MAM
Bertelsmann arm acquires majority stake in Networkplay
MUMBAI: The publishing division of European media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG Gruner + Jahr has acquired a majority stake in Indian digital advertising network Networkplay.
Digital advertising agency Webchutney, incubated by Networkplay in 2008, was funded by Capital18, the venture capital arm of the Network18 group.
Gruner + Jahr India CEO Kuldip Singh will join the board at Networkplay shortly. He will also be the CFO of Networkplay.
The agency has presence on Internet, mobile and DTH platforms and partnerships with advertisers and publishers.
Since inception, Networkplay has been involved in creating effective and scalable advertising solutions across all digital platforms. Over the last three and a half years, the company has grown to reach an execution capability of over four billion impressions per month across 500 publishers and 350 advertisers.
Networkplay has also brought global event franchises such as ad:tech and iMedia Summits to India, in partnership with dmg::events, a leading international events company that manages over 80 events in over 25 countries.
Webchutney founder and CEO Sidharth Rao said, “Ram and his team have built an amazing business from an idea a few years ago. We are very proud and delighted to have believed in Networkplay‘s vision from the first day. A partnership with a leading global company, Gruner + Jahr, will propel Networkplay on a stronger, higher growth path.”
Gruner + Jahr is a media group and its Electronic Media Sales (EMS) division is a leader in the digital advertising space in Europe. G+J recently acquired majority stake in MaXposure Media and this is their second strategic investment in India.
BMR Advisors was the exclusive advisor to Capital18 and Webchutney on this transaction.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
