For decades, the world has run on the dollar. Oil is priced in dollars, most trade invoices are written in dollars only, and when a central bank anywhere from Lagos to Jakarta wants to build a reserve safety net, it still reaches for US Treasury Bonds First. This is not an accident, and it never should be. It is the result of America’s size, for its deep and liquid bond markets and the kind of institutional trust that took decades. Illustration by The Geostrata But lately a q

Digital Central Bank Currency (CBDC) has become one of the most important innovations in the field of money in the 21st century, being a digital obligation of the central bank that is identical to physical currency in terms of its legal force. The CBDC differs from privately issued cryptocurrencies or deposits held at commercial banks because it has the full backing of the monetary institution behind it. As economies around the world are digitalizing, the question is no longe

After eight decades of domination and cracks starting to appear, we look at whether the reign of the greenback is eternal or merely very long. A CROWN NO ONE THOUGHT WOULD HOLD UP THIS LONG In 1944, delegates from 44 Allied nations met at a mountain hotel in New Hampshire to rewire the global economy, with the United States dollar as the anchor of international finance (pegged to gold at $35 an ounce) and every other currency fixed to it. At that time, it was a practical if n

India's Minimum Support Price regime was conceived as insurance against price collapse for farmers to ensure a sustained channel of stable pricing and income. Six decades later, it has changed from insurance into the primary revenue channel itself, and it tells farmers not just what price they'll get, but effectively what is the best choice of crop to grow because the market guarantees you a price you know and can predict without fail. Illustration by The Geostrata And what i

India undoubtedly has one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the world. However, one must stop and start asking the question of why almost 9 out of 10 startups fail in India. The answer would provide you with a typical checklist of bad unit economics, copied business models, and businesses that scaled and invested capital before finding adequate product-market fit. Illustration by The Geostrata Every single reason is true, but it is not the primary reason. All thes

The 47th American President, Donald John Trump, declared in his inaugural speech on 20 January 2025 that his legacy would be measured by the “wars we never get into”, while promising a “greater, stronger & far more exceptional” America. Barely a year later, America finds itself trapped in an unending war against the Persian state, two broken ceasefire agreements, and a sharp decline in the world's tacit acceptance of American Greatness. Illustration by The Geostrata As Washin

Strolling through the campuses of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford, you will find buildings named in honor of alumni, research funded by graduates, and scholarship funds that generally pay tuition for those who would otherwise never access these facilities. Contrasting this with IIT or Delhi University, you rarely find even a similar equivalent. Buildings generally end up being named after politicians or bureaucrats instead, and scholarships almost always only come from the governm

The apparel industry, which includes ready-made garments such as shirts, trousers, dresses, jackets and other clothing, is one of the world’s largest sources of employment and international trade. It is especially important for developing countries because it creates millions of jobs, requires relatively low investment to start manufacturing, and provides opportunities for women and small businesses. Illustration by The Geostrata As global demand for clothing continues to gro

India currently stands as a definitive outlier in a slowing global economic order. According to the latest estimates by the government, the Indian economy grew by 7.7% in FY 2025-26. Despite global disruption triggered by conflict in West Asia and soaring energy prices, the International Monetary Fund continues to highlight India's growth story. Illustration by The Geostrata The IMF estimates that India will contribute roughly 17% of global growth in 2026. The growing statis

The latest Financial Stability Report (FSR) issued by the Reserve Bank of India in late June 2026 points out an interesting change in India's macro-financial environment. The report claims that India's household debt to GDP ratio hit an all-time high of 45.5%, up from 39.2% seen in March 2021. On the surface, a rising household debt to GDP ratio may reflect financial deepening and improved access to formal credit. But the argument remains incomplete; its macroeconomic implic

The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 did not merely divide territory but set in motion a prolonged geopolitical contest over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Although the Instrument of Accession legally integrated Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union, Pakistan’s invasion and continued occupation of parts of the erstwhile state gave rise to what are now referred to as Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and Gilgit Baltistan, and since then, two cont

E20 is currently one of the most trending topics for debate right now in India. While many have praised the government for reducing dependence on imported crude, supporting local farmers and promoting cleaner fuels, others have raised concerns over mileage and breakdown issues in vehicles. A policy supposed to roll out by 2030 was rolled out 4 years prior in 2026 and has now become a new reality across the country. Illustration by The Geostrata From April 2026, the Ministry

The Chinese industry cannot keep up with Western companies when it comes to manufacturing the most advanced dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). This analysis rests on the assumption that the semiconductor restrictions imposed by the United States limit China’s ability to obtain the latest generation of fabrication nodes – 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm. Such an assumption becomes less and less relevant as time goes by. Illustration by The Geostrata This is the logic that has domina

Artificial Intelligence was created as a niche field that used to focus mainly on research and on creating machines that were capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence. Early innovators thought of AI as a tool that would solve complex problems, automate repetitive work, and enhance human capabilities. Illustration by The Geostrata For decades, the development of AI was limited to just laboratories and specific industries and focused on improving eff

In FY26–27, India's real GDP is expected to grow at a staggering 6.6%, making it one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world. The global confidence in India's growth story remains exceptionally high, with New Delhi widely regarded as a primary driver of global economic expansion. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is expected to account for an impressive 17.2% of global economic growth in 2026, outperforming major economies in terms of econo

In contrast to most economies that industrialised, which moved from agriculture to manufacturing, then to services, becoming the dominant part of output, India has taken on the middle, manufacturing-intensive, stage of development. Services today account for 50-55 percent of GDP (the Economic Survey 2025-26 puts the share of services in GDP in H1 FY26 at 53.6 percent of the gross value added), but manufacturing has stubbornly remained at 15-17 percent of GDP for three decades

Trade finance is the financial instruments and services used to facilitate global trade in order to fill the gap between the dispatch of goods and the receipt of payment. It mitigates the risks associated with exports and imports through techniques like export credit, guarantees, insurance, and letters of credit, while facilitating cross-border trade. Illustration by The Geostrata Ports, highways, and manufacturing facilities receive policy attention, but for firms to compete

India is pursuing two policy objectives that are at odds with each other. The first is the construction of deep, subsidised, protected domestic manufacturing capacity. This has been extensively expressed through the PLI (Productivity-linked scheme) across 14 sectors and quality control orders on steel, aluminium, chemicals, and electronics. Along with this, high tariffs to protect sectors till they are competitive, in addition to the strong push for self-reliance demonstrated

The peninsular landscape, for all its towers of glass and extruded steel, presents a grand, architectural mimicry. These cities rise with a sudden, unearned violence from the gray gravel plains, their interiors chilled to a permanent, synthetic spring while the desert outside registers a lethal fifty degrees. To the casual traveler, deceived by the surface of things, it appears as the ultimate triumph of wealth over geography. Illustration by The Geostrata But if you look cl

In 2019, Delhi left the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) due to concerns regarding asymmetric exposure to unchecked Chinese manufacturing for the Indian market through ASEAN routes. The exit was not irrational by any means; the concerns about arbitrage regarding rules of origin were justified. However, this has left India as the largest economy in the region behind China, without a diversified trade anchor to rely on. Illustration by The Geostrata Now, joini