Business
Versant strikes multiyear media deal with League One Volleyball
LOVB Austin middle blocker Molly McCage (5) spikes the ball past LOVB Houston outside hitter Jess Mruzik (5) during the League One Volleyball match between LOVB Austin and LOVB Houston February 19,, 2025, at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas.
Icon Sportswire | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Comcast spinoff Versant has struck a multiyear media rights deal with League One Volleyball, the company announced Tuesday.
Versant’s USA Network will exclusively air the league’s “Match of the Week” in primetime at 8 p.m. ET every Wednesday, in addition to the league’s playoff and championship matches. The deal comes as women’s sports, specifically volleyball, have seen a major uptick in popularity.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ESPN also holds broadcast rights to LOVB.
“It’s really about the growth that we feel is ahead for them as a league and for volleyball as a sport,” said Matt Hong, Versant’s president of sports. “We saw a common vision, how we could lend our assets and that would complement what they are doing to grow their sport.”
The LOVB deal marks the second sports rights deal for Versant, which is expected to spin off from Comcast in 2026. In August, Versant and NBCUniversal announced a six-year deal with the United States Golf Association. That deal is worth about $95 million annually, according to people familiar with the agreement who spoke on the condition of anonymity about nonpublic terms.
Hong said the company began negotiating with LOVB just a couple of months ago. The deal adds to Versant’s existing women’s sports rights, which includes more than 500 hours of LPGA coverage annually and future media rights with the WNBA beginning in 2026.
For LOVB, the deal means millions of more eyeballs in the coveted primetime timeslot.
“Versant’s commitment ensures that women’s volleyball has the platform it deserves — consistent, national primetime coverage that reflects the caliber of our athletes and the passion of our fans,” Raquel Braun, chief media officer for LOVB, said in a statement.
Volleyball at nearly every level has been on a major rally. Overall, court volleyball participation was up 6.7% in 2024, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. At the high-school level, more than 479,000 girls participated in volleyball during the 2023-24 season, marking an all-time high, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
College volleyball is also spiking. The 2024 Women’s NCAA Volleyball Tournament was the most-consumed ever for ESPN, with more than 1.3 billion minutes watched across its platforms, according to the network. The audience for the entirety of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament was 41% higher year over year, ESPN said. And, when the Nebraska Huskers’ women’s team took on the Omaha Mavericks in 2023, more than 92,000 fans were in attendance, the largest-ever crowd for a women’s sports event.
LOVB, which features both youth and a professional league, got its start in 2020. The professional league, which features a group of players with a combined 23 gold medals, kicked off its inaugural season in January.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.
Business
India-Oman CEPA rollout: Trade pact may take effect in three month; Piyush Goyal flags faster execution – The Times of India
India and Oman are aiming to operationalise their recently signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) within the next three months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, signalling a faster rollout than several past trade pacts, PTI reported.The India–Oman free trade agreement was signed on December 18. Under the CEPA, Oman has offered zero-duty access on more than 98 per cent of its tariff lines, covering 99.38 per cent of India’s exports to the Gulf country. At present, these products attract import duties ranging from 5 per cent to as high as 100 per cent.
“All major labour-intensive sectors will get nil duty,” Goyal said, listing gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, sports goods, plastics, furniture, agricultural products, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and automobiles as key beneficiaries.On the Indian side, New Delhi has offered tariff concessions on 77.79 per cent of its total tariff lines, or 12,556 product categories, which together account for 94.81 per cent of India’s imports from Oman by value.“The Oman minister and I have discussed that this agreement, we will try to operationalise within three months,” Goyal told reporters, contrasting the timeline with Oman’s earlier trade deal with the US, which was finalised in 2006 but implemented only in 2009.Highlighting investment opportunities, Goyal said sectors such as steel, energy, education and healthcare held strong potential for Indian companies in Oman, particularly resource-linked industries. He pointed to a large green steel project in the pipeline and growing interest in converting energy into green hydrogen or green ammonia for exports.“There is a lot of interest because they have large land banks,” he said, adding that opportunities also exist in marble processing, battery manufacturing, education and healthcare.Goyal said Omani businesses were keen to partner with Indian firms, citing interest from an Omani dairy company in forming a joint venture with Amul. He added that Oman’s sovereign wealth fund and companies had been invited to explore investments in India.
Business
Trump’s ‘Gold Card’ defines wealth as an ‘extraordinary ability.’ Immigration experts say it raises questions
President Donald Trump’s new “Gold Card” visa program uses a novel definition of wealth as a job skill to allow the overseas wealthy to bypass immigration rules and secure citizenship, according to immigration attorneys.
Trump last week announced the start of applications for the “Trump Gold Card,” a new investment visa for foreign nationals. In exchange for $1 million and a $15,000 processing fee, “Gold Card” applicants will get full-time residency in the U.S. in “record time,” according to the program’s website. The website also offers a “Corporate Gold Card,” allowing companies to pay $2 million to secure a “Gold Card” for an employee, and a “Platinum Card,” which offers special tax benefits and may eventually be offered for $5 million.
Only Congress can set immigration policy, meaning the president doesn’t have the power to create or destroy a visa program. So to create the “Gold Card,” Trump is effectively adding a new fee model to two existing programs – known as EB-1 and EB-2 – experts explained to CNBC.
The EB-1 and EB-2 programs are both employment-based programs aimed at attracting award-winning or celebrated professionals. The EB-1 program, nicknamed the “Einstein Visa,” is aimed at those with “extraordinary abilities” – such as scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes and professors who have achieved “sustained international or national acclaim.”
The EB-2 is for researchers, scientists and others whose skills are useful to help solve national problems, like a leading cancer researcher developing new treatments, or a top energy scientist who can help expand the power grid.
White House officials say that the $1 million payment is proof that “Gold Card” holders are successful business people who meet the requirements for exceptional abilities. Anyone with $1 million to spend on a visa is likely to be a productive addition to the American economy and society, they say. Entrepreneurs who started companies overseas can come to the U.S. to expand or start new ventures, creating more jobs. Spending by the “Gold Card” wealthy is also expected to help real estate, the service economy and other industries.
“Why shouldn’t we expedite the people who are willing to step up, to give the United States $1 million,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC last week. “Let’s bring in the top of the top, the best. Why should we take people who are below average?”
Immigration attorneys, however, say that replacing highly skilled or celebrated talents with foreign nationals whose sole qualification is writing a $1 million check distorts the intent of the EB-1 and EB-2 programs. Not everyone with $1 million payment is a high-achieving businessperson or entrepreneur, they say. Some may have borrowed the money from friends, family or a lender. Others may have inherited their fortunes but have scant job skills.
“Having $1 million has nothing to do with your value as a person of extraordinary ability,” said Emily Neumann, an immigration attorney with Reddy Neumann Brown PC. “It doesn’t mean you are able to provide value to the United States of America. These categories were supposed to be reserved for people who can foster innovation and contribute to the economy and create jobs. There is no requirement that “Gold Card” holders have a track record of any of those things, just because they happen to have $1 million.”
While “Gold Card” applicants can’t legally skip the current waiting line for EB-1 and EB-2 holders, some attorneys fear the White House will give “Gold Card” applicants priority. Neumann said she has an Indian client who’s a leading expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning and is working on AI applications for doctors to better diagnose patients. He’s approved for the EB-1 but is still waiting on a green card, which could take years.
“They’re using up a limited number of green cards meant for people who have done wonderful things,” she said. “It’s a very different standard.”
Using the EB-1 and EB-2 programs for the “Gold Card” program has created other potential hurdles. While Trump has said he would sell “millions” of “Gold Cards,” and Lutnick said sales could raise $1 trillion in revenue, the two programs are capped at around 28,000 a year. Individual countries are capped at 7% of the total, which is why the the waiting list for E-1 and E-2 applications from India and China already extends for several years.
Immigration attorneys say India and China would be largest sources of demand for “Gold Cards.” Yet because of the waiting lists, few are likely to apply.
“If ‘Gold Card’ holders will be allowed to jump the queue, there will likely be lawsuits from those currently on the wait list,” said Reaz Jafri, an immigration attorney with the international law firm Withers. “And if not, who will want to pay the $1 million and then wait for three years?”
The unanswered questions and legal risks surrounding the “Gold Card” have caused potential buyers to hold off on applying, attorneys say. Dominic Volek, group head of private clients at Henley & Partners, said a number of his clients in Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore are interested in the “Gold Card” but are waiting for proof that the program works.
Some are also worried about paying the $1 million and then having their visas overturned by a court or a future Democratic administration.
“They want to see the dust settle and see if there are any major legal challenges,” Volek said.
Another concern is the structure of the fee. While some national investment visas are more expensive – such as Singapore’s at nearly $8 million or New Zealand’s at nearly $3 million – they’re structured as investments rather than non-refundable payments. Without an explicit guarantee of a green card, the overseas wealthy are reluctant to pay the $1 million.
“It’s not clear if you make the payment once it’s approved or you provide the payment as evidence, or if it’s kept in escrow during the process,” Jafri said. “They haven’t addressed so many basic questions.”
Proof of funds is proving to be another hurdle for the overseas wealthy. In order to screen for money laundering or criminal activity, the U.S. government typically requires proof that the $1 million fee didn’t come from illegal or illicit sources. Many potential applicants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East are already balking at the demands, since financial documentation is not as thorough.
“The biggest sticking point for a lot of clients is being able to document the source of money,” Jafri said. “In certain parts of the world it’s not so easy to document.”
Last Updated:
In 2025, a sweeping set of reforms by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been announced to make NPS more attractive, flexible, and investor-friendly.
Non-government subscribers with an NPS corpus of more than Rs 12 lakh can now withdraw up to 80% of their savings as a lump sum, with only 20% mandatorily allocated to an annuity.
The National Pension System (NPS) has been largely used for tax savings. In 2025, a sweeping set of reforms by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been announced to make NPS more attractive, flexible, and investor-friendly.
Here’s a simple breakdown of what has changed.
Higher lump-sum withdrawals at retirement
One of the most significant changes is the higher cash withdrawal limit. Non-government subscribers with an NPS corpus of more than Rs 12 lakh can now withdraw up to 80% of their savings as a lump sum, with only 20% mandatorily allocated to an annuity. Earlier, 40% had to be annuitised, a provision that often reduced post-retirement returns.
New withdrawal slabs for smaller NPS corpus
PFRDA has introduced a new withdrawal framework based on corpus size, offering greater flexibility to investors with lower balances.
Subscribers with a corpus below Rs 8 lakh can withdraw 100% of the amount as a lump sum. Those with a corpus between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 12 lakh can choose between phased withdrawals using Systematic Unit Redemption (SUR), partial lump-sum withdrawal combined with annuity purchase, or higher lump-sum withdrawal depending on subscriber category.
Systematic Unit Redemption (SUR) introduced
A key structural reform is the introduction of Systematic Unit Redemption, which allows subscribers to withdraw their NPS corpus gradually over a minimum period of six years. This enables a steady post-retirement income stream without locking funds into an annuity.
Investment age limit extended to 85 years
Subscribers can now remain invested in NPS until 85 years of age, up from the earlier limit of 75. This benefits investors who want to delay withdrawals or continue compounding their retirement corpus beyond the traditional retirement age of 60.
More flexibility in partial withdrawals
Before turning 60, NPS subscribers can now make up to four partial withdrawals, compared with three earlier, with a minimum gap of four years. Withdrawals of up to 25% of own contributions are allowed for specified purposes such as education, marriage, home purchase and medical emergencies.
After 60, subscribers who continue investing can make partial withdrawals with a minimum gap of three years between transactions.
Multiple schemes under one NPS account
Non-government subscribers can now hold multiple schemes under a single PRAN, allowing them to diversify across fund managers and investment strategies without opening separate accounts.
100% equity option for long-term investors
From October 2025, private, corporate and self-employed subscribers can invest up to 100% in equities under the Multiple Scheme Framework, up from the earlier cap of 75%. This option is designed for younger investors with long time horizons who can tolerate higher volatility.
Switching between MSF schemes, however, is restricted for the first 15 years or until age 60.
NPS can now invest in gold, REITs and IPOs
NPS equity schemes are now permitted to invest in gold and silver ETFs, REITs, equity AIFs and IPOs. The combined exposure to these assets is capped at 5% of the equity allocation, offering diversification without excessive risk.
Scheme A discontinued: What subscribers must do
Subscribers invested in Scheme A, which focused on alternative assets such as infrastructure, must switch to Scheme C or Scheme E by December 25, 2025. The scheme is being phased out due to low participation and liquidity challenges.
Other investor-friendly changes
Several additional reforms have further improved NPS attractiveness. These include removal of the five-year lock-in for non-government subscribers, permission to pledge NPS corpus to obtain loans (up to 25% of own contributions), and enhanced tax benefits for NPS Vatsalya contributions under Section 80CCD(1B).
Clearer exit and family protection rules
Exit rules have also been streamlined. Subscribers who renounce Indian citizenship can withdraw their entire corpus. In the event of death, nominees or legal heirs receive 100% of the corpus if no annuity has been purchased. Interim relief provisions have also been introduced for cases where a subscriber is legally declared missing.
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December 19, 2025, 16:15 IST
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