Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Samreen Ahmad

Stories by Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Samreen Ahmad

Nasper-backed PayU in talks to acquire BillDesk for up to $4 billion

Nasper-backed PayU in talks to acquire BillDesk for up to $4 billion

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2021

Nasper-backed fintech firm PayU has started talks to acquire domestic payment gateway major BillDesk, and the deal size could be in the range of $3-4 billion, sources in the know said. "BillDesk has been open to being acquired for some time now, but in the past the valuations that the company was seeking proved to be a hurdle," said a source. "Three years ago too, PayU had approached BillDesk for an acquisition, but things didn't go ahead due to high valuations. "BillDesk had asked for $2-billion value then," said the source.

Indo-American Chamber slams new e-com rules

Indo-American Chamber slams new e-com rules

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2021

The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, that are envisioned to protect consumer interests, may further compound the impact of multiplicity of regulations on the e-commerce sector, the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) had told the ministry of consumer affairs. IACC, the apex bilateral chamber for Indo-US business, had told the government that the proposed amendments would increase compliance liabilities that risk severely impairing the growth of the sector.

Skylark Drones raises $3 mn to fuel international expansion

Skylark Drones raises $3 mn to fuel international expansion

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2021

Skylark Drones, a leading drone platform company that counts Tata Steel, Ultratech Cement, Softbank Energy among its customers has secured $3 million in a pre-series A funding round. It would use the funding to strengthen its product offerings and fuel international expansion.

Housing sector hopes for boost from pent-up demand

Housing sector hopes for boost from pent-up demand

Rediff.com   5 Jul 2021

The key demand drivers -- such as low home loan rates and income tax sops, particularly for affordable housing -- that supported the recovery in H2 FY2021, remain in place and will spur recovery again, feel experts.

'Amazon has an outsize impact on India'

'Amazon has an outsize impact on India'

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2021

'We are having an outsize impact not only on the lives of the customers and livelihood, but also the economy of India.'

PharmEasy buys Medlife, becomes largest e-pharma company

PharmEasy buys Medlife, becomes largest e-pharma company

Rediff.com   26 May 2021

PharmEasy has acquired Medlife for an undisclosed amount, the e-pharmacy unicorn said on Tuesday. The deal will make PharmEasy the largest player in the domestic online pharmacy sector, with the combined entity set to serve 2 million customers a month.

Banking tech start-up Zeta enters unicorn club with $1.4 bn valuation

Banking tech start-up Zeta enters unicorn club with $1.4 bn valuation

Rediff.com   26 May 2021

Banking technology start-up Zeta is the latest entrant to the unicorn club after raising $250 million in its Series C round from SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Sodexo participated as an additional minority investor in the round. Founded by serial entrepreneur and billionaire Bhavin Thurakia, the startup is now valued at $1.4 billion. It is the 14th company this year to cross the $1 billion valuation mark after Meesho, Cred, Pharmeasy, ShareChat, Moglix and others.

Space tech start-up Agnikul raises $11 mn funding

Space tech start-up Agnikul raises $11 mn funding

Rediff.com   20 May 2021

Billionaire and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra along with top Silicon Valley investors Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan are backing space tech start-up Agnikul as part of a new funding round. Chennai-based Agnikul said, on Thursday, that it has raised $11 million in Series A funding round led by Mayfield India. It is the largest funding round for a private Indian space technology company in the country. Existing investors pi Ventures, Speciale Invest and Artha Venture Fund also invested in this round.

Amazon's next CEO Andy Jassy's India Plan

Amazon's next CEO Andy Jassy's India Plan

Rediff.com   15 May 2021

'We look forward to providing great customer experiences in India.'

As Covid surge hits businesses, malls see rentals plunge

As Covid surge hits businesses, malls see rentals plunge

Rediff.com   14 May 2021

Consultants who help lease these properties say this is the steepest decline at least in a decade.

Is Zomato's Deepinder Goyal up for a challenge?

Is Zomato's Deepinder Goyal up for a challenge?

Rediff.com   12 May 2021

With scrutiny that comes with a public listing, Deepinder Goyal's leadership could face its sternest test yet.

Zomato's revenue from operations doubles to Rs 2,604 cr amid pandemic

Zomato's revenue from operations doubles to Rs 2,604 cr amid pandemic

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2021

Zomato said it has consistently gained market share over the last four years to become the category leader in the food delivery space in India in terms of gross order value from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

50 more start-ups likely to join unicorn club in year or two

50 more start-ups likely to join unicorn club in year or two

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2021

There seems to be no dearth of funds to fuel this growth, report Peerzada Abrar and Shivani Shinde.

Top UPI players stare at uncertain future

Top UPI players stare at uncertain future

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2021

'How can we be told not to grow?'

Indian economy in better shape to tackle Covid 2nd wave: CEA Subramanian

Indian economy in better shape to tackle Covid 2nd wave: CEA Subramanian

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2021

'Overall, compared to the previous episode, we are in a better shape because the vaccine is already out there and vaccination drives are proceeding'

How Xiaomi passed the Covid lockdown test

How Xiaomi passed the Covid lockdown test

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2021

'One out of three phones sold in India is a Xiaomi phone.'

Byju's buys Aakash Educational Services for $1 bn over Zoom call

Byju's buys Aakash Educational Services for $1 bn over Zoom call

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2021

The stock-and-cash deal is the biggest in the education space.

Udaan, 'Bharat ka e-commerce' see huge surge in business

Udaan, 'Bharat ka e-commerce' see huge surge in business

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2021

Categories such as lifestyle, food and electronics accounted for over 1,350 sellers across the country last year.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds to invest Rs 1,600 cr on 56 stores

Malabar Gold & Diamonds to invest Rs 1,600 cr on 56 stores

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2021

Gold and diamond retail chain Malabar Gold & Diamonds will be investing Rs 1,600 crore in FY22 to launch 56 stores globally with 40 across India and 16 internationally in FY22 to further boost its retail presence across the globe. The move is expected to generate over 1,700 jobs. In India, the expansion strategy is centred in states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala. Internationally, the expansion will be in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE.

As commodity prices rise, cars, home appliances to cost more

As commodity prices rise, cars, home appliances to cost more

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2021

Metal prices from copper to aluminum and tin have shot up by about 7-32 per cent in the past three months.