For Fractal, the AI signal trumps the stock-market noise

In keeping with the February AI flavour, the stock markets seem to be behaving like deep learning models whose mechanics even their makers don’t fathom after a point.

The release of a set of plugins by the American AI company Anthropic crashedFinancial TimesUS stocks fall sharply as tech sell-off resumes tech stocks worldwide earlier in the month, but they rebounded in no time as dip buyers returned in droves. In India, though, the volatilityMint₹6.50 lakh crore gone! Sensex tanks over 1000 points; why did Indian stock market fall today? Explained with 5 factors continues.

Evidently, markets don’t understand the game of general-purpose AI. A company that does, to an extent, is making its stock-market debut today (16 February 2026).

Fractal Analytics is raising Rs 2,840 crore ($313 million), including a fresh issue of over Rs 1,023 crore. Its existing shareholders (including the British PE firm Apax Partners and the US-based TPG Inc) will offload shares worth over Rs 1,800 crore. The issue was subscribed 2.7X, where institutional investors’ appetite was better than a measured retail response.

As an enterprise-AI and analytics company, Fractal, like its listed peer Latentview Analytics, is running in a lane of its own.

It’s nothing like popular consumer AI such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It’s nothing like enterprise software such as Microsoft or Oracle, either, which gets drubbedBarron’sAmazon Joins Microsoft in Bear Market. Why Mag 7 Stocks Are Struggling. for pouring capex into AI infrastructure. Nor is it like IT services, which are being derated for fear of “low terminal growth” under the AI challenge.

Large enterprises are only ready to experiment; they aren’t ready to deploy it into operations yet. “Nobody will allow tools [like Anthropic’s Cowork] to be deployed in an enterprise-based environment,” said Venkat Viswanathan, founder-chairman of Latentview.

Earlier in February, advisory firm Gartner predictedGartnerGartner Predicts That by 2028 Misconfigured AI Will Shut Down National Critical Infrastructure in a G20 Country that “misconfigured AI will shut down national critical infrastructure in a G20 country” by 2028.