Ajinkya Kawale

West Asia conflict sends Indian startups into wait-and-watch mode

Indian startups are turning cautious on expansion and investments in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict, with fintech and travel sectors seeing early stress while edtech remains relatively stable

BHIM targets 5% share to break into top five, challenge UPI duopoly

According to the latest data, BHIM currently holds a 0.86 per cent share of UPI transactions

Former SBI executive Nitin Chugh appointed CEO of Perfios Group

Perfios appoints former SBI executive Nitin Chugh as group CEO to lead its expanding techfin, risktech and digital platforms amid rapid growth and acquisitions

How Pokemon Go's maker is building geospatial models to guide robots

Data generated by millions of Pokemon Go players is now powering Niantic's geospatial AI models that help autonomous robots navigate complex urban environments

PhonePe defers IPO plans amid West Asia crisis, market volatility

PhonePe has temporarily deferred its IPO plans citing the West Asia conflict and volatile markets, though the company says it remains committed to pursuing a public listing in India

Cred gets final license from RBI to operate as payment aggregator

Fintech firm Cred receives RBI's final licence to operate as a payment aggregator, allowing it to onboard merchants and process payments across instruments

Trade in turmoil: Conflict and tariffs dim the shine of Surat diamonds

With the war in West Asia upending global trade, the first part of a series examines how the global diamond hub is grappling with the raging crisis and also tariff uncertainty

Offshore platforms gained engagement after ban on real money games in India

A CUTS International survey shows offshore real-money gaming platforms saw sharp increases in usage and spending after India's ban, with domestic users shifting activity to overseas operators

PayU, GoKwik partner to launch integrated stack for D2C merchants

The collaboration is aimed at solving such issues faced by direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies

Fino PB MD & CEO arrest puts spotlight on merchant-sourcing networks

Industry examines oversight and risks tied to programme managers

NPCI signals identity reboot: Looks to build brand recall beyond platforms

NPCI plans a major branding revamp to strengthen its identity as a technology-led digital payments infrastructure provider and boost visibility at home and abroad

More fintech firms, banks may come under scanner after Fino chief's arrest

Crackdown on payout API misuse in banned real money gaming may widen probe to payment aggregators and smaller banks amid heightened regulatory scrutiny

Payments Council of India writes to FM raising concern on Fino CEO arrest

The outreach comes at a time when FM Sitharaman on social media platform X took note of the issue and said she will check on it

RBI gives compliance breather for small-merchant UPI transactions

The clarification follows industry representations seeking clarity on whether PA norms apply to P2PM transactions, which typically involve small merchants and low ticket sizes

Reliance Enterprise Intelligence ceases to be wholly owned arm of RIL

Reliance Enterprise Intelligence is no longer a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of RIL after issuing shares to a Meta unit, which now holds 30% of its equity

Apple to open second Mumbai retail store in Borivali on Thursday

Apple will open its second Mumbai store in Borivali on Thursday, expanding its India retail network as the company posts record quarterly revenue and sees strong long-term growth potential

BillDesk set to acquire Worldline India's payments business

Fintech major BillDesk is set to buy Worldline India's payments arm in a deal pegged at $100-150 million, strengthening its aggregation and omnichannel merchant capabilities

UPI's global volumes cross 1 mn in FY26, nearly doubling from last year

UPI's international transaction volumes crossed one million for the first time in FY26, nearly doubling from the previous year, as the payments system expanded across eight countries

Peak XV closes $1.3 bn across India and APAC funds after Sequoia split

Peak XV Partners has closed $1.3 bn across three funds-its first independent raise since parting from Sequoia-targeting AI, fintech, consumer tech and deeptech ventures in India and APAC

Security upgrade: SMS-less UPI signup may be launched by next year

NPCI is working on an SMS-less, silent device-binding process for UPI to improve security and onboarding, with rollout expected over the next 12-18 months