Business
JLR begins ‘phased restart’ of operations
Michael RaceBusiness reporter, BBC News
Getty ImagesJaguar Land Rover (JLR) says it has begun a “phased restart” of its operations with parts of its IT system back up and running.
The company said it was “working to clear a backlog of payments” to suppliers as it now had increased its processing capacity for invoicing.
The carmaker’s production lines have been suspended since a cyber attack in August forced the company to shut down its IT networks. Its factories remain closed until next month at the earliest.
The government is considering stepping in to support JLR’s parts suppliers, with concerns growing that some, mostly small businesses, could go bust due to the prolonged shutdown of operations.
JLR said on Thursday that its recovery programme was “firmly under way” and that its global parts logistics centre, which supplies spare parts that service customers’ vehicles, “returning to full operations”.
“The financial system we use to process the wholesales of vehicles has been brought back online and we are able to sell and register vehicles for our clients faster, delivering important cash flow,” the company added.
The carmaker said it recognised that the situation was a “difficult time for all connected with JLR”, with no new cars being built and staff being sent home from work.
The manufacturer, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, typically builds about 1,000 cars a day at its three factories in Solihull and Wolverhampton in West Midlands, and Halewood in Merseyside.
Workers have been told to stay home since 1 September, with no firm return date.
About 30,000 people are directly employed at the company’s plants with about 100,000 working for firms in the supply chain. Some of these firms supply parts exclusively to JLR, while others sell components to other carmakers as well.
Calls have been made to support suppliers, whose businesses are under threat as a result of the knock-on impact of the cyber attack.
One idea being explored is the government buying the component parts the suppliers build, with the aim of keeping the companies in JLR’s supply chain in business until production lines are up and running again.
However, firms have told the BBC they are sceptical about the success of such a scheme.
The government “simply don’t understand the complexity of what they’re dealing with”, said one supplier.
“We don’t need promises, we need help.”
Unions have called for a Covid-style furlough scheme, but ministers have ruled this out given its likely cost, sources have told the BBC.
While the purchase and stockpiling of car parts by the government is an option on the table, this would present considerable logistical challenges.
JLR’s manufacturing process relies on the right part arriving at the right place, at the right time.
Another option being considered is government-backed loans to suppliers, though this is understood to be unpopular with suppliers.
Business
India’s Forex Reserves Surge $4.36 Billion To $693 Billion, Gold Holding Rises $2.6 Billion
Last Updated:
India’s Latest Forex Reserves: The value of the gold reserves jumps $2.623 billion to $110.365 billion during the week ended December 19.
India’s Latest Forex Reserves.
India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves surged $4.368 billion to $693.318 billion during the week ended December 19, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The value of the gold reserves jumped $2.623 billion to $110.365 billion during the week.
The overall kitty had increased by $1.689 billion to $688.949 billion in the previous week.
For the week ended December 19, foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, increased by $1.641 billion to $559.428 billion, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s latest ‘Weekly Statistical Supplement’ data.
Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effects of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units, such as the euro, pound, and yen, held in the foreign exchange reserves.
The special drawing rights (SDRs) were up by $8 million to $18.744 billion.
India’s reserve position with the IMF was up by $95 million to $4.782 billion in the week, according to the RBI data.
The price of the safe-haven asset gold has been on a sharp uptrend over recent months, perhaps amid heightened global uncertainties and robust investment demand.
After the last monetary policy review meeting, the RBI had said that the country’s foreign exchange reserves were sufficient to cover more than 11 months of merchandise imports. Overall, India’s external sector remains resilient, and the RBI is confident it can comfortably meet external financing requirements.
In 2023, India added around $58 billion to its foreign exchange reserves, contrasting with a cumulative decline of $71 billion in 2022. In 2024, reserves rose by just over $20 billion. So far in 2025, the forex kitty has increased by about $47-48 billion, according to data.
Foreign exchange reserves, or FX reserves, are assets held by a nation’s central bank or monetary authority, primarily in reserve currencies such as the US dollar, with smaller portions in the Euro, Japanese Yen, and Pound Sterling.
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December 27, 2025, 08:17 IST
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MUMBAI: The Irdai on Friday, fined Reliance General Insurance Rs 1 crore in Hyderabad for routing unauthorised payouts through marketing and awareness expenses that amounted to disguised commissions. The penalty follows Irdai’s examination of transactions across FY19, FY20 and FY21. According to the regulator, the insurer channeled payments to brokers, agents, corporate agents and unlicensed entities under labels such as consumer awareness, marketing and advertising.
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ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has registered 144 olive startups as part of a decade-long government initiative aimed at developing the olive sector.
Olive Promotional Programme National Project Director Dr Muhammad Tariq told Wealth Pakistan that the sector had recorded rapid growth over the past 10 years due to sustained government backing.
“Ten years ago, when the government started this programme, we had only one entrepreneur. Today, we have 144 startups and entrepreneurs. It is a very fast-growing sector,” he said.
Tariq noted that the government’s continued support had played a central role in transforming the olive sector into a viable agro-industry. The federal minister for national food security has also taken steps to strengthen the sector by pursuing Pakistan’s full membership at the International Olive Council. “Hopefully, there will be progress within three months,” he said.
India’s Forex Reserves Surge $4.36 Billion To $693 Billion, Gold Holding Rises $2.6 Billion
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