Brands
Ayushmann Khurrana is new face of Tecno Mobile
NEW DELHI: Smartphone maker Tecno has roped in actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador for the current calendar. With this partnership, Tecno hopes to drive visibility for its brand philosophy ‘Stop at Nothing’ and bolster its position among smartphone users.
Khurrana said, “As an actor, I understand the importance of perfection and giving the best to our audiences. Tecno has established itself as one of the leading smartphone brand in India with its consistency towards delivering excellent products with stylish designs and innovative features at the most competitive price. Associating with such a brand that stops at nothing to provide a great smartphone experience to its consumers is quite thrilling.”
Tecno Mobile India CEO Arijeet Talapatra, “Tecno is known for its ‘ahead of the curve’ approach and a product philosophy that believes in introducing segment-first features to create greater accessibility for our consumers in the mid-budget category of new Bharat. In this journey, we felt that 'Ayushmann the personality', upholds our values the strongest. He epitomises our intent to be uncompromising in our efforts to empower Indian citizens with feature-rich smartphones. I strongly believe this association will enable us to reach out to a wider base of consumers and further consolidate our position as a leading smartphone player in the segment.”
The association with the Andhadhun star complements the company’s initiative to push the envelope of technology democratisation with innovative, new-age smartphones at aggressive price points. Khurrana will be seen spearheading the new Tecno Spark 7 campaign across Spark, Pova, Camon smartphone series.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
