Brands
Airtel profit halves in Q3 even as revenues surge nearly 20 per cent
GURUGRAM: Bharti Airtel reported a steep fall in third-quarter profit for FY26, even as revenues climbed sharply on the back of robust momentum in India and a strong showing in Africa.
The telecom group posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 8,502 crore for the quarter, down from Rs 16,134 crore a year earlier, according to an exchange filing. Consolidated revenue jumped 19.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 53,981 crore, with sequential growth of 3.5 per cent driven by higher mobile usage and improved execution across markets.
Sales and marketing spends rose 17 per cent to Rs 3,426 crore, reflecting Airtel’s push on brand building and customer acquisition.
India revenues climbed 13.2 per cent year-on-year to Rs 39,226 crore, supported by premiumisation in mobile services, strong growth in home broadband and steady performance in Airtel Business. Mobile services alone generated Rs 28,651 crore, while the Africa business delivered revenues of Rs 15,010 crore, aided by digital-led distribution.
Home services continued to shine, with revenue surging 32.5 per cent to Rs 2,000 crore and record net additions of 1.16 million customers. Digital TV revenue was flat at Rs 755 crore.
At the operating level, consolidated Ebitda rose to Rs 31,144 crore, with margins at 57.7 per cent. The India business posted an Ebitda of Rs 23,676 crore, translating into a margin of 60.4 per cent.
Subscriber metrics remained strong, with smartphone data users rising by 20.8 million year-on-year to account for 79 per cent of mobile customers. ARPU improved to Rs 259 from Rs 245 a year ago, while average monthly data usage climbed 29.2 per cent to 29.8 gb per user. Postpaid additions stood at 0.62 million.
Commenting on the results, executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal, said the quarter reflected the strength of Airtel’s diversified portfolio, with Africa delivering an exceptional performance driven by the company’s home-grown digital platforms.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
