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.
iWorld
Tips Music CEO Hari Nair to step down
Girish Taurani and Sushant Dalmia to jointly steer the company as the hunt for a new chief begins
MUMBAI: A leadership shuffle is under way at Tips Music. Hari Nair, the company’s chief executive, will step down on April 30 as the music label begins the search for a successor.
The company said Girish Taurani, executive director, and Sushant Dalmia, chief financial officer, will jointly oversee operations during the transition while the board identifies a permanent replacement.
Nair joined Tips Music in 2023 and set about reshaping the veteran music label into a more digital, data-led enterprise. During his tenure, the company secured licensing and partnership deals with global platforms including Sony Music Publishing and TikTok, while renewing agreements with Warner Music Group.
Drawing on earlier experience in technology and entertainment, including a stint at ByteDance, Nair pushed the organisation towards a performance-driven culture. He built a brand partnerships division and introduced proprietary software systems aimed at strengthening digital distribution and data capabilities.
Kumar Taurani, chairman and managing director, credited Nair with embedding a data-led culture within the company and driving revenue growth in line with shareholder commitments.
In his resignation note, Nair said that after helping transition the label into a modern, digitally focused and process-driven organisation, the time had come to pursue his next leadership challenge.
The leadership change comes as the broader Tips Films group shows signs of financial stabilisation. In the third quarter of FY26 the company reported a net loss of Rs 2.86 crore, narrowing sharply from Rs 14.2 crore in the previous quarter. For the nine months ended December, losses stood at Rs 12.37 crore.
Yet revenue told a more volatile story. Income from operations slid to Rs 4 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 56 crore in the preceding quarter, taking total operating income to Rs 4.56 crore.
For a company built on a catalogue of more than 34,000 tracks and decades of Bollywood hits, the next chief will inherit both a digital engine and a volatile music market. The playlist may be familiar, but the next act at Tips Music is only just beginning.
