eNews
Barun Das Duologue prods Zee’s Subhash Chandra with a surprising answer
Mumbai: As Subhash Chandra’s Zee finds itself in a sticky situation with the Sony deal unravelling, Duologue With Barun Das offers an exclusive and unfiltered look into the mind of India’s media and entertainment pioneer and maverick.
In Duologue, hosted by TV9 Network’s MD & CEO Barun Das, Chandra bares his soul on the many ups and downs of his long career. As the episode progresses and chapters of Chandra’s life are revisited, Duologue with Barun Das—the flagship show of India’s first news OTT app, News9 Plus – dives into the psyche of a man who has been a dynamic force, responsible for different points in his career for both acts of creation and destruction.
As Zee faces the threat of a hostile takeover given the promoters’ minuscule 3.99% holding in Zee Entertainment, Chandra’s distinction between ownership and control becomes an interesting and intriguing point to revisit in Duologue with Barun Das.
The conversation spread over four episodes, presses Chandra on whether he is comfortable with entities flourishing under someone else’s control. The dialogue between Das and Chandra concludes with a glimpse into the latter’s approach to learning from mistakes. Emphasizing the ‘art of tough love’, Chandra recounts instances where the closure of a successful channel served as an invaluable learning experience and says that at the end of the day, he has no regrets.
Duologue with Barun Das featuring Subhash Chandra is available for viewing with a variety of other exclusive content on the News9 Plus app, which offers subscriptions ranging from 30 days (Rs 99), 90 days (Rs 289), and 365 days (Rs 999 with free vouchers worth Rs 3,000). News9 Plus app is available on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
To watch the episode, download the News9 Plus app here: https://onelink.to/htmqpz
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
