iWorld
Amazon posts stronger-than-expected Q2 result
MUMBAI: E-commerce giant Amazon posted much-stronger-than-expected second quarter earnings. Owing to growth in prime subscriptions, cloud computing and nascent advertising business, the company topped $2 billion in quarterly profit for the first time in its history. Analysts predict those two factors will continue to push the company forward in coming quarters.
Net income increased to $2.5 billion in the second quarter while last year in the same quarter the growth was $197 million. Net sales increased 39 per cent to $52.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $38.0 billion in second quarter 2017. However, the sales growth was slightly below Wall Street’s estimates.
“A big contributor to the quarter and the last few quarters obviously has been strong growth in our highest profitability businesses and also advertising,” CFO Brian Olsavsky said. “We’ve seen a greater-than-expected efficiency in a lot of our spend in things like warehouses, data centres, marketing.”
This was the third consecutive quarter that Amazon has topped $1 billion in profit. Amazon’s cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services division, jumped to more than $6 billion in sales for the quarter. “Amazon Web Services is basically the silver bullet for them for future growth,” Synovus Trust senior portfolio manager Dan Morgan said as quoted by CNN.
“I would say that, in addition to the operating efficiencies, advertising is also starting to make an impact on gross profit, although advertising is smaller in the international segment than it’s in North America, it’s growing at a same rapid clip year-over-year,” Olasavsky said in an earnings call.
“We continue to invest. We’re investing in India obviously, and have seen good traction there. We just passed our Fifth Year Anniversary – celebrated our Fifth Year Anniversary, as the most visited site in India. So we think there’s a lot of great innovation that has continued to occur for Indian consumers and sellers, and that will continue,” he commented on Indian market.
Amazon is on an upward journey this year. Earlier this month, its market value topped $900 billion for the first time. Following the result, the stock jumped 3 per cent in afterhours trading.
iWorld
Airtel bets big on digital lending with Rs 20,000 Cr NBFC push
Telecom giant aims to transform India’s credit scene with a high-scale NBFC plan
NEW DELHI: Bharati Airtel is taking a bold step into the financial world. The telecom giant has announced plans to supercharge its Non-Banking Financial Company, Airtel Money Limited, with a whopping Rs 20,000 crore over the coming years.
Airtel will fund 70 per cent of the capital, with the remaining 30 per cent coming from the promoter group via Bharti Enterprises Limited. The move is designed to narrow India’s credit gap and bring simple, secure digital lending to more consumers.
The company is not starting from scratch. Its existing digital lending platform has already disbursed over Rs 9,000 crore, backed by smart underwriting, disciplined portfolio management, and real-time risk monitoring. With 500 plus data scientists and robust analytics, Airtel claims it has built one of the country’s most trusted lending service provider models.
Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal said, “Our success over the past two years shows how technology, data, and customer trust can create impact at a national scale. With this NBFC expansion, we aim to build a future-ready digital lending business that stands for trust, innovation, and inclusion.”
Airtel Money received its NBFC licence from the Reserve Bank of India on 13 February 2026. The expansion taps into India’s fast-growing financial sector, where formal credit accounts for just 53 per cent of GDP, highlighting huge room for growth.
The NBFC’s operations will integrate seamlessly with Airtel’s existing lending platform, keeping processes clear for customers while delivering a smooth experience. By leveraging its vast telecom customer base, Airtel aims to set a new benchmark in digital financial services and make lending accessible, simple, and reliable.
The Reserve Bank of India has noted that while Airtel Money has a valid registration certificate, it does not guarantee the company’s financial soundness or the repayment of liabilities.
