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CNN-IBN and MobiKwik join hands to help Chennai
MUMBAI A week after heavy rains and flooding brought India’s Chennai to a halt, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands more marooned. The flood created havoc in Chennai and left people stranded without food, electricity and other necessities. Help has been pouring in from across the country but Chennai still has a long way to go before it gets back on its feet. Among the many critical requirements, staying connected with friends, family and the authorities, also emerged as a paramount need to ensure the safety of the people in the city
Against this backdrop, CNN-IBN and MobiKwik have joined hands to help citizens of Chennai by providing them mobile recharge in order to allow them to stay connected with their loved ones. Those in need would be provided with a balance recharge on their phone so that they are able to stay connected. The recharge would also help them to get any other assistance that is required in these difficult times.
To get the recharge, all one needs to do is type RECHARGECHENNAI with the mobile number to be recharged and send it to 51818. The phone number will be recharged with an amount of Rs. 30 by MobiKwik. CNN-IBN has been flashing the details on-air to let the people know about this so that the friends and families can also help their near ones by getting their phones recharged. The activity is being done on Twitter as well – the number to be recharged needs to be tweeted with the hashtag #RechargeChennai.
Speaking on the partnership, CNN-IBN managing editor Radhakrishnan Nair said, “In this time of crisis, CNN-IBN stands firmly with the people of Chennai. Our channel has deployed many of our senior reporters on ground in Chennai to ensure that we continue to focus on the developing situation there and keep our viewers abreast of the same. We are committed to extending all possible help from our side to the people of the city in this time of their need. This partnership with MobiKwik is an attempt in that direction – to ensure that those in Chennai are able to stay connected.”
MobiKwik founder and CEO, Bipin Preet Singh said, “We are extremely sad to see how people in Chennai are struggling to cope with the atrocities of the weather. In this hour of need, we want to ensure that they do not face any challenges in connecting with their near and dear ones. With talk time balance running low, broken Internet connections, and recharge retailers not available nearby, it was time for us to step up and provide a solution. Our partnership with CNN-IBN helps us reach out to thousands of stranded users in Chennai who need their phones to be recharged.”
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.
