FINTECH PARTNERSHIPS
Xiaomi eyes local partners; Electronics firms target AI infra
Xiaomi is looking for local partners as it plans to manufacture home appliances in India. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
ET AI Business Transformation Masterclass heads to IIM Bangalore to decode enterprise AI adoption
The AI Business Transformation Masterclass & Awards 2026 at IIM Bangalore will feature leaders from IndusInd Bank, PhonePe, PepsiCo, Shadowfax, Myntra, Shopify, NVIDIA and other organisations. Sessions will cover agentic AI, voice technology, supply chains, contextual commerce and physical AI, followed by the ET Most Innovative AI Product Awards 2026.
WhatsApp to double down on financial services, AI: CEO Kunal Shah
WhatsApp is implementing new strategies aimed at improving user experience by making communication features more intuitive for seamless navigation. The initiative includes streamlining financial transactions, so users won’t have to navigate out of the app. Kunal Shah is also looking to harness artificial intelligence for better schedule management. Collaborations with telecom and payment services may elevate these functions. Importantly, user privacy is safeguarded, maintaining end-to-end encryption on all communications.
The next problem to solve: When money arrives, what can merchants do in the meantime?
At GFF 2026, PRISM founder Ritesh Agarwal and Adyen’s Chief Commercial Officer Roelant Prins discussed why, for merchants such as small hotel owners, how quickly money arrives now matters as much as whether a payment is accepted, and why AI is changing back offices faster than it is changing how people buy.
ETMarkets Management Talk | Northern Arc sees D2C lending contributing over 75% of its loan book in the next few years
In this edition of ETMarkets Management Talk, Ashish Mehrotra, Managing Director and CEO of Northern Arc Capital, discusses the company's next phase of growth, its plans to expand the D2C business, and how a higher share of direct lending could support margins and return ratios. He also explains Northern Arc's broader strategy of combining a growing balance-sheet-led lending business with a capital-light, fee-based Credit Solutions platform to drive sustainable long-term returns.
‘Ocean freight rates will come down eventually, we have seen this before’: DP World COO
Global ocean freight rates are predicted to decrease after a surge due to logistical disruptions from the US-Iran conflict. DP World rerouted shipping routes through India to mitigate the impact on trade, showcasing the importance of Indian partnerships. Investment in Jebel Ali Free Zone increased significantly, with over 270 new Indian companies starting operations recently. Alternative routes were implemented for Indian cargo to bypass maritime bottlenecks, enhancing connectivity for trade.

Piyush Goyal to visit Egypt with big business delegation; India eyes trade, investment partnerships
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Egypt next week with a large business delegation to explore investment and collaboration in sectors including startups, fintech, pharmaceuticals and automobile components. The visit comes as India seeks to deepen its strategic engagement with West Asia and position Egypt as a gateway to African, Arab and European markets.

AvenuesAI Q2 revenue jumps 47% as AI-first fintech transformation gathers momentum
AvenuesAI reported a steady set of second-quarter FY27 numbers, with the company continuing to build momentum behind its broader transformation from a payments gateway-led business into an AI-first financial technology infrastructure platform.

Investors in other markets would be envious of India multiples: Rich Handler, chief executive of Jefferies
Jefferies CEO Rich Handler believes Indian equities remain reasonably valued despite the market correction and says easing long-term capital gains taxes could attract foreign investors. He sees opportunities in India's AI and data centre sectors, argues that global capital outflows reflect external pressures, and believes concerns about an AI bubble warrant a healthy pause rather than alarm.

MobiKwik shares jump 4% as RBI approves NBFC licence; co targets Rs 5,000 crore loans
MobiKwik shares gained on Friday after the RBI granted its subsidiary a licence to operate as an NBFC, enabling the fintech company to enter direct lending. MobiKwik plans to disburse Rs 5,000 crore in loans over the next three to four years, targeting consumers and MSMEs through secured and unsecured products.

Beyond payments: Here is how Adyen is helping Prism globally through its unified payments platform
As Indian enterprises branch out to international markets, a fragmented payments ecosystem, non-compatible with the local payment rails, can be a major roadblock. PRISM’s journey to global markets, and its partnership with Adyen, highlights how a unified payments platform can mitigate the pain points and help businesses integrate local payment experiences with global scale seamlessly. Read on!

GPU bidding norms eased; Lenskart CEO on profitability
Happy Thursday! Govt has lowered entry barriers for GPU bidders, but pricing concerns remain. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

BharatPe taps former Bajaj Finance executive Mohit Mittal to lead investments
He was previously the business head of investment marketplace at Bajaj Finance, where he helped build a digital platform with more than 50 financial institution partners. Before that, he spent over 13 years at Bajaj Capital, where he led an investment business with Rs 40,000 crore in assets under management across fixed-income and mutual fund products. He has also worked at ICICI Bank and Genpact.

OneStack raises Rs 12.5 crore to take cooperative banks deeper into UPI ecosystem
OneStack, a fintech provider, secured ₹12.5 crore funding to enhance cooperative bank participation in UPI payments. The funding will help expand services among cooperative banks and NBFCs while developing compliance offerings. Partner banks can now act as UPI issuers and acquirers, which improves revenue opportunities. This shift allows banks to maintain direct relationships with customers and merchants while managing transaction data.

L&T Finance Pitch Point 2.0: Where an AI startup’s big idea meets enterprise scale
Pitch Point, L&T Finance’s contest for AI startups, is back for a second edition. Last year’s winners, Arrowhead AI and SpoofSense, talk about what they got out of it and what they would tell this year’s new applicants.

These 11 private and public banking stocks have an upside of up to 33% in 1 year, according to analysts
It is too early to read a lot into the divergence seen in the stock price movements of private and PSU banks on Tuesday. Neither can it be said with any certainty that it had anything to do with FII buying. Against this background, remember: For any investor interested in the banking sector, the price movements should matter less than what the overall Q2 performance of both private and PSU banks reveals.

OpenAI’s India user base doubles; Rapido GOV quadruples
Happy Tuesday! India has become ChatGPT’s largest market globally, with its user base doubling. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

STT Global’s India biz on the block; micro occasions power qcomm
KKR, Singtel, and the Tatas are preparing to sell STT GDC India, a major data centre platform. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.

India-New Zealand FTA: Expanding India’s footprint in Oceania
More than a trade deal, the India-New Zealand FTA is a strategic gateway to new markets, fresh investment and stronger capabilities, positioning India to compete, connect, and grow across the Asia-Pacific.
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