Brands
Chatpata affair spices up GCC with six dubai stores by March 2025
MUMBAI: Some flavours don’t just travel, they take off at full speed. And India’s fast-growing vegetarian QSR chain The Chatpata Affair seems to be doing exactly that as it maps out an ambitious GCC expansion, beginning with six new outlets across Dubai by March 2025.
Riding a surge of global curiosity for modern Indian vegetarian cuisine especially in Middle Eastern markets where youthful demographics are reshaping food culture, the brand is stepping into one of its boldest growth phases yet.
Back home, The Chatpata Affair has already crossed 100 outlets, opening four stores last week and gearing up to open four more this week. Chennai and Bengaluru alone are set to welcome 20 fresh outlets over the next few months. Its steady rise is backed by strong financials, the brand has clocked a 20 per cent year-on-year growth, with an annualised revenue of Rs40 crore across India and international markets.
Encouraged by the performance of its first Dubai outlet, the company is rolling out multiple formats tailored for GCC consumers kiosks in malls, quick-stop counters in transit hubs, compact stores in corporate zones, and community-friendly outlets in residential districts. The goal: make quick, flavour-forward Indian vegetarian street food accessible wherever people move.
To fuel its UAE expansion, the company is currently raising Rs10 crore (USD 1.2 million) and is inviting master franchise partners, mall operators, petrol station chains, area developers and investment groups across the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
“Our first Dubai outlet proved that modern Indian vegetarian cuisine has a global audience,” said The Chatpata Affair founder Shiju Pappen. “We are now scaling rapidly across the GCC with asset-light formats, a strong supply chain and a concept that adapts beautifully to local tastes.”
Looking ahead to its 2028–2029 vision, the company aims to build a multi-country Middle East presence and cement itself as one of the region’s leading fast-casual vegetarian brands, one chatpata bite at a time.
With expansion plans simmering across continents, The Chatpata Affair is no longer just a street-food brand, it’s becoming India’s next global flavour export.
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.
