Ajinkya Kawale, Shivani Shinde

Stories by Ajinkya Kawale, Shivani Shinde

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

'With free software on the Internet and apps, creating a deepfake video can take 3 to 5 minutes. Anyone can make these videos.'

Flights cancelled, airfares jump 52-171% as rainfall batters Chennai

Flights cancelled, airfares jump 52-171% as rainfall batters Chennai

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2023

Airfares on major domestic routes from Chennai surged as flight operations at the airport were disrupted due to strong winds and torrential rain that lashed the city in the wake of Cyclone Michaung on Monday. According to ixigo data, on December 5, one-way spot airfares from Chennai to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata rose between 52 per cent and 171 per cent compared to prices three to seven days prior. The Chennai-Mumbai route, the busiest flight route from Chennai airport, saw airfares surge 68.6 per cent from Rs 3,728 to Rs 6,286 in the aforementioned period.

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2023

Her reasoning is simple, "It's a Tata company. No shareholder will let go of this opportunity," she told Business Standard. When asked if the other reason for lining up for the IPO is the technology sector and the fact that the combination of Tata and tech is happening after almost two decades, she replied: "The name of the company and the group matter. Tata means stability and credibility," she added.

Fintechs may shift to secure products after RBI order on consumer loans

Fintechs may shift to secure products after RBI order on consumer loans

Rediff.com   23 Nov 2023

Fintech companies believe that the impact of Reserve Bank of India's order last week on unsecured loans will be visible in six to 12 months and prompt them to diversify and strengthen their secured portfolio. Fintechs which source funds through banks or non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are looking at quickly building their secured portfolio options to at least 40 per cent of their total portfolio. "Over the medium to long term, as part of our product strategy, we are evaluating secured products which can be enabled over a digital platform" said Yogi Sadana, the founder of Zype, a lending-focussed fintech.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

Ahmedabad airport recorded thrice the number of private chartered/VIP flights in the build-up to the final of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as compared to the average four-day period. The airport, which usually operates around 64 chartered flights in a span of four days, is set to handle 205 such flights between November 17 and 20, as celebrities and other VIPs descended to watch the India-Australia match.

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

For Lori Beer, chief information officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co, largest banker in the US, India is a big part of the organisation's global technology footprint and is core to its products and services. This is evident from the fact that in less than two months since JPMorgan & Chase chief executive officer Jamie Dimon visited India, Beer has come here to see the recently opened centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru. "What is different for me this year are our new centres and to be able to come and see the vibrancy, and connectedness is great.

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

'Students of Tier-II and Tier III engineering colleges in the south may find 2023 to be one of the toughest years for getting jobs.'

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2023

'Our Q1 was almost flat, and there was very negligible growth in Q2, but the deal pipeline and the order book have been fairly significant.'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

'We will have a strong exit as our third quarter is strong.'

Growth in personal loans offering likely to remain muted for Paytm

Growth in personal loans offering likely to remain muted for Paytm

Rediff.com   1 Nov 2023

The growth in personal loans for fintech major Paytm may remain muted in the future and not replicate a three-digit year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth that it recorded in the previous years, a person familiar with the matter said. Sources said the personal loans book may grow in the range of 30 to 40 per cent Y-o-Y on its current base. On a quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) basis, the number of personal loans the Noida-based fintech company disbursed has dropped 20 per cent from 0.3 million in the first quarter of this financial year (Q1FY24) to 0.24 million in Q2FY24, according to regulatory filings.

'India is big enough to have over 4 airlines'

'India is big enough to have over 4 airlines'

Rediff.com   28 Oct 2023

'Within five years, we should be achieving more on the international front than what it took most airlines 15 to 20 years back.'

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2023

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday suspended operations at Redbird Flight Training Academy, one of India's largest flight schools, across all five of its training bases in the country. This action was taken after five accidents involving the institute's planes in the past six months. The DGCA announced it would conduct an audit of the academy's maintenance practices and also proficiency checks of the institute's flight instructors before allowing it to resume operations.

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

TCS saw its headcount reduced by 6,333. Infosys' headcount decreased by almost 7,500, and HCLTech saw its employee numbers shrink by 2,299.

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

WhatsApp's advantage is that it is the first app millions of Indian check first thing in the morning and innumerable times during the day and night.

Coming Soon! UPI-Based ATMs

Coming Soon! UPI-Based ATMs

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

The transition to UPI-based ATMs will be gradual, and consumers will not immediately switch to using standalone UPI ATMs overnight.

Results preview: IT companies brace for Q2 setback on muted growth

Results preview: IT companies brace for Q2 setback on muted growth

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2023

However, the second quarter of FY24 is expected to be muted, and, with that, the hope of double-digit growth is now being pushed to FY25. However, analysts are expecting the momentum in the closure of record total contract values (TCVs) will continue, as has been the case over the last two quarters.

Average ticket size on UPI down 10% in H1 2023

Average ticket size on UPI down 10% in H1 2023

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2023

The average ticket size (ATS) of all transactions on United Payments Interface (UPI) in H1 2023 was pegged at Rs 1,604, marking a 10 per cent decline, compared to Rs 1,774 in H1 2022, according to data from Worldline India's Digital Payments Report. The reduction in the overall ATS on UPI is a good sign, suggesting a deeper embedding of UPI as it is being used for smaller or micro-transactions, and the dip is driven by the growth in person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions, the report said. The ATS of P2M transactions dipped 21 per cent from Rs 839 in H1 2022 to Rs 659 in H1 2023.

Amazon Pay India growing at 40-50%: CEO Mahendra Nerurkar

Amazon Pay India growing at 40-50%: CEO Mahendra Nerurkar

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2023

With over 80 million Unified Payments Interface (UPI) users, Amazon Pay, the payments business of e-commerce giant Amazon, has been growing at 40-50 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), said Mahendra Nerurkar, chief executive officer (CEO) and vice-president (V-P), Amazon Pay India. "Leveraging just the micro peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions on UPI is not a business model. "While we have enabled those features, we do not chase monthly active users based on this.

G20 Summit: Startups hope Delhi Declaration to help ease capital access

G20 Summit: Startups hope Delhi Declaration to help ease capital access

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2023

The Indian startup ecosystem has lauded the inclusion of startups in the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration for the first time ever in the history of G20. Industry stakeholders say that the move will lead to easier access to capital, reduce regulatory hurdles, and may revive funding activity. The Declaration, through the Startup20 initiative, recognised startups as "natural engines of growth" and key to socio-economic transformation by driving innovation and creating employment.