INDIA STOCKS-Indian equities open higher, led by banks

Updates for markets open

- Indian shares opened higher on Tuesday, led by banks, after the central bank released details of its forex swap facility, while Israel and Iran halted strikes on each other, further aiding sentiment.

The benchmark Nifty 50 .NSEI was up 0.46% at 23,225.75, while the BSE Sensex .BSESN gained 0.46% to 73,867.34, as of 9:18 a.m. IST.

All 16 major sectors logged gains. The broader small-caps .NIFSMCP100 and mid-caps .NIFMDCP100 rose 0.8% and 1%, respectively.

Iran and Israel said on Monday they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, though Tehran warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to hit Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Brent crude futures .LCOc1 were down around $93.3 per barrel, compared with $97 ahead of the Indian market close on Monday.

In India, banks .NSEBANK and financials .NIFTYFIN rose about 1% each after the Reserve Bank of India allowed lenders to access a concessional swap facility for overseas borrowings with a minimum maturity of three years.

The move is expected to lower hedging costs and make foreign-currency borrowing more attractive for banks, supporting sentiment toward lenders and broader financial stocks.