News for '-country-head'

WhatsApp Pay India head Vinay Choletti quits

WhatsApp Pay India head Vinay Choletti quits

Rediff.com15 Dec 2022

WhatsApp Pay India Vinay Choletti has resigned just after four months he was elevated to the position, according to his details on a professional social media platform. Choletti's resignation is the fourth high-profile exit in about one and half months from Meta in India after its country head Ajit Mohan stepped down in November. After Mohan, WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose and Meta India Public Policy Head Rajiv Aggarwal also resigned from the company last month.

Booking Travel Online? Read This!

Booking Travel Online? Read This!

Rediff.com26 Jun 2023

During the trip, check your bank account and credit card statements regularly for unauthorised transactions.

India employees ready to delegate more work to AI: Microsoft report

India employees ready to delegate more work to AI: Microsoft report

Rediff.com2 Jun 2023

As artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to replace jobs, a new report from Microsoft has suggested that Indian employees are caught between a fear of losing jobs and an opportunity to reduce workload by delegating tasks to technology. Microsoft's Work Trend Index 2023 found that while 74 per cent of Indian employees are worried about AI replacing their jobs, 83 per cent would delegate as much work to it as possible, to help lessen their workloads. More than three in four Indian workers would be comfortable using AI not just for administrative tasks (86 per cent), but also for analytical work (88 per cent), and for the creative aspects of their role (87 per cent).

Does No One Want To Visit The Taj Anymore?

Does No One Want To Visit The Taj Anymore?

Rediff.com5 Jul 2023

'Rather than visiting famous monuments, travellers now prefer "experiential activities" such as biking, trekking/hiking, camping, river rafting, yachting, parasailing and zip lining; safaris and jungle adventures; and wellness holidays to rejuvenate themselves.'

Outbound travel picks up, India remains top source for several countries

Outbound travel picks up, India remains top source for several countries

Rediff.com9 Jan 2023

Travel from India increased significantly after resumption of direct flights in March, Turkiye Tourism Board said, with destination weddings contributing to arrivals

UBS buy gives Credit Suisse India employees a glimmer of hope

UBS buy gives Credit Suisse India employees a glimmer of hope

Rediff.com28 Mar 2023

UBS stepping in to save Credit Suisse with a $3.2-billion acquisition has provided the beleaguered Swiss bank's India employees a glimmer of hope. The surprise deal - engineered by the Swiss government - has triggered optimism of fewer job losses at Credit Suisse's India unit and better synergies at key verticals, such as wealth management and investment banking. "UBS is a much stronger hand. Coming within its fold will give Credit Suisse's wealth management and investment banking divisions a good home.

'If BJP Is Not Re-Elected, Foreign Investors May Sell'

'If BJP Is Not Re-Elected, Foreign Investors May Sell'

Rediff.com15 Jun 2023

'The biggest risk to the Indian markets from a 12-18-month view is that the current government does not get re-elected, or loses in a way that is not represented at all in the next central government.'

'Cheaper, faster, safer': India, Singapore launch real-time payments link

'Cheaper, faster, safer': India, Singapore launch real-time payments link

Rediff.com22 Feb 2023

In the first such collaboration for India, the country's flagship payments platform, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and Singapore's PayNow payment system have launched a real-time cross-border payment linkage system. The linkage, which was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday, was kicked off by a live cross-border transaction between Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das and Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon, using mobile phones.

How Google plans to bolster online safety in India

How Google plans to bolster online safety in India

Rediff.com25 Aug 2022

Tech titan Google on Thursday announced new online safety initiatives in India, including multi-city cybersecurity roadshows to upskill about 100,000 developers and digital safety-focused grants of $2 million from Google.org to community organisations.

WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose quits

WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose quits

Rediff.com15 Nov 2022

WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose and Meta's public policy head Rajiv Aggarwal have resigned from their positions, social media major Meta said on Tuesday. The development comes within a week of Meta announcing 11,000 lay-offs across the globe. The company has given charge of Meta India Public Policy to Shivnath Thukral who is currently serving as Director of WhatsApp Public Policy in India.

1.5 Million Vacancies In Cybersecurity!

1.5 Million Vacancies In Cybersecurity!

Rediff.com3 Mar 2023

'The skilling gap is a serious issue.' 'We partner with the government on skilling, but as a company we have several skilling programmes, and we work closely with the partner ecosystem.

Nokia to scale up mfg in India by 1.5x to support its 5G service rollout

Nokia to scale up mfg in India by 1.5x to support its 5G service rollout

Rediff.com5 Oct 2022

Telecom gearmaker Nokia will boost its manufacturing capacity in India by 1.5x over the next few years to support the 5G services roll-out, said Tarun Chhabra, the company's country head of mobile networks business. Nokia is supplying network equipment to Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio for their 5G networks from its plant in Chennai. Vodafone Idea is yet to finalise its contract as it awaits fresh funding.

How India Saved More Than 100,000 Lives

How India Saved More Than 100,000 Lives

Rediff.com15 Mar 2023

The vaccination drive was only one important part of India's globally recognised pandemic management and response strategy, observes Dr Vinod K Paul.

Key challenge for Sundararaman Ramamurthy, the new BSE chief

Key challenge for Sundararaman Ramamurthy, the new BSE chief

Rediff.com8 Dec 2022

Sundararaman Ramamurthy has been an interesting choice for the publicly-listed BSE, which has seen its chief move to bigger rival -- the National Stock Exchange (NSE) -- in July. Having spent nearly two decades at the country's largest bourse, Ramamurthy is among the early architects of NSE and understands all the cogs of the exchange wheel like only a few others in the country. Just like NSE's core team, which includes its founder RH Patil, the 59-year-old Ramamurthy has worked at the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) before moving to NSE in 1995.

How Toyota India will tackle it's slow growth

How Toyota India will tackle it's slow growth

Rediff.com17 Jan 2023

'In terms of semiconductors, challenges do remain in the pan industry, but I think we are much better than where we were a year or so back.'

Study Abroad: How To Deal With Rising Costs

Study Abroad: How To Deal With Rising Costs

Rediff.com29 Jul 2022

The rupee depreciation will work in favour of students who are currently studying in the US and plan to secure a job that pays in dollars.

Sparkling Diwali For Hotels, Tour Operators

Sparkling Diwali For Hotels, Tour Operators

Rediff.com17 Oct 2022

'Consumers are willing to increase travel spends by 20-30 per cent versus pre-pandemic.'

Planning a vacation this Diwali? Good news awaits you

Planning a vacation this Diwali? Good news awaits you

Rediff.com8 Oct 2022

After years of being sequestered by the pandemic, some intrepid travellers are planning to settle their score with the novel coronavirus. With fewer or no travel curbs, they are eager to get back on the road, again. Hotels and tour operators, too, are eager to shed excess Covid baggage. And this year's Diwali promises to add that extra layer sparkle with the introduction of new flights.

Lamborghini accelerates India plans, goes full throttle on Tier-I, -II cities

Lamborghini accelerates India plans, goes full throttle on Tier-I, -II cities

Rediff.com26 Aug 2022

Lamborghini is focusing on bringing its new car models to India faster after the global launch of its Huracn Tecnica, its country head Sharad Agarwal said on Thursday, adding there is a lot more scope for the company to expand in tier I and II cities. "Typically, in the premium and luxury car segments, there is a lag of six to 18 months between a global launch and India launch," he said in an interview to Business Standard. The Italian carmaker launched the two-seater track-focused performance car - the Huracn Tecnica - here on Thursday four months after its global unveiling.

Gujarat, Karnataka are best states for start-ups

Gujarat, Karnataka are best states for start-ups

Rediff.com4 Jul 2022

Gujarat and Karnataka have been ranked as the best performers in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Among smaller states having population of less than one crore, Meghalaya has been adjudged as the best performer. The rankings are based on the initiatives taken to develop the startup ecosystem for promoting budding entrepreneurs.

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Rediff.com28 Jul 2022

June was a memorable month for the 101-year-old Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB). Last month, the Thoothukudi-based bank witnessed two new landmarks in a history in which the last three decades could easily qualify for a Kollywood blockbuster.

Indians defer travel plans as Sri Lanka imposes curfew

Indians defer travel plans as Sri Lanka imposes curfew

Rediff.com4 Apr 2022

For Indians, Sri Lanka is one of the favourite venues for destination weddings. But last month, when a family from Delhi chartered a Vistara Airbus A320 to Colombo, it packed much more than the standard paraphernalia of clothes, gifts and jewellery. The family ferried meals from Delhi for all the guests and to cover their entire stay in Colombo due to the food and fuel shortages in the island nation.

Institutional investment in real estate likely to fall 20% in 2021

Institutional investment in real estate likely to fall 20% in 2021

Rediff.com21 Dec 2021

Institutional investments in real estate may fall 20 per cent to $4 billion during this calendar year because of a higher inflow of funds in 2020, according to property consultant JLL India. During the January-September period, the institutional investment rose to $2,977 million from $1,534 million in the year-ago period. "Unless some large portfolio deals are not inked at the end of the year, annual investments are expected to be in the $3.8-4 billion range in 2021," JLL said in a statement. Institutional investments managed to cross the $5 billion mark in 2020 due to large portfolio deals worth $3.2 billion during the last quarter of the year.

As aviation opens up, GE bets on India's wide-body aircraft market

As aviation opens up, GE bets on India's wide-body aircraft market

Rediff.com26 Mar 2022

The slot constraint in Indian airports is also going to play a role in pushing airlines to have wide bodies.

Sebi restrains 2 Infosys, Wipro employees from securities market

Sebi restrains 2 Infosys, Wipro employees from securities market

Rediff.com29 Sep 2021

Markets regulator Sebi has restrained an Infosys employee and his connected person, who is an employee of Wipro Ltd, from the securities market till further orders in a matter related to alleged insider trading in Infosys shares. The market regulator has also directed impounding of illegal proceeds of Rs 2.62 crore, according to a Sebi order dated September 27. The alert system of Sebi had generated insider trading alerts for Infosys' scrip around the corporate announcement about the strategic partnership of Infosys with Vanguard.

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Rediff.com1 Jan 2022

On the itinerary: Luxury camping, tribal homestays, heritage cities.

Ideal time for Covid booster is 6 months after 2nd dose: Covaxin maker

Ideal time for Covid booster is 6 months after 2nd dose: Covaxin maker

Rediff.com10 Nov 2021

Bharat Biotech is also looking at nasal vaccine as a booster dose as its scaling up capacity is very easy when compared with Covaxin, he added.

'Amazon In India For Next 100 Years'

'Amazon In India For Next 100 Years'

Rediff.com4 Jul 2022

'For all of us at Amazon, it is 'Bharat first'.' 'We are keeping the Indian customer at the centre of what we are doing.'

HDFC Bank plans digital launches in 2-3 qtrs

HDFC Bank plans digital launches in 2-3 qtrs

Rediff.com23 Mar 2022

With the banking regulator lifting restrictions on HDFC Bank's digital initiatives, the largest private sector lender is now girding up to launch a clutch of customer-facing applications (apps), which will act as stepping stones in its journey to morph into a technology (tech)-led bank from a conventional one. Following repeated outages in its digital offerings, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had barred HDFC Bank from issuing new credit cards in December 2020 and prevented it from going ahead with its digital launches. The embargo on issuing credit cards was lifted in August 2021 and the ban on digital launches was lifted last week.

HDFC Bank: Recouping lost credit card share to be 'gradual'

HDFC Bank: Recouping lost credit card share to be 'gradual'

Rediff.com15 Mar 2022

While HDFC Bank has vowed to recoup its lost market share in the credit card segment in three to four quarters by aggressively sourcing new cards, brokerages believe it is a little hard to come by, given how competitive the landscape has become, with other players in the market becoming equally aggressive to gain market share. Kotak Institutional Equities in its report on Monday said, "We would like to believe that the recovery in market share is likely to be gradual, if any. "All the key players, including Axis Bank, are now willing to expand their credit card portfolios as they have tested quite well against Covid-19."

5 Tech Trends To Watch Out For

5 Tech Trends To Watch Out For

Rediff.com5 Jan 2022

Humans will work far more collaboratively with artificial intelligence for rapid and complex decision-making.

Net office leasing up 8% in Q2 across 7 cities

Net office leasing up 8% in Q2 across 7 cities

Rediff.com7 Oct 2021

Net office leasing rose by 8 per cent to 5.85 million square feet in the July-September period of this calendar year across seven cities on better demand from corporates and coworking operators, according to JLL India. Property consultant JLL India attributed the rise in net absorption to various factors such as better awareness about coronavirus, preparedness along with mass vaccination drive and unlocking of economy has aided in the revival of the office market. Net absorption or leasing includes fresh leasing in completed buildings and pre-commitments in buildings that become operational during the time being reviewed, and excludes exits/terminations, churns, renewals, and pre-commitments in future supply.

The Meteoric Rise Of Pan-Indian Films

The Meteoric Rise Of Pan-Indian Films

Rediff.com6 Mar 2022

'This is the best time to do a pan-Indian film.'

India's Top Travel Destinations for 2021

India's Top Travel Destinations for 2021

Rediff.com25 Jun 2021

A significant 69% respondents indicated keen interest to travel in 2021 post ease in restrictions with 18% ready to travel immediately post unlock and 51% within 3-6 months.

'FinMin's prompt measures helped in Nirav Modi extradition process'

'FinMin's prompt measures helped in Nirav Modi extradition process'

Rediff.com16 Apr 2021

Prompt measures and legal actions taken by the Indian government and PNB helped in securing the extradition of diamantaire Nirav Modi by the UK on Friday, a senior official said. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday signed off on the order to extradite Nirav Modi, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case. According to the government official, a scam of this magnitude had potential to create instability in the financial sector but the deft handling saved the entire public sector banking space from the crisis and litigation.

Institutional investment in realty in Q1 jumps 9-fold to $1.35bn: JLL

Institutional investment in realty in Q1 jumps 9-fold to $1.35bn: JLL

Rediff.com8 Jul 2021

Institutional investment in real estate jumped nearly 9-fold during the April-June quarter to $1.35 billion, mainly driven by the inflow of funds in the warehousing projects, according to property consultant JLL India. In its 'Capital Markets Update Q2 2021', JLL India reported that institutional investors deployed $1,357 million in real estate during the second quarter of the 2022 calendar year as against a mere $155 million in the year-ago period.

Why are foreign banks marching out of retail banking?

Why are foreign banks marching out of retail banking?

Rediff.com27 Mar 2022

Foreign banks set the template in consumer banking in its infancy, but have almost vacated this booming space.

'India is Amazon's second-largest technology hub'

'India is Amazon's second-largest technology hub'

Rediff.com16 Sep 2021

India is the second-largest technology hub for Amazon globally and its teams are powering innovations not only for customers in the country but globally as well, a top company executive said on Thursday. Speaking at Amazon India Career Day, Amazon global senior vice president and country head India Amit Agarwal said the e-commerce company employs over one lakh professionals in India across diverse areas from engineering, supply chain, content creation, marketing, video and others. "India is also the second-largest technology hub for Amazon globally, with some of the most talented software developers, product managers, machine learning scientists, and research scientists as part of the team," he said.

Follow new IT rules: Parl panel tells Facebook, Google

Follow new IT rules: Parl panel tells Facebook, Google

Rediff.com29 Jun 2021

Facebook and Google officials in New Delhi on Tuesday deposed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on the issue of misuse of social media platforms.