🛍️ Blackstone Just Dropped ₹3,250 Cr on This Mall

🌅 Good morning, Masala Crew!

Wednesday’s here and the markets are wobbling, the taxman is sharpening pencils, and the oil thirst is real. While the UK fumbles for fiscal balance and India eyes a trillion-dollar IPO pipeline, we’ve got a full brew of updates, drama, and desi hustle. Let’s dive into the most sip-worthy headlines of June 18, 2025 ☕👇

☕ Chai Shots

• 🔍 SEBI Cracks the Whip on “Market Celebs”: Celebrity stock market expert Sanjiv Bhasin and 11 others have been banned from trading by SEBI for manipulating stocks through televised tips and shady sell-offs. A ₹11.37 crore disgorgement order has been slapped on the group. 

• 🛢️ India to Drive Global Oil Demand: The IEA projects India will contribute the lion’s share—1 million barrels per day—of global oil demand growth by 2030, driven by booming middle-class consumption and rising vehicle ownership.

• 🛍️ Vishal Mega Mart’s ₹10,220 Cr Blockbuster Deal: Kedaara Capital sold nearly 20% of its stake. SBI MF, Kotak MF, and HDFC MF swooped in, taking advantage of the retail giant’s rising momentum.

• 🏬 Blackstone’s ₹3,250 Cr Mall Move: In Kolkata’s biggest real estate deal ever, Blackstone has snapped up South City Mall for ₹3,250 crore. The million-square-foot mall houses 150+ premium brands (Zara, CK, Tommy Hilfiger) and sees up to 2 lakh visitors on weekends. With ₹1,800 crore in annual turnover, it’s a retail powerhouse—and Blackstone is doubling down on India’s consumption boom.

📈 Market Masala

• 📉 Indices Close Lower: Benchmarks ended Tuesday at the day's low. Sensex fell 213 points to 81,583, while Nifty slid 93 points to 24,853. Midcaps took a sharper hit, dropping 389 points.

• 🏦 Rate Cut Buzz Grows Louder: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra suggested there’s room for more cuts if inflation stays tamed. Liquidity tools like CRR, he added, aren’t going to be used casually.

• 📆 BSE’s Thursday Expiry Strategy: BSE shifted its F&O expiry to Thursdays after NSE picked Tuesdays. The move will be closely watched as exchanges jostle for volumes.

• 🏦 PNB Offloads Stake in ISARC: Punjab National Bank sold its full 21% stake in India SME Asset Reconstruction Co. for ₹34 crore, following RBI’s approval for new sponsorship.

• 📉 SBI, HDFC & ICICI Slash Savings Rates: After the RBI’s rate cut, top banks reduced their savings interest rates to as low as 2.5%. For depositors, that’s more pain in the passbook.

• 🕶️ Lenskart Eyes $1B IPO: India’s largest eyewear brand is prepping to go public, targeting a $10B valuation. It recently became a public limited company to pave the way.

🌍 Global Masala

• 🛢️ Oil Up as Geopolitics Heat Up: Brent and WTI rose as tensions in the Middle East escalated. Trump’s dramatic call for evacuating Tehran only amplified fears of supply shocks.

• 📉 UK Braces for Tax Hikes: With economic growth faltering and fiscal space shrinking, economists say UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves may have no option but to raise taxes—despite her promises.

• ✈️ Airbus Lands Big VietJet Deal: At the Paris Air Show, Airbus secured a provisional order for up to 150 A321neo aircraft from VietJet—a signal of confidence in aviation rebound.

• 🧬 Eli Lilly Buys Verve for $1.3B: Betting on gene-editing’s future, Eli Lilly acquired Verve Therapeutics in a cash-plus-contingent deal. Verve targets high-cholesterol diseases with one-time therapies.

🧠 The Big Brew 🏬 Blackstone’s ₹3,250 Cr Bet on Kolkata’s Crown Jewel

Blackstone has dropped serious coin on South City Mall—Kolkata’s iconic retail hub—for a whopping ₹3,250 crore. It’s the city’s biggest real estate deal to date and one of India’s most prominent retail asset acquisitions in recent memory.

📦 Why this deal matters:

• Regional Dominance: Spanning over 1 million sq. ft., South City Mall is the largest in Eastern India, home to 150+ premium stores including Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, CK, and Benetton.

• Traffic Magnet: It attracts 55,000–60,000 people daily, spiking to 75,000–2,00,000 during weekends and festivals. The mall’s food court alone seats 1,400 people and is the biggest in Kolkata.

• Revenue Powerhouse: With ₹1,800 crore in annual turnover and a strong tenant mix, South City has become a pillar of retail resilience.

🏢 The Players:

• Seller: South City Projects, a consortium of veteran real estate firms and business families in Kolkata.

• Buyer: Blackstone—already India’s biggest retail and commercial real estate investor—is doubling down. With over $50B invested in India across sectors, it's now chasing $100B.

• Advisor: ANAROCK facilitated the deal over nine months as sole transaction adviser.

🚨 What does this mean?
This isn’t just a flashy buy—it’s a massive signal to global investors that India’s urban retail scene is back in vogue. As Indians increasingly seek out brand-led, experience-heavy shopping spaces, South City Mall represents a maturing consumption economy. Expect more such marquee mall deals in cities you haven’t even pinned on your map yet.

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 🏢 Darwix AI Bags $1.5M: The conversational AI platform for sales teams raised fresh funding led by Rebalance and IPV. Its proprietary LLM stack supports real-time insights across calls, emails, and chat.

• 🇮🇳 Coralogix Doubles Down on India: The Israeli GenAI firm will use the bulk of its $115M Series E in India—expanding R&D, sales, and cybersecurity teams across Gurgaon and Bengaluru.

• 🛒 Ola's 0% Commission Pass: Ola’s new ₹2,010 driver pass lets partners keep 100% of fares across cabs, autos, and bikes—marking a pivot to a SaaS-style revenue model.

🤔 Chai Break Trivia

🧠 Did you know India is home to the world’s largest two-wheeler market, of all motorcycles sold globally? That’s not just traffic—it’s a cultural juggernaut on two wheels.

🔮 What’s Brewing Next

• 🛢️ Oil Volatility Alert: With West Asia on edge, oil prices and defence stocks could stay on a hair trigger.

Markets may be shaky and headlines may be dramatic, but your morning chai doesn’t have to be. Thanks for starting your day with Masala Chai—where insight meets impact.

Take care, and maybe plan a trip to South City Mall before rent goes up 🛍️

☕ Team Masala Chai