Ajinkya Kawale, Shivani Shinde

Stories by Ajinkya Kawale, Shivani Shinde

Mobikwik leads IPO debut with 90% surge; Vishal, Sai Life gain around 40%

Mobikwik leads IPO debut with 90% surge; Vishal, Sai Life gain around 40%

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2024

All the three companies that made their stock market debut on Wednesday delivered huge day-one gains for investors. Shares of digital payment major One Mobikwik Systems surged 90 per cent, while that of fashion retailer Vishal Mega Mart and pharma firm Sai Life Sciences gained around 40 per cent each. These stellar debuts came despite the benchmark indices logging continuous declines since their initial public offerings (IPOs) closed on Friday.

NPCI Lists Digital Scam Warning Signs

NPCI Lists Digital Scam Warning Signs

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2024

UPI-related frauds have accounted for a cumulative loss of Rs 2,145 crore across 2.7 million reported incidents.

Bad loans in P2P more than doubles to Rs 1,163 cr in FY24

Bad loans in P2P more than doubles to Rs 1,163 cr in FY24

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2024

Bad loans in the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry more than doubled in financial year 2024 (FY24) to Rs 1,163 crore from Rs 472.1 crore in FY23, said a financial services company on Monday. Non-performing assets (NPAs), as such loans are officially called, were a modest Rs 14.7 crore at the end of FY19 when P2P lending was in its nascent stage, according to Capitalmind Financial Services that accessed data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through a right to information application.

How Indian IT sector will fare in FY25

How Indian IT sector will fare in FY25

Rediff.com   17 Dec 2024

The Indian IT services industry is expected to clock revenue growth in the mid-single digit for the financial year 2024-2025 (FY25), according to a report by Icra for the year.

The ambitious plans of Flipkart-backed super.money

The ambitious plans of Flipkart-backed super.money

Rediff.com   17 Dec 2024

Flipkart-backed super.money is on an expansion spree and plans to expand its range of offerings in credit and wealth management after launching its operations in July this year. The Bengaluru-based fintech company is on track to roll out credit products such as credit on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), unsecured credit cards, and personal loans within the first half of the next calendar year (2025).

Jihadists Are A Major Threat To Israel'

Jihadists Are A Major Threat To Israel'

Rediff.com   16 Dec 2024

'Israel would make Iran and its proxies pay. They, along with Qatar, fund terror all over the world.'

ChatGPT Downtime: Wake-up Call For AI

ChatGPT Downtime: Wake-up Call For AI

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2024

The outage raised broader concerns about the dependency on a few large tech companies controlling critical platforms.

Google's Willow milestone may revolutionise AI, quantum computing

Google's Willow milestone may revolutionise AI, quantum computing

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2024

With Google announcing the milestone of Willow - a state-of-the-art quantum computing chip that can solve complex problems in under five minutes, a computation so complex it would have taken a supercomputer around 10 septillion (10^25) years to complete - tech experts believe this breakthrough could impact artificial intelligence (AI), particularly by making it more accessible to the masses. However, industry players caution that it may take several years for this innovation to become commercially viable.

AI Boom Fuels Workforce Upskilling

AI Boom Fuels Workforce Upskilling

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2024

55% Indians fear that their skills could become partially or fully obsolete within the next five years.

Bitcoin at $100,000: Milestone likely to boost Indian investors' rush

Bitcoin at $100,000: Milestone likely to boost Indian investors' rush

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2024

The recent Bitcoin rally, which saw the cryptocurrency surge past the $100,000 mark on Thursday, is drawing Indian investors in droves. Cryptocurrency platforms in India are experiencing a significant uptick in activity and user sign-ups, driven by the optimism surrounding "crypto-friendly" Donald Trump's US presidential election victory.

UPI Frauds Cost Indians Rs 485 Crore

UPI Frauds Cost Indians Rs 485 Crore

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2024

In FY24 alone, 1.34 million fraud cases were reported, amounting to losses of Rs 1,087 crore.

'1,800 Mosques Are Disputed In This Country'

'1,800 Mosques Are Disputed In This Country'

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2024

'Unless Justice Chandrachud's judgment is (over)turned, there is no end to it.'

'Zepto Is India's Fastest-Growing Internet Company'

'Zepto Is India's Fastest-Growing Internet Company'

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2024

'Domestic investors are opening up to the idea of high-growth Internet companies as a pool of value creation.' 'They like the execution that they see with Zepto, and for us, that is the most important factor.'

Son's AI Hopes From Indian Business

Son's AI Hopes From Indian Business

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2024

'Son believes India has a significant opportunity in chip design, especially in creating IP that will be uniquely Indian.'

FACE's ambitious goal: Uniting 75% fintech players

FACE's ambitious goal: Uniting 75% fintech players

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2024

The Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE), the only self-regulatory organisation for financial technology/fintech (SRO-FT) companies, is aiming to secure membership from at least 75 per cent of players across all key fintech categories within the next three years, according to a senior executive. The total number of members in the organisation has increased to 110, up from around 60 when it received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an SRO-FT in August.

Will Poll Gamechanger Laadki Bahin Continue?

Will Poll Gamechanger Laadki Bahin Continue?

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2024

'I wonder if they will keep it up after the elections.' 'I fear they'll start questioning eligibility -- income, age, bank accounts -- and eventually stop the scheme altogether.'

Crypto or not: Industry to focus on user protection, licensing regime

Crypto or not: Industry to focus on user protection, licensing regime

Rediff.com   25 Nov 2024

User protection and a proposal for a licensing framework for companies seeking to operate in the cryptocurrency area will be part of an upcoming consultation paper on the sector, said a senior industry executive. Even as specific regulations around crypto are yet to take shape, companies are setting up baseline user protection processes, including a redressal mechanism, fraud detection, regular filing of suspicious transaction reports (STRs), among others.

Maharashtra farmers seek better pricing for produce

Maharashtra farmers seek better pricing for produce

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2024

A group of onion traders gathered at the Pimpalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), near Nashik, to inspect one of the season's final harvests of red onions as they look to place their bids. They were surrounded by farmers, who brought their produce here from different parts of the district. Farmers have reasons to be optimistic.

Swiggy: From a forgotten idea to Rs 1 trn mcap on listing

Swiggy: From a forgotten idea to Rs 1 trn mcap on listing

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2024

Framing the next chapter in Swiggy's journey as a responsible corporate citizen, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Sriharsha Majety unveiled the company's eagerly awaited public listing. Majety, who has largely shunned the spotlight, shared reflections on his entrepreneurial path and the strategic pivots he and his co-founders navigated in building Swiggy. "We started with code aggregation, then pivoted to logistics, and that became Swiggy.

Brand Vistara Ends Its Journey

Brand Vistara Ends Its Journey

Rediff.com   12 Nov 2024

Starting November 12, Vistara aircraft will be operated under the Air India banner, to be identified by a special four-digit flight code beginning with "2".