind Bank are yet to do so. The combined remuneration of the chiefs of these eight banks stood at Rs 5.8 crore in FY26, less than one-third of Ashok Vaswani's FY26 remuneration alone.

Indian Bank Managing Director and CEO Brajesh Kumar Singh was the highest-paid PSU bank chief, receiving Rs 73.36 lakh in FY26, up 98 percent from Rs 36.9 lakh a year earlier, largely due to higher "other compensation" during the year. Bank of Baroda Managing Director and CEO Debadatta Chand followed with Rs 73.16 lakh, although his remuneration declined 1 percent from Rs 73.93 lakh in the previous year.

UCO Bank Managing Director and CEO Ashwani Kumar received Rs 66.63 lakh in FY26, up 33 percent from Rs 49.85 lakh a year earlier. Indian Overseas Bank Managing Director and CEO Ajay Kumar Srivastava earned Rs 66.56 lakh, a 3.33 percent increase from Rs 64.41 lakh. Bank of Maharashtra Managing Director and CEO Nidhu Saxena's remuneration rose more than 70 percent to Rs 65.19 lakh from Rs 38.15 lakh, primarily due to a higher bonus.

Bank of India Managing Director and CEO Rajneesh Karnatak's remuneration increased nearly 20 percent to Rs 62.95 lakh from Rs 52.7 lakh, while State Bank of India Chairman CS Setty remained the lowest-paid among PSU bank chiefs, receiving Rs 43.2 lakh despite a 60 percent increase from Rs 26.98 lakh a year earlier.

The pay disparity between private and public sector banks has existed for years and extends across employee ranks. Within PSU banks, pay differences have also widened following the lateral hiring of executives from private sector lenders at higher salaries.

Salaries of PSU bank chiefs are linked to government pay grades and civil service structures, whereas private sector bank compensation includes performance-linked bonuses, profit-sharing and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), resulting in substantially higher payouts. PSU bank chiefs are not eligible for such incentives. However, they receive government accommodation at prime locations, the value of which is not included in their remuneration, a benefit unavailable to private bank chiefs.

HDFC Bank Managing Director and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan followed with a remuneration of Rs 15.17 crore, up 25.7 percent from Rs 12.06 crore a year earlier. Axis Bank Managing Director and CEO Amitabh Chaudhry received Rs 10.30 crore in FY26, marking a 13.5 percent increase from Rs 9.08 crore in the previous year, while ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Sandeep Bakshi's compensation rose 1.56 percent to Rs 10.64 crore from Rs 10.48 crore.

 Report by Ravindra Sonavani 
Source: moneycontrol 

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

21/07/26, FinancialMarket Updates


Indian benchmark indices are likely to see a weak opening on July 21, with GIFT Nifty was trading lower at around 24,141 in early trade.

Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on July 20, weighed down by heavy selling in private banking stocks after their June-quarter earnings and weak global cues amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

At close, the Sensex was down 442.93 points or 0.57 percent at 77,708.52, and the Nifty was down 95.80 points or 0.39 percent at 24,238.50.

Here is how financial markets across the globe fared overnight:

GIFT Nifty (Slips)

GIFT Nifty was trading lower at around 24,141 in early trade, indicating a weak opening start for the domestic equity markets.

Asian Equities (Rise)

Asian equities advanced after three days of losses as a selloff in chip stocks eased ahead of megacap tech earnings this week.

US Equities (Fall)

Wall Street's three major indexes finished lower on ​Monday while investors looked for moves toward Middle East de-escalation and waited for earnings reports due from major technology companies later in the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 307.16 points, or 0.59%, to 51,839.26, the ​S&P 500 lost 14.41 points, or 0.19%, ​to 7,443.28 and the Nasdaq Composite lost ⁠12.17 points, or 0.05%, to 25,508.07.

Dollar Index (Flat)

The U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week high on Tuesday, with markets torn between conflicting Middle East signals, as hostilities in the region stoked renewed fears over energy supplies while hopes for a ceasefire offered some relief.

US Bond Yield (Flat)

The yield on 10-year Treasuries and 2-year Treasuries were little changed at 4.58% and 4.20%, respectively.

Asian Currencies (Mixed)

Asian currencies traded on a mixed note against the US dollar. The Malaysian ringgit emerged as the top performer, gaining 0.108%, followed by the Chinese renminbi, which advanced 0.087%. The Singapore dollar edged up 0.023%, while the Philippine peso was largely unchanged with a marginal gain of 0.006%. The Japanese yen remained flat.

On the downside, the South Korean won was the weakest currency in the region, declining 0.264%, followed by the Indonesian rupiah, which slipped 0.15%. The Taiwan dollar fell 0.081%, while the Thai baht eased 0.056%.

Crude (Slips)

Oil prices softened on Tuesday, with markets weighing reports of mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran against an exchange of fresh attacks between the two and threats of a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthis.

Gold (Gains)

Gold was steady as traders monitored a raft of developments in the Middle East conflict for clues on the energy price impact on inflation.

Fund Flow Action

On July 20, Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold Indian equities worth Rs 1121 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth Rs 1,312 crore.

Hope you're all set for today's trade. We wish you a profitable day ahead.

Report by Rakesh Patil 

Source:Network28


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22/07/26, 200% Tariff on Indian Generics

  US President Donald Trump has escalated his push to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to America, announcing a phased tariff regime ...