MAM
Food brand Five Star Chicken revamps brand name to Five Star
MUMBAI: Five Star Chicken has announced the revamp of its brand name from Five Star Chicken to Five Star. The name change is a part of the strategic plan by the brand to introduce more vegetarian products to their portfolio. With this move, the brand name will also be synonymous to its international counterparts in other countries under Thai Multi-National Conglomerate, Charoen Pokphand Foods.
With a growing network of stores and rapid consumer acceptance, Five Star is all set to introduce a wide and interesting range of vegetarian products to the market. 50% of Indian population are vegetarians and as a brand we do not want to miss out the opportunity to reach out to half the population. Though 40% of our product line is Veg offering people had a strong perception that we are only a chicken brand. Adapting to the local taste, flavor and developing products that appeals to masses has been one of the key strengths of the brand. The company has its own state of the art infrastructure for storage and distribution and exercise complete control over the quality from ‘Farm to Fork’ to ensure consistent quality and food safety.
Five Star places significant importance on research and development to meet their customers and consumers’ needs as well as to improve production efficiency at every step of operations. The brand has a dedicated team of R&D and chefs who help in continuous innovation to deliver wide variety of products and great quality taste at an affordable price. Based on the brand’s R&D and customers research survey in Bangalore, burgers and hot dogs are massively the most preferred consumers choice of fast food product. Capitalizing on this trend, Five Star is all set to launch a whole new range of burger products by the end of this quarter, while Hot Dogs are already introduced.
“While, we have a new name, we are still the same brand build upon the vision of offering great quality and delicious range of products at affordable prices to consumers. The name change is in line with the brand plans to capture the vegetarian segment of the market and give them a taste of our offerings. Moreover, we would also like to retain and reinforce our global brand name – Five Star, in the Indian market “, said CP Foods assistant VP Rijoy Prabhakar.
“India is one of the top five priority markets for Five Star globally. We place significant importance on research and development to meet our customers and consumer’s needs as well as improve production efficiency at every step of operations which ultimately benefits our business partners”, further said CP Foods senior VP Sanjeev Pant.
In India, Five Star launched its first outlet in November 2012 in Bangalore. With a production and processing facility at Budigere near Bengaluru and Chittoor in AP the brand has grown to 350+ outlets across Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. The brand has tied up with IRCTC for Bangalore, Chennai and kerela markets and with key delivery website Swiggy, Zomato, Food Panda, Road Runners and Ola.
Five Star offers a wide range of chicken and vegetarian products in spicy Indian flavors as well as other Asian and Thai flavors. The brand also undertakes catering for birthday, home parties and corporate events through Five Star catering. Five Star also plans to launch 150 stores by the end 2016 expanding through the franchisee route while entering tier-II and III towns and in the existing cities.
MAM
10 years of UPI: India’s payments system hits 21.7 billion transactions a month
From queues to QR codes, digital push drives inclusion and real-time ease
NEW DELHI: India’s digital payments story has come a long way from queues at bank counters to instant QR code scans, with the Unified Payments Interface now processing a staggering 21.7 billion transactions in a single month, underlining its position as the world’s leading real-time payments system.
Not too long ago, routine transactions meant paperwork, waiting periods and, for many, complete exclusion from the formal financial system. Today, that landscape has been fundamentally reshaped by a digital ecosystem built on scale, simplicity and accessibility.
The shift gained momentum in the early 2000s when the Reserve Bank of India introduced systems such as RTGS and IMPS. While these laid the groundwork for faster payments, their reach remained limited to those already within the banking fold.
A decisive breakthrough came with the JAM trinity, combining the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and widespread mobile connectivity. This framework expanded financial access, enabled direct benefit transfers and familiarised millions with digital transactions.
“The JAM Trinity catapulted our banking to a different level altogether,” said Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting its transformative impact.
Launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India, UPI simplified money transfers by removing the need for complex bank details. With just a mobile number or UPI ID, users can send and receive money instantly, round the clock.
Its scale has expanded rapidly, with participating banks growing from just over 200 in 2021 to nearly 700 by early 2026. Today, UPI accounts for 81 percent of India’s retail digital transactions and nearly half of global real-time payment volumes, according to global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Beyond convenience, the platform has driven deeper financial inclusion. From street vendors and autorickshaw drivers to rural traders and domestic workers, millions now participate in the formal economy through instant, low-cost transactions. The system has also opened doors to credit, insurance and savings products for previously underserved segments.
New features such as UPI Lite, AutoPay and credit integration are further expanding its scope, turning it into a broader financial platform rather than just a payments tool. At the same time, enhanced security measures like two-factor authentication have strengthened user trust and reduced fraud risks.
India’s payments innovation is also gaining global traction, with UPI-linked systems now operational in multiple countries, enabling seamless cross-border transactions and boosting remittances.
What began as a solution for financial inclusion has evolved into a global benchmark for digital payments. As India continues to move from queues to QR codes, UPI stands as a powerful example of how technology can simplify everyday life while driving economic participation at scale.
