Archive: September 30, 2021

Cashfree Payments and Mumbai Angels Network partner to make payment solutions more accessible to start-ups

Bengaluru, 30 September 2021: Leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments today announced its partnership with Mumbai Angels Network to support start-ups with seamless payment solutions. Through this partnership, Cashfree Payments will help more than 170 start-ups to accelerate growth by providing payment solutions at subsidized pricing. With Cashfree Payments’ solutions and services these businesses will have seamless transaction processes and will be able to achieve greater success and economic scalability.

The Mumbai Angel Network is a start-up investment platform that backs seed and early-stage ventures.

Commenting on the partnership, Reeju Datta, Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments said, “We have always focused on empowering the start-up ecosystem by providing seamless payment frameworks so that start-ups can streamline their payments for efficient operation. We are pleased to partner with Mumbai Angels Network in this endeavour. Our goal is to mentor and offer a suite of Fintech products at special rates to these start-ups to accelerate their progress and establish ourselves as reliable partners in their growth and success”.

Commenting on the partnership, Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder & CEO, Mumbai Angels Network said, “We are curating a high-end cohort of service providers to strengthen the core businesses of our portfolio companies. In this initiative, we believe Cashfree Payments can be a promising partner for paperless banking services, an innovative solution for early-stage companies looking for payment service”.

Mumbai Angels Network has 15 years of experience and a network of about 550 angel investors that enable startups to unlock their potential and scale growth across core operations.With INR 200 CR invested from 40 cities and ten countries, they support investors and portfolios in various areas including investing, portfolio monitoring, and investor education. They also co-invest with VCs.

Recently, Cashfree Payments has launched the first product from its Banking as a Service (BaaS) offering, ‘Accounts’ to help platforms create, link and manage bank accounts of all kinds on behalf of their customers, partners and vendors. ‘Account’s by Cashfree Payments will enable 100% paperless instant bank account creation, helping businesses to quickly build a financial services product and grow fast. India’s leading payments and API banking solutions company offers 6 first-of-its-kind fintech innovations: Payouts, Instant Refunds, Cashgram, Pre-Authorization, Subscriptions, Instant Settlements. This is outside of its regular offerings, which includes Payment Gateway, Payouts, Cashgram, Autocollect, Marketplace Settlement and supporting features.

Cashfree Payments is among the leading payment service providers in India and processes transactions worth USD 20 billion annually. With over 50% market share among payment processors, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with Cashfree Payments’, ‘Payouts’. In June 2021, India’s largest lender, SBI, invested in Cashfree Payments, underscoring the company’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem. The company works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay. Currently, Cashfree Payments’ products are used in India and eight other foreign countries like the USA, Canada, and the UAE, and by businesses like Logisy, Aramex, Zomato, Cred, Nykaa, Delhivery, among others.

Credgenics launches CG Collect App to help lenders and collection agents

This loan recovery application includes features like tracking on-field collections of loans in real-time, in-app calling, e-receipts for deposits, access to legal notices, recovery dashboards, and more.

National, September 30, 2021: Credgenics, India’s first-of-its-kind SaaS-based end-to-end debt resolution and legal automation platform, is excited to announce the launch of CG Collect – a mobile application to help the lenders/managers track the collections agents, monitor their activities, and evaluate their performance. Alongside this, it helps the agents navigate to the borrowers’ location with ease, schedule visits with a couple of clicks, showcase legal notices to the borrowers, and access e-receipts for proof of payments, among other benefits. This Feet-On-Street (FOS) loan recovery application can significantly improve the productivity of collection agents. The app is now available on Google Play Store, and will soon be live on Apple App Store as well.

The mobile app closely integrates with the Credgenics web platform and allows features like navigation to the applicant provided address, direct calling of borrowers, geo-tracking of the agent’s live location, logging collection details (like recovered amount, collection mode and status for successful and failed recoveries), collection and visit proof, single & multiple loan deposit to the lender’s bank/company branch, and collection receipt’s integration with the communication channels like Email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.

Commenting on the launch, Anand Agrawal, Co-Founder & CTO, Credgenics, said, “We are really excited to introduce loan recovery FOS application for the collection agents and the managers. Through this CG Platform, managers can benefit from hassle-free loan allocation, easy tracking of agents and cases allocated to them and the corresponding collection cycles. Besides this, collection agents could easily manage and plan the loans in their portfolio. They can check for important parameters against those loans like DPD values, legal notice copies, agents’ distance from the borrowers, and their allocation month. This helps them easily create, track and execute their pending tasks”

He further added, “This application has been carefully designed to renew our promise to digitally transform the collection activities and make it more cost and time efficient. The areas where the traditional means of collections through agents is prevalent, CG COLLECT will help the agents and the managers use a simple technology to do their work more efficiently. Remaining true to our aim, we would try to bring more offerings in the course of our journey to promote the cause of good assets and digital transformation.”

Credgenics manages over INR 1,500 crores of debt on its financial platform and helps their clients by significantly improving the resolution rates by up to 20% and up to 20-days reduction in the resolution time. The team comprises of 150+ members, with a strong 70+ member tech and product team. Credgenics also has 2200+ legal counsels empanelled pan-India for arbitration and legal steps in late stage delinquencies. To facilitate the debt recoveries and thereby remedy the steep rise in the NPA, the company works with 7 leading private banks like ICICI Bank, IDFC First, Axis Bank and Kotak Bank, besides 40+ marquee NBFCs like IIFL Finance, Loantap, DMI Finance, Clix Capital, Udaan, Moneytap, Moneyview, among others.

Recently, Credgenics received US$25 Million in Series-A round and multiplied its valuation by 5.5 times to $100 million. The round was led by reputed investors Westbridge Capital, Tanglin Venture Partners, and Accel Partners, along with the participation of other marquee investors.

Affle completes a hat trick by winning ‘Technology Company of the Year’ at MMA Smarties for 3rd consecutive time, together with 7 other top Awards & Industry Recognitions

September 30, 2021: Affle (India) Limited, a consumer intelligence driven global technology company, today announced that it has for the 3rd consecutive time won the coveted ‘Enabling Technology Company of the Year’ at the MMA Smarties India 2021 (organized by Mobile Marketing Association). This significant win came together with 7 top campaign awards and enabling 2 other industry recognitions for Affle’s innovative mobile advertising campaigns.

The 7 campaign awards have come for Affle’s MAAS, mediasmart, RevX and Vizury platforms for powering high ROI innovative campaigns of top advertisers and agencies including Discovery+, Fossil, GroupM, Merkle Sokrati, MX Takatak and Swiggy. Affle platforms topped comprehensively across multiple categories including Programmatic & Machine Learning, Best Use of Vernacular in Mobile Advertising, Top Innovation, Best Data-Driven Display Campaign, Best in Connected Devices/Internet of Things, Best Lead Generation and Best Mobile Apps/mCommerce solution. The 2 other industry recognitions enabled by Affle included the ‘Best in Show’ award won by Swiggy and ‘Publisher of the Year’ by MX Takatak, for their campaigns executed on Affle’s platforms.

This announcement comes soon after Affle’s MAAS platform won 8 awards for the high impact campaigns done for Games24X7, at the prestigious Indian Digital Media Awards (IDMA) 2021 organised by exchange4media.

Commenting on these achievements, Anuj Khanna Sohum, the Chairman, MD and CEO of Affle said, “Winning such top industry honours consecutively, demonstrates Affle’s stand out contributions towards creating impactful tech innovations powering the mobile marketing ecosystem. I congratulate all Afflers and our partners for these commendable industry recognitions. These credentials will further inspire us towards industry leadership and our pursuit of delivering unique, front-running & hyper-personal connected consumer experiences to advertisers globally.”

Charles Yong, the Chief Architect and Technology Officer said, “Our sustained focus on R&D and IP creation has helped our platforms consistently deliver value to our partners. I am delighted that the work being done by the entire product tech organisation at Affle has been recognised again by a top industry body like the MMA and has enabled us to complete a hat trick of winning the ‘Enabling Technology Company of the Year’. We look forward to building on this momentum to drive further innovation and growth for the industry.”

Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Program Beneficiary Paresh Rathwa Gets Prestigious Award

TEDP Beneficiary Paresh Rathwa Gets Prestigious Award

New Delhi, September 27: Paresh Rathwa, a beneficiary of the Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Program (TEDP), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the national Body ASSOCHAM has received the prestigious ‘Gujarat Travel and Tourism Excellence Award 2021’ in the Best Handicraft category.

Paresh Rathwa (53) is a tribal artisan belonging to the Chhota Udepur district in the state of Gujarat. He and his family has been involved in the art work of the age old Pithora Painting.

“Pithora Painting is found in the ancient caves and is believed to be more than 12500 years old. It is done for the God of tribe- Pithora baba. It used to be done on mud walls before during auspicious occasion as a way of thanking the gods for their blessings,” Rathwa explained.

Receiving the award from the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Rathwa stated that it is indeed a great honor for him and his entire community for the hard work that they have put.

“I have also received a state award in the year 2018 as well. In the year 2019, the governor of Gujarat visited our village to check on the painting, he also felicitated me on the occasion,” he informed.
Rathwa explains that he got the inspiration to paint from his grandfather, who used to paint walls with the traditional painting during marriages and auspicious occasions. “My son, Maulik who is 27 years of age has also got involved with me in conserving the age old tradition today. Other than walls, we also paint on canvas and hand-made paper,” he said.

Selection for the TEDP a game changer

Rathwa informed that the training organized by the ministry of Tribal Affairs was a life changing experience for him and the other artisans. “We had never known internet earlier. Today, after the successful completion of the digital training, we have created our Facebook and WhatsApp profiles and have started promoting these traditional painting on social media now,” he said.

He explains that the TEDP initiative would help create awareness about the age old traditions and culture among the next generation as well. “I believe that I received the award due to the popularity it garnered on the social media. It would motivate artisans like me to do a better job and also attract the new generation towards it,” he added.

Healthy Constituents of Palm Oil

~ Palm Oil, the healthier choice for your heart this World Heart Day~

India, September 2021: World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29 every year. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about the cardiovascular disease which causes nearly half of all the non-communicable diseases in the world. As the global pandemic gives us a chance to pause and assess our dietary and lifestyle choices, it’s essential to look at healthier alternatives for the way forward. Recent surveys also point towards as many as 7 out of 10 consumers saying that they will continue cooking, thereby providing an opportunity to take control over dietary choices and bring in healthier alternatives. This shift from dependence on dining or take out towards home cooked meals could result in reduction in heart related ailments in the near future.

One such healthy alternative is Palm oil, which is one of the most versatile oils used for cooking. Palm oil especially as part of an overall low-fat diet has been shown to effectively maintain total cholesterol and lipoprotein cholesterol values. There is evidence that a diet containing palm oil can actually reduce cholesterol levels: in a 2015 clinical trial published in the journal Food and Function, both palm oil and olive oil reduced cholesterol by 15 per cent. It contains monounsaturated fats which are proven to be beneficial for health and is free from cholesterol and trans-fat which are considered unhealthy and detrimental to the body.

Palm oil contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are known to be beneficial to health. In comparison, most vegetable oil such as soybean and sunflower are liquid at room temperature, so in order to be useful in many food products it has to go through an industrial process to turn it into a semi-solid. That process, known as hydrogenation, creates trans fats which are known to be linked to cardiovascular disease. Consumption of trans fats have negative health effects, including increasing plasma lipid levels.

As a result, countries around the world have moved to ban or restrict trans-fats in foods as they cause inflammation and calcification of arterial cells: known risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). They inhibit cyclooxygenase, an enzyme required for the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostacyclin, necessary for the regulation of blood flow. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, replacing trans fats with palm oil reduces heart disease risk markers and improves blood lipids. It’s high in tocotrienols, a type of vitamin E with antioxidant properties can slow the progression of dementia and lower stroke risk. Palm oil is also a sustainable key stock for the ‘Green’ industry due to its high productivity rate as compared to other crops.

Dato’ Dr. Hj Wan Zawawi Wan Ismail, CEO, Malaysian Palm Oil Council added “Due to its multifaceted composition, various benefits are attributed to Palm Oil such as supporter of vision and health, neuroprotective, cardio protective and potential anti- carcinogenic properties. This oil is the right choice for your food to achieve a balanced diet.”

Motorola Revou-Q enters Premium TV segment with Innovative QLED TV with Gamepad, ahead of Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days

Bengaluru – September 29, 2021: Flipkart, India’s homegrown marketplace, today announced the launch of the world’s first QLED TV with a gamepad the Motorola Revou-Q premium TV range, ahead of The Big Billion Days. The Motorola Revou-Q premium TV is equipped with a wireless gamepad that makes it the ideal choice for gamers.

The Motorola Revou-Q series is powered by Android 11.0 and is equipped with superior QLED technology, Dolby Vision and 60W speakers.

Manufactured in India, the Motorola Revou-Q Android Smart TV range features Dolby vision with HDR10 support powered by AutoTuneX technology that will optimize the brightness, color scales and contrast to elevate visual content and deliver a delightful experience. Promising a seamless experience for gaming enthusiasts, Motorola Revou-Q TVs comes with features such as a powerful Realtek Quad-core processor and Advanced G31 MC2 GPU for blazing-fast performance, HDMI 2.1 port for connectivity, MEMC technology for a smoother visual experience and a wireless gamepad.

Featuring powerful 60W Speakers with Dolby Atmos support, the Motorola Revou-Q provides 360-degree surround sound that will enable users to unlock a remarkable theatre-like experience at home. Consumers can enjoy seamless performance powered by the intuitive UI of the latest Android 11.0 that supports over 7000 apps, including Google Duo, for meetings and enable custom viewing recommendations based on your favorite content.

The Motorola Revou-Q range is offered in 50” and 55” variants starting at Rs.49,999.

Speaking about the launch, Hari G. Kumar, Vice President, Large Appliances at Flipkart, said, “As we approach the Big Billion Days, we want to ensure that our customers have access to industry-first and best offerings across various product portfolios. Towards this endeavor, we are excited to strengthen our collaboration with Motorola by introducing the world’s first QLED TV with a gamepad and provide consumers with enhanced value offerings ahead of the festive season. These products are crafted to suit the evolving requirements of Indian consumers and are built to provide them with an immersive home entertainment and gaming experience.”

Mr. Prashanth Mani, Executive Director, Motorola Asia Pacific, said, “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Flipkart this festive season with the launch of our new Motorola Revou-Q Smart TV range during the upcoming Big Billion Days. At Motorola, we always believe in creating innovative products that deliver meaningful customer experiences, and our Revou-Q Smart TV range delivers on this ideology. The Motorola Revou-Q gaming QLED TV with class-leading features addresses the growing need of Indian consumers for an exceptional home entertainment and gaming experience.”

Flipkart, through its strategic partnership with Motorola, has relentlessly worked towards bringing innovative, customer-friendly products to the Indian market. Motorola Revou-Q series will be available on Flipkart from October 3, 2021.

Motorola QLED (50 and 55 Inch features)

Volnaa has sold 30,000 units in the span of 2 months

VOLNAA has sold its 30,000 units of can in a timeline of 2 months. VOLNAA has combat the threat of plastic pollution by producing 100% recyclable cans.

VOLNAA was created in 2020 by Kartik Rajput and Kushagra Sharma with the goal of bringing pure mineral water from the Himalayas with a pH of 7.9. “VOLNAA means waves, and we’re using it to help India become plastic-free by providing natural mineral water in cans,” Sharma explained. He also stated that the goods may be moved from the shelf to the bins and back to the shelf in 60 days.

Drinking water from a plastic bottle has been a cause of anxiety for many of us. We are all aware of the negative health impacts of plastic. Not only that, but they’re also quite bad for the environment.

“VOLNAA” means “waves,” and much like a wave is generated by the sea above the rest of the surface, we have taken that same sentiment and established this firm to help our country become plastic-free. By offering natural mineral water, we adhere to the feeling while also servicing the customers. VOLNAA adheres to the goal of delivering the highest quality at reasonable costs, benefiting both the environment and the consumer’s wallet.”

Launching Soon! Appreciate – Your trusted partner to access better returns through smarter, global investing

Mumbai, 29th, September 2021: Indian investment interest in Global Equities has increased exponentially in the past 2 years, as evidenced by social media mentions and trends. And for good reason – over the past decade, the US S&P 500 has delivered 10% more returns than the BSE/NSE key indices, while individual high value US stocks have sometimes yielded returns of over 1,000%+. Bringing US equities to your fingertips, Appreciate is shortly launching its AI-enabled, seamless, hassle-free App which will serve as a comprehensive destination for your international portfolio goals.

Appreciate will help you invest in US equities to access better returns – so you can get more value for your investment, and can lower your risk through global diversification.

Today, international investing is plagued by complicated paperwork, high minimum investment requirements, and a lack of guidance customized to each individual.

Founded by Subho Moulik, Shlok Srivastav and Yogesh Kansal, Appreciate solves all these problems for you using technology integration with key financial service system participants, a commitment to deliver value for money, and a superior AI-enabled approach combined with intuitive and easy to understand design. Appreciate is also the only app globally that combines 4 different investment interfaces in one easy to use UI, providing the most customizable and flexible investing experience in the world.

Speaking on the occasion Subho Moulik said, “We are fundamentally changing the breadth of investment options available to both the experienced and first time Indian investor. Our focus on delivering value, enabling flexible investing and removing barriers makes Appreciate well placed to be amongst the fastest growing investment apps, especially among millennials and working professionals. Appreciate is transforming investing from a chore to an experience, integrating social sharing and education into the investment journey. We intend to disrupt the Indian wealth management space, and significantly expand the market itself.”

With more than two decades of experience across a diverse set of sectors and geographies, Subho is a key member of the Board at Appreciate. Subho, brings his experience across financial services and digital D2C businesses to bear in his role at Appreciate, and has deep functional experience in Product Development, Operations, Analytics, Sales, and Strategy. He is a seasoned business leader with a track record of growing businesses, and is a strong advocate for financial inclusion and education. Subho holds an MBA in General Management from London Business School, a Bachelor of Commerce from Sydenham College, and is an Associate Chartered Accountant.

Appreciate is on a journey to become the #1 Trusted Destination for consumers to achieve their financial goals. Visit https://appreciatewealth.com to learn more.