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Ambani advocates ‘Keep in India’ agenda for PM
NEW DELHI: Industrialist and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, has made a strong pitch for “Keep In India” – an addition to the to-do list of the Modi government after Make in India, and Digital India
Speaking at the India Today conclave in Mumbai over the weekend, Ambani spelt out a vision for how technology can provide solutions to the most challenging problems that India is facing –from education, financial inclusion, healthcare to job creation and entrepreneurship.
But, he said, there was need to protect Indian data as India emerges as one of the leaders in steering the fourth industrial revolution. “As we enter the digital age, we must remember data and information is power. If the benefits of the Indian technology revolution are to be fully captured –we need to ensure that data remains in India…like Digital India, Make in India, we need Keep in India initiative to ensure data remains within India.”
He said: “We cannot be arrogant about technology, it has to always serve the common man and we have to learn from the common man.” Apart from connecting 99 per cent Indians digitally, Ambani will be focusing on the education sector, along with his wife Nita Ambani in 2017.
In his wish list for the prime minister Narendra Modi, Ambani said the challenge is now for execution. He said that India’s lack of existing physical, digital infrastructure is a boon. It takes away the burden of replacing or upgrading existing technology. The most challenging problems facing humanity in India will be solved using technology.
He felt that India could be a leader in the fourth industrial revolution but the time was now to seize the opportunity to make India a prosperous nation.
The real impoverishment he said is the denial of opportunity. “We should not allow any Indian to suffer from that poverty.”
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.
