Brands
Ezeepay’s Banking Mitras fuel rural jobs and digital reach
Fintech network widens access, backs women entrepreneurs
MUMBAI: Ezeepay is taking banking to the back roads and bylanes, turning small shops into digital lifelines for communities that often sit outside the formal financial grid. Through its expanding Banking Mitra network, the fintech platform is not only delivering essential services to rural and semi urban pockets, it is also quietly stitching together new livelihoods along the way.
At the heart of the push is a simple idea. Equip local retailers with digital tools, and they become the neighbourhood’s go to counter for banking, payments, and insurance. From Aadhaar enabled withdrawals and domestic money transfers to bill payments and micro insurance, these outlets now offer a mini bank experience where traditional branches are few and far between.
The ripple effect is visible in the form of self employment. As the network grows across tier 2, tier 3, and rural India, it is opening doors for thousands of small entrepreneurs. Women, in particular, are stepping into the role of Banking Mitras, turning kirana counters and small retail points into hubs of financial activity.
Ezeepay co-founder and chief executive Shams Tabrej, said the network is designed to do more than just process transactions. He noted that the initiative is helping women entrepreneurs gain confidence in fintech tools, strengthen their businesses, and create sustainable sources of income in their communities.
The effort also aligns with the government’s She Mart announcement in the Union Budget 2026, which aims to promote women led enterprises and self help group businesses. Ezeepay’s approach combines digital infrastructure, financial literacy training, and income opportunities, giving local retailers the tools to grow while bringing more people into the formal financial system.
With its last mile model, the company is betting that the next wave of digital adoption will not come from big cities, but from the country’s smaller towns and villages. And if its Banking Mitras have their way, the future of finance may arrive not through a bank branch, but across the counter of the local shop.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
