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Amazon India launches Weavesmart on its marketplace
MUMBAI: Amazon India today announced the launch of Weavesmart, the largest e-commerce store for handlooms in India and an e-marketing partner for the Ministry of Textiles for promoting India Handloom Brand and Handloom Mark products, on its marketplace. Through this alliance, handloom & handcrafted products by weavers from various parts of the country associated with Weavesmart will now be available to millions of Amazon customers across India. Amazon India intends to help these associated weavers reach millions of customers across India and in turn help in empowering them.
Weavesmart brings quality and vibrant weaves such as handloom & handcrafted sarees, dress materials, dupattas, accessories and home & living products from handloom clusters belonging to the smallest of villages in India. Helping the weavers to display their creativity on a large scale, Weavesmart today has more than 3000 weavers in its network and more than 20,000 products.
Talking about this launch, Weavesmart, CEO, Ms. Nishita Manne said “Indian weavers produce some of the finest handloom and handcrafted products which have always found resonance with shoppers across the country. Weavesmart was launched with the objective to bring together the weaving community and buyers and provide a platform to showcase authentic and beautifully handcrafted products created with a lot of passion and hard work by the weavers and artisans. We are delighted to partner with Amazon India as this launch helps to achieve this objective. It will provide the weavers with the opportunity to reach out to millions of Amazon.in customers and expand their sales.”
“In line with our vision to transform the way India buys and sells, Amazon India has been continuously working towards enabling more and more sellers, weavers and artisans to embrace online selling and scale greater heights. Our partnership with Weavesmart is another key step towards our constant endeavor which is aligned with the Government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives. With our experience and deep understanding of customers across the country, this launch will help provide a wider reach for these products which in-turn will have a positive impact in the lives of the weavers associated with Weavesmart. We are happy to support Weavesmart and offer them the most comprehensive suite of seller services and requisite tools in this digital journey,” said Gopal Pillai, Director & GM, Seller Services, Amazon India.
There are several pockets in the country with SMEs that offer a rich variety of offerings from apparels to handicrafts to organic products. With the aim to enable more and more of these SMEs as well as micro entrepreneurs like weavers, artisans and craftsmen to benefit from ecommerce and grow their businesses, Amazon.in launched the ‘Kala Haat’ program in 2016 and through its efforts, Amazon India wants to give these craftspersons’ the opportunity to showcase their products. Amazon India has been relentlessly working in collaboration with its on-ground partner Prione to penetrate into deeper regions in the country and put forward the real ‘Make in India’ offering to its customers. There are various initiatives that the company has taken in this direction through government partnerships and conducting workshops across the country.
All products listed by artisans and weavers are available through the ‘Handloom & Handicraft’ store on Amazon.in. Launched in 2016, the store aims at bringing the rich Indian heritage of handicrafts and handlooms to Indian consumers’ doorsteps. The store has enabled craftsmen from across India to come on Amazon.in from across categories such as sarees, jewelry, handbags, shoes and more. Amazon.in has partnered with various government bodies such as DC Handlooms and Gujrat Tribal Development Dept. to onboard 1100+ weavers/cooperatives/artisans in 11 states through 35+ workshops impacting upwards of 1.5 lac weaver & artisan households.
Amazon.in has signed a MoU with the Telangana government to promote their handloom and handicrafts online. In Telangana, APCO (handloom) and Lepakshi (handicraft) have been launched, while in West Bengal & Orissa Amazon.in is working with Tantuja (handloom), Jute Corporation of India and Boyanika (handloom). In Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, Amazon.in has enabled Cauvery Handlooms and Loomworld (handloom) to sell their products online. Amazon.in has also worked with central government agencies like TRIFED & Craft Cottage Industries Corporation to enable ‘Tribes India’ & ‘CCIE’ on the Amazon.in marketplace and has collaborated with UP Khadi & Handlooms to enable the Khadi societies in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
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YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
