Brands
Fino Payments Bank ropes in Pankaj Tripathi as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Fino Payments Bank Ltd (FPBL) has brought on board actor Pankaj Tripathi as brand ambassador.
During the two-year engagement effective 1 September, Tripathi will be the face of FPBL’s marketing campaigns across various platforms. He will work with the brand in promoting its products and services, said the statement.
“This is Fino’s first-ever opportunity to have a brand ambassador, a milestone in itself,” said FPBL MD and CEO Rishi Gupta. “Pankaj’s personality resonates our brand values and we believe the association will go a long way in not only achieving the desired top-of-the-mind brand recall but also in bringing about a paradigm shift in consumer behaviour towards the adoption of digital banking.”
FPBL’s target segment, the emerging Indian customer is someone who has low levels of financial literacy, technology use, lacks financial inclusion and typically does not have access to basic banking services. On this front, the actor’s rich repertoire of rustic, familiar, and relatable characters across Hindi and regional films ring a bell, said the company in a statement.
“The most important step on who would personify the brand, is the match between the brand’s attributes and those of the celebrity,” stated FPBL CMO Anand Bhatia. “Tripathi brings to the table a pan India connect and an appeal that is in sync with Fino Payments Bank’s values of being grounded, real, sincere, honest, competent, and hardworking. He is a self-made man, just like our self-made bank.”
“When I heard about Fino’s ‘Fikar Not’ approach I was instantly connected to it as that is how I have lived my life,” said Pankaj Tripathi. “I owe my success perhaps to this way of thinking and that’s why I immediately agreed to associate with the brand.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
