Stock Market News Today Live Updates: Nifty Near 25,800, Sensex Surges Nearly 700 Points; IDFC First Bank Shares, UPL Slump Up To 15%

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• Indian equity benchmarks traded higher, extending gains for the second straight session.
• The BSE Sensex rose as much as 0.8%, or 671 points, to 83,486.15.
• The NSE Nifty 50 climbed 0.8% intraday to 25,771.45.

• Gaudium IVF and Women Health Ltd.’s IPO was subscribed 0.88 times on the first day of bidding on Feb. 20.
• The Delhi-based IVF treatment provider is looking to raise Rs 165 crore through the issue.
• In the grey market on day 2, the shares were trading at a premium of about 11% over the IPO price, as per the update on Chittorgarh website.

• Nitin Bhasin of Ambit told NDTV Profit it is a sideways, stock-pickers’ market and said incremental growth needs to come from banks.
• He said BFSI and smallcaps have held up well, and called for building businesses that attract foreign direct investment.
• Bhasin said he expects more uncertainty on the tariff front and that India cannot depend on the US alone.

• IDFC First Bank had 3.17 million shares change hands in five block trades.
• The transactions involved about 0.4% of the bank’s equity, as per the update.

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• IDFC First Bank shares fell as much as Rs 75.26 in trade, according to the update.
• The bank told stock exchanges on Saturday that it found unauthorised and fraudulent activities by certain employees at a branch in Chandigarh.
• It said the aggregate amount under reconciliation across identified accounts is estimated at Rs 590 crore.

• UPL shares fell as much as 8.5% to Rs 688.10.
• UPL said it will merge UPL SAS and UPL Corp into a new listed entity, UPL Global, within 12–15 months, while UPL Limited remains the holding company and retains formulations, R\&D, Superform and Advanta.
• The update said the restructuring does not reduce leverage, with debt largely unchanged at about Rs 190 billion at UPL Global and about Rs 32 billion at UPL Limited standalone.

• The Nifty 50 rose 0.4% to trade near 25,700.
• The Sensex gained nearly 300 points, or 0.3%, to 83,086.

• The Indian rupee strengthened by 22 paise against the US dollar to 90.75.
• The yield on the 10-year note fell 1 basis point to 6.71%.

The BSE Sensex rose marginally higher to 82,828, while the NSE Nifty 50 advanced 0.5% to 25,692

• UPL said it is reorganising its business to carve out its crop protection operations, with UPL SAS and UPL Corp set to merge into a new entity to be listed as UPL Global within 12–15 months.
• UPL Limited will remain the holding company and will retain formulations, R\&D, Superform and Advanta, while shareholders will receive shares in UPL Global directly; Mike Frank will lead UPL Global.
• The update said the restructuring does not reduce leverage, with debt largely unchanged at about Rs 190 billion at UPL Global and about Rs 32 billion at UPL Limited standalone.

• India and Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in critical minerals and mining, according to a joint statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in New Delhi.
• The two sides said bilateral trade topped $15 billion in 2025 and set a target to raise trade to $20 billion by 2030, with Modi saying they will work to push it beyond $20 billion within five years.
• The update noted Brazil has the world’s second-largest rare earth reserves, and India is seeking to diversify sourcing for minerals used across high-tech and clean-energy supply chains.

• Saurabh Mukherjea told NDTV Profit he doubts the safety of local depositors after the IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank issues, and said he is perplexed about the IDFC First–Haryana government dispute.
• He said he is cautious on the domestic consumption sector and sees this as a time to add export-oriented sectors.
• Mukherjea said he expects the situation to settle in six months, flagged slower US growth with inflationary pressures, and said the latest tariff move is positive for Indian equities, adding he is looking for a relief rally later today.

• Four mainboard IPOs are set to open this week: Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions (Feb 23–25), Shree Ram Twistex (Feb 23–25), PNGS Reva Diamond Jewellery (Feb 24–26) and Omnitech Engineering (Feb 25–27), with listings scheduled between March 2 and March 5.
• Four SME IPOs are also scheduled: Kiaasa Retail (Feb 23–25), Mobilise App Lab (Feb 23–25), Accord Transformer & Switchgear (Feb 23–25) and Yaap Digital (Feb 25–27), with listing dates on March 2 and March 5.
• As of Feb 22, InvestorGain showed GMP at Rs 4 (Clean Max), Rs 5 (Shree Ram Twistex), Rs 17 (PNGS Reva), Rs 15 (Omnitech), nil (Kiaasa), nil (Mobilise App Lab), Rs 17 (Accord) and nil (Yaap Digital; GMP is unofficial and not an exchange-published measure.

Read more here.

• Khoon Goh of ANZ Research said markets remain uncertain on the path ahead as policy uncertainty from the US continues to escalate, and he would read the 15% global tariff as a threat at this stage.
• He said many questions remain unanswered, countries are back at the negotiating table with the US, and India has an opportunity to re-look at its agreement talks with Washington.
• Goh said tariff levels may be past the peak, companies have learnt to shift supply chains, and the 15% global tariff is temporary and may not last long.

• RailTel Corporation of India, in a consortium with Ashoka Buildcon, said it received a Letter of Intent for a Maharashtra government modernisation project valued at about Rs 1,136.18 crore.
• The LoI was issued by the Inspector General of Registration for selecting a managed service provider to modernise offices of the IGR and the Controller of Stamps across the state.
• RailTel said the contract is to be executed by March 19, 2032, as per its exchange filing.

• Upcoming dividend record dates this week include PI Industries (Feb 23), AK Capital Services (Feb 24), NBCC (India) (Feb 25), Stratmont Industries (Feb 26) and Dhunseri Ventures (Feb 27); Spice Islands Industries has also declared an interim dividend, according to the update.
• Declared amounts: PI Industries Rs 5 per share; AK Capital Services Rs 22 per share (second interim dividend); NBCC Rs 0.12 per share; Stratmont Industries Re 0.1 per share; Dhunseri Ventures Rs 3.5 per share (to be paid on or before March 6, 2026); Spice Islands Industries Rs 0.50 per share.
• Under the T 1 settlement cycle, shares bought on the record date will not qualify for the dividend, as per the update.

• Bitcoin fell more than 5% to below $65,000 on Monday after US President Donald Trump announced plans to raise global tariffs to 15%.
• The move came as Asian equities rose in early trade, highlighting a different move in crypto versus regional stock markets amid tariff uncertainty.
• The update said Bitcoin has fallen 26% so far this year and is down over 47% from an October peak after it crossed $125,000.

• Helios Capital founder Samir Arora said India would have been comfortable with a signed deal at an 18% tariff level after the US raised global tariffs from 10% to 15%.
• He made the comments in an eight-point post on X on Sunday, arguing why a 15% tariff is not a problem for India.
• US President Donald Trump said he raised the tariff to 15% after reviewing the US Supreme Court decision that struck down the earlier tariffs.

Read more here

• Asia-Pacific markets rose on Monday even as tariff uncertainty persisted after US President Donald Trump said he would raise global tariffs to 15% from 10% over the weekend.
• The move followed a US Supreme Court decision striking down parts of Trump’s trade agenda under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), as per the update.
• South Korea’s Kospi rose for a third straight session to a record high; the Kosdaq added 0.74%, while SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics rose over 3% and 2%, respectively.

• Axis Bank said it has neither submitted nor plans to submit any bid to buy a stake in CreditAccess Grameen, in a regulatory clarification dated Feb. 22, 2026.
• The bank said there is no material development to disclose under Regulation 30 of SEBI’s listing rules and it will make announcements if any material information arises.
• The clarification was sent to the NSE and BSE and signed by the company secretary, following market speculation.

Read the full report here

• IDFC First Bank said it has appointed KPMG as an independent external agency to conduct a forensic audit into suspected irregularities linked to Haryana government-related accounts at its Chandigarh branch, in an exchange filing.
• The appointment follows Haryana’s Feb. 22, 2026 circular asking departments and state entities to stop using IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank for government transactions, and to transfer balances and close accounts.
• The bank said the issue appears limited to a set of government-linked accounts at the Chandigarh branch, four officials have been suspended, and it has filed police complaints and started steps to trace and recover funds, including recall requests and lien-marking of beneficiary balances held with other banks.

Read the full story here

• AU Small Finance Bank said it found no indication of financial impact or fraudulent activity after the Haryana government de-empanelled it for government business, in an exchange filing late Sunday.
• The bank said it ran an internal review, stated the accounts were opened after know-your-customer checks, placed certain employees off duty, and said it is engaging with the Haryana government.
• The Haryana Finance Department said AU Small Finance Bank and IDFC First Bank were de-empanelled with immediate effect, directed departments to move balances and close accounts, and said Haryana’s deposits with AU Small Finance Bank fell to Rs 538 crore from Rs 735 crore.

Read the full report here

• Bajaj Broking said the Nifty 50 may consolidate between 25,000 and 26,000, with a sideways bias for Monday.
• The brokerage flagged support at 25,350 and 25,200, with the 200-day moving average near 25,250 also in focus.
• It placed resistance at 25,650 and 25,720, and said volatility stayed elevated as India VIX rose.

• Investors are assessing the tariff-related uncertainty after the US President Donald Trump raised temporary US import duties to 15% from 10%.
• The move comes after the US Supreme Court struck down tariffs.

• India’s benchmark indices closed higher on Friday and for the week, as gains in financial and energy stocks offset losses in information technology.
• The BSE Sensex rose 316.57 points, or 0.38%, to 82,814.71, while the Nifty 50 gained 0.5% to 25,571.25.
• Both indices were up as much as 0.8% intraday.

• GIFT Nifty was at 25,750 in early trade.
• The level points to a gap-up start for Indian equities.