He used a combination of timing and talent to build a powerhouse. He’s got plenty going for him. Can he make the big leap to take on mightier competitors? Rachna M. Koppikar tells more.

Slowdown is a time to refrain from the adventurous and return to the safe, tried and tested. Here’s a walk through what’s once again in flavour and what’s gone out the window.

Most companies prefer to stand still during a slowdown but, as a clutch of players in financial services have shown, there’s no better time than now to turn the heat on the competition.

BT takes a close look at sectors across the economy, noting the big events and placing on record the expectations for 2009.

Vikram Akula has revolutionised Indian microfinance by building SKS—one of the biggest brands in rural India. His critics feel that he has ignored the very people he should be helping.

The global crisis will eclipse the Indian economy, but only partially. And recession is nowhere in sight. That's because the country's economy was already in a slowdown and India is also one of the least globalised economies among the emerging markets. However, will the financial crisis prolong the slowdown and make it more painful? Answers Shalini S. Dagar.The global financial crisisSo, where is the money?Panic grips Dalal StreetIs something wrong with ICICI Bank?When bad loans are sown in good timesWhen exotic turns toxicWall street woes, India’s opportunityThe Rs 60,000-crore time bomb

They span generations and are there in every field, from biscuits to banking, from HR to hospitals. Denied entry into a male bastion, they create another industry. They are the most powerful women in the corporate world.

As valuations take a beating, a number of companies, big and small, are being forced to tweak their fund-raising plans.

The Indian stock market is sneezing because the US has caught a cold. Otherwise, especially at the current prices, D-Street still offers perhaps the best high-growth bet.

Business Today’s league of extraordinary managers—25 young guns, aged 40 or under, who are blazing a trail up the corporate ladder.

India Inc. wants to lend to the poor.

HDFC Bank has emerged as #1 for the 5th year running. What is the secret formula that keeps it ahead, year after year?

In an industry that is barely 12 years old in India, a new breed of microfinance entrepreneurs has emerged on the scene, armed with management techniques and technology, and a burning desire to get big quickly. 7 Indian Microfinance Institutions in Forbes' 50 listGod of small credit - Vikram Akula

John Derkach, Managing Director and Head of Costa Coffee, did not look very happy when asked about his age.

Events that rocked the business world—or just made head honchos sit up and take notice.

He has got investors who love him and a marketplace that’s red hot. Private equity’s poster boy is on a roll.

Six months of survey and analysis, 94 final participants, and hundreds of days of reporting is what it took to bring you stories of India's best employers. Best companies in pictures

The Reliance stocks are fuelling the Sensex’s heady ride.

ICICI Prudential and Bajaj Allianz are the two largest private life insurers in India and both are expanding furiously. The former leads on some parameters and the latter on some others. For now, the race is too close to call.

Business Today’s list of India’s Most Powerful Women in Business has honchos from the hurly-burly world of financial services all over it. Outside the list too, women are calling the shots, be it wealth management or equity research or hard-nosed broking.