MAM
Concept PR bags communications mandate for NSE
MUMBAI: Concept Public Relations India Limited has added a heavyweight client to its roster, securing the media and strategic communications mandate for the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. The appointment puts the consultancy at the heart of the country’s most watched financial marketplace.
Under the mandate, Concept PR will shape and manage NSE’s integrated media and communications strategy across financial, business, mainstream and digital platforms. The brief spans all NSE Group businesses, with a clear focus on sharper messaging, stronger stakeholder engagement and steady investor confidence.
As the backbone of India’s capital markets, NSE sits at the crossroads of technology, trust and trading. Its listed companies account for a sizeable share of domestic market capitalisation, while its tech-led infrastructure keeps markets accessible, transparent and efficient across asset classes.
Commenting on the partnership, Concept Public Relations India managing director Ashish Jalan said, “NSE is among the most respected stock exchanges globally, setting benchmarks in innovation and investor participation. As India’s capital markets grow on the back of retail interest, technology and global capital, clear and credible communication becomes vital. We are pleased to partner with NSE at this important juncture and look forward to amplifying its leadership story.”
Founded in 1984, Concept Public Relations brings deep experience in BFSI, alongside work across public sector enterprises, real estate, infrastructure, technology and healthcare. The firm will support NSE in engaging a fast-expanding investor base and in strengthening its voice as India’s markets continue to evolve.
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.
