eNews
Take ‘Actions on Google’: partner’s Gupshup with enterprises
MUMBAI: Gupshup has partnered with Google to enable enterprises to quickly and easily build for ‘Actions on Google’, its development interface for the Google Assistant. Bot builders can now create and deploy bots or actions for the assistant using Gupshup’s cross-platform development tools.
One of the early Google Assistant actions to come to Google Home is from VentureBeat, source of technology and chatbot news. Developed in coordination with Gupshup, the bot will be available to consumers later this month.
Gupshup CEO Beerud Sheth opined that the bot landscape has grown exponentially in the past year. It has enabled the world where intelligent, conversational interfaces will soon be all around us. He expressed gratitude about being one of the first developer platforms to join Actions on Google.
Google Home users launch the VentureBeat bot by saying “Ok Google, let me talk to VentureBeat,” and can then navigate the latest technology news stories and headlines from the comfort of their own home by interacting with the Google Assistant.
Few more content providers will be available on Actions on Google soon.
Gupshup is the first truly omni-channel bot development platform, offering developers and enterprises the ability to connect with consumers on their favorite messaging platforms, now including voice-assisted ecosystems such as Google Home.
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.
