MAM
Pocket Aces’ Loco upgrades its product offerings
National, 1st April, 2020: Pocket Aces, India’s leading digital media entertainment company, announces a major product update for its gaming app, Loco. Dedicated to democratizing gaming entertainment, Loco will now allow its users to stream on the app, with a specific focus on gaming. This will make Loco one of the earliest entrants in the game streaming space in India.
The games that streamers on the platform are streaming include the likes of PUBG, FreeFire, Call of Duty etc. The platform will continue to offer its hypercasual gaming and interactive trivia, where it has hosted over 2,000 quizzes with multiple branded games.
Commenting on the new version of Loco, Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh, Founders, Pocket Aces said, "In 2018, we launched Loco with two daily quiz shows and within a year, we expanded our services to include hyper-casual gaming. Today, users spend over 30 minutes per day on the app. As the next step in fulfilling our commitment towards building a long lasting gaming and esports ecosystem in India, we are now adding game streaming to our platform. This major update empowers gamers to entertain India and display their skills in different popular games, right from the comfort of their homes. In the coming months, we will roll-out an exciting array of new features and original gaming content.”
Loco, in association with Fnatic will exclusively live stream #GamingForGood, a PUBG Mobile charity tournament that will take place from 3rd to 5th April’20 between 3pm-9pm. This is an initiative taken to raise funds and help some of those affected due to the currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Top 20 teams from the South Asian PUBG MOBILE circuit will compete for prizes totalling to INR 3.5 lakh, which will be donated to charities that teams pick.
According to FICCI and Ernst & Young's report titled, 'The era of consumer A.R.T', India's online gaming segment grew 40% in 2019 to reach INR 65 billion and is expected to reach INR 187 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 43. There has been a significant increase in the number of online gamers, from 183 million in 2017 to 365 million in 2019.
Since inception, the platform has seen more than 22 million gaming hours spent by users, 3 million cash prize winners and has successfully rolled out more than 2,000 quizzes. Loco is currently available on Android and iOS platforms, and it has a highly engaged community of 2.2 lakh on Facebook, 1.9 lakh on Instagram and 60k on Twitter.
Brands
Nestlé India posts Rs 45,641 crore profit before tax in FY26
Strong cash flow of Rs 50,475 crore offsets higher costs, payouts.
MUMBAI: If there’s one thing brewing stronger than coffee this year, it’s Nestlé India’s balance sheet. The FMCG major closed FY26 with a solid financial performance, serving up steady growth even as costs and cash outflows kept the pressure simmering. For the year ended March 31, 2026, the company reported a profit before tax of Rs 45,641 crore, up from Rs 43,161 crore in the previous year. The numbers reflect resilience in core operations, supported by a strong consumption backbone across domestic and export markets.
Cash, meanwhile, was anything but idle. Nestlé India generated Rs 50,475 crore in net cash from operating activities, a sharp jump from Rs 29,345 crore last year highlighting robust underlying demand and improved working capital efficiency. Inventory reductions alone contributed Rs 2,809 crore, while trade payables rose by Rs 5,878 crore, adding further liquidity support.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. On the investing side, the company deployed Rs 8,297 crore towards property, plant and equipment, even as overall investing cash outflow stood at Rs 6,236 crore. Financing activities saw a significant drain, with Rs 31,794 crore flowing out driven largely by dividend payouts of Rs 23,139 crore and repayment of short-term borrowings.
The balance sheet tells a story of expansion with caution. Total assets rose to Rs 1,31,824 crore from Rs 1,21,933 crore, while equity climbed to Rs 51,569 crore, reflecting improved reserves and retained earnings. Cash and cash equivalents surged to Rs 13,205 crore, a sharp rise from Rs 761 crore a year ago, underscoring stronger liquidity despite heavy outflows.
Operationally, depreciation and amortisation expenses increased to Rs 6,992 crore, while finance costs and provisions continued to shape the cost structure. At the same time, working capital movements especially in inventories and receivables played a key role in boosting cash generation.
The broader takeaway? Nestlé India’s FY26 performance is less about headline growth and more about financial muscle. With strong cash flows cushioning rising investments and payouts, the company appears to be balancing expansion with discipline keeping its books as carefully measured as its recipes.
