Harsh Kumar, Ajinkya Kawale

Stories by Harsh Kumar, Ajinkya Kawale

Public sector banks may take QIP route to meet shareholding norm

Public sector banks may take QIP route to meet shareholding norm

Rediff.com   26 Jul 2024

Public-sector lenders Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Uco Bank are likely to raise funds through qualified institutional placement (QIP) next month. Punjab & Sind Bank is likely to follow suit later this financial year to meet the public shareholding norm of 25 per cent. When a public-sector unit raises funds through QIP, the money goes to the company because it involves issuing new shares whereas in the case of offer for sale (OFS), the money raised goes to the government because its shares are sold.

Meet Nirmalaji's Core Budget Team

Meet Nirmalaji's Core Budget Team

Rediff.com   23 Jul 2024

The finance minister continues to be backed by the same policy team in charting out the broad strategy as in the few earlier Budgets.

WazirX Breach: 'Recovering Stolen Crypto Is Hard'

WazirX Breach: 'Recovering Stolen Crypto Is Hard'

Rediff.com   22 Jul 2024

'A lot of them are converted to other tokens, and since crypto is dealt with internationally, it can go to any exchange in any country.'

'Banks must be prepared for providing UPI credit'

'Banks must be prepared for providing UPI credit'

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2024

'A credit line on UPI is going to make banks think about credit fundamentally as they digitise the credit process entirely.'

WazirX Loses $234 Million In Security Breach

WazirX Loses $234 Million In Security Breach

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2024

The swindled amount is nearly half of WazirX's total assets.

Major credit card issuers go live on Bharat Bill Payment Systems platform

Major credit card issuers go live on Bharat Bill Payment Systems platform

Rediff.com   15 Jul 2024

Major credit issuers, including the largest - HDFC Bank - have integrated their systems with the Bharat Bill Payment Systems (BBPS) for receiving credit card repayments via third-party applications.

How Postmen Can Help Micro-Entrepreneurs

How Postmen Can Help Micro-Entrepreneurs

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2024

'The dakiyas will be our partners, receiving credit proposals from micro-enterprises at the grassroots level.'

Union Budget 2024-25: MSMEs bat for Rs 5,000 crore export booster

Union Budget 2024-25: MSMEs bat for Rs 5,000 crore export booster

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2024

India SME Forum, an organisation for small and medium businesses, has called for creating a dedicated fund of Rs 5000 crore for the export capacity development, promotion, and marketing of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in its Budget recommendation. The forum for MSMEs with over 98,000 members said that to enhance India's global competitiveness and increase its market share in global exports, it was "crucial to increase the number of active exporters and enable at least 3-4 lakh first-time micro, small, and medium exporters while supporting them in promoting Indian products globally."

Zomato withdraws NBFC application, says no plans to pursue lending

Zomato withdraws NBFC application, says no plans to pursue lending

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2024

Food and grocery delivery major Zomato has pulled the plug on its plan to enter the lending business. Zomato Financial Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zomato, has withdrawn its application for a non-banking financial company (NBFC) licence with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), stating that the company does not have plans to pursue lending in the future. "There is no material impact on the revenue/operations of the company and this disclosure is being made voluntarily," the Gurgaon-based company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

Credit Card Payments Will Be Blocked On Apps

Credit Card Payments Will Be Blocked On Apps

Rediff.com   1 Jul 2024

Some of the fintechs that will get impacted include Cred, Paytm, Phonepe and Amazon Pay, among others.

4 offshore crypto exchanges join queue for nod to restart India ops

4 offshore crypto exchanges join queue for nod to restart India ops

Rediff.com   21 Jun 2024

The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-India), the national agency responsible for analysing suspicious financial transactions, has received requests from four more offshore crypto exchanges to operate in India again, said a senior government official familiar with the matter. In the beginning of 2024, India had banned nine crypto exchanges - Binance, Kucoin, Huobi, Kraken, Gate.io, Bitstamp, MEXC Global, Bittrex, and Bitfenix - for non-compliance with anti-laundering law in the country.

Nirmalaji Listens To Economists' Ideas

Nirmalaji Listens To Economists' Ideas

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2024

'The Budget needs to focus more on social welfare schemes.'

Budget 2024: MSME ministry gets 'positive' feedback on 45-day payment rule

Budget 2024: MSME ministry gets 'positive' feedback on 45-day payment rule

Rediff.com   19 Jun 2024

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has received "positive" feedback from industry regarding the 45-day payments cycle for MSMEs, according to a senior official familiar with the matter. The comment assumes significance amid concerns raised by some MSMEs that big companies may stop buying from small and medium suppliers and instead choose to make purchases from unregistered enterprises.

'Housing finance Sector Will Only Grow'

'Housing finance Sector Will Only Grow'

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2024

'The demand for housing is always increasing, and so is housing shortage.'

What Will Keep Nirmalaji Busy This Year?

What Will Keep Nirmalaji Busy This Year?

Rediff.com   17 Jun 2024

Fresh plans of privatisation or divestment in central public sector enterprises and public sector banks might take a back seat this financial year because these may require a large consensus among coalition partners.

Back to basics: Paytm's focus is payments and distribution

Back to basics: Paytm's focus is payments and distribution

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2024

Paytm, the country's leading fintech player which had to shut its payment bank business following regulatory action, is revisiting its business strategy including partnership with lenders. Also, the company's founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Vijay Shekhar Sharma has decided to oversee the day-to-day operations with all the major verticals reporting directly to him now. "The thing on top of everyone's agenda is getting the core businesses back on track," a person in the know said.

'Payment banks' micro-lending to significantly impact economy'

'Payment banks' micro-lending to significantly impact economy'

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2024

'The transition from payment banks to SFBs is only permissible for banks not owned by corporate entities.'

MPS: FinMin may extend August deadline for PSBs, insurers

MPS: FinMin may extend August deadline for PSBs, insurers

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2024

The finance ministry is in favour of extending the August deadline for public sector banks (PSBs) as well as insurance companies to increase their minimum public shareholding (MPS) to the mandated 25 per cent, said a senior government official. "The election results will determine the course of action. "Most likely, those who did not receive an extension to meet the minimum shareholding norm will be granted one," the senior government official said.

AI, Cloud, super app: Adani group to bet big on tech

AI, Cloud, super app: Adani group to bet big on tech

Rediff.com   5 Jun 2024

Coal-to-airports conglomerate Adani group is set to make a splash in the tech world. The group is considering the creation of customised artificial intelligence (AI) models for commercial prospects and consolidating digital services on a super app, according to people in the know. The Adani One app, part of its consumer-facing businesses, is reportedly in talks to expand into e-commerce and digital payments, according to a Financial Times report.

Valuations, access to capital spur fintechs' homecoming

Valuations, access to capital spur fintechs' homecoming

Rediff.com   4 Jun 2024

Why are financial-technology (fintech) players moving back to India, or doing the reverse-flipping?