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WWIL likely to raise $100 million via QIP
MUMBAI: Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL), Zee Group‘s demerged cable company, is likely to raise $100 million through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to fund its expansion programme including digitalisation and acquisition of cable operators. “WWIL is likely to raise $100 million via QIP as part of its fund raising programme but will take a final decision on this soon. Everything will depend on the market conditions,” a source close to the company says. When contacted, WWIL managing director Jagjit Singh Kohli said the exact amout and instrument has not yet been decided. “I will be able to comment after we have decided and taken the shareholders‘ approval,” he added. |
WWIL is making a preferential issue of convertible warrants to Jayneer Capital, a promoter group company, up to Rs 1.31 billion as part of its fund raising programme. This will translate to around 5 per cent equity in WWIL. The conversion price of the warrants into equity shares will be at Rs 122. The company has convened an EGM (Extra Ordinary General Meeting) on 26 February for shareholders‘ approval on the issue of preferential warrants. “The dilution, along with the warrants, will be around 20 per cent at the current prices if WWIL takes up the $100 million mopping up exercise through QIP,” the source says. |
WWIL has aggressive plans to expand its digital cable business and had earlier projected a fund requirement of Rs 7.14 billion over two years. The company recently announced that it would seek shareholders‘ approval for raising up to $250 million (approximately Rs 11.25 billion). The board which met on Monday considered all the fund raising options including issue of ADR (American depository receipt), GDR (global depository receipt), equity, debt, debentures, FCCB (foreign currency convertible bond), QIP (qualified institutional placement) and convertible warrants. |
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
