MAM
FC Barcelona unveils Qatar Airways as new shirt sponsors
MUMBAI: Spanish football club FC Barcelona has further strengthened its Qatar connection by signing a strategic sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways that sees the airline‘s brand name appear on first team shirts from the start of the 2013/14 season.
The three-year agreement with the runaway Spanish league leaders will be effective from 1 July. The airline brand will become the club‘s Global Main Partner, signaling the first time the airline has engaged in a sponsorship with a major soccer club.
Qatar Airways will replace current shirt sponsors Qatar Foundation who will continue its relationship with FC Barcelona as Human Development Partner.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said, “The alignment with Barca is a fitting match for both organisations, which will elevate the brands to a new platform on the global stage and sharing the same values – passionate about being the best at what we do in our respective fields.”
FC Barcelona, the reigning Copa del Rey – Spanish Cup – champions, is a club steeped in history dating back more than 100 years. Owned by the fans and by the people of Catalonia, the club is one of the richest in the world, home to world-class players, including the world‘s best player Lionel Messi.
Club president Sandro Rosell said, “From July 1, we will be able to work with global company Qatar Airways, with whom we share many things such as the search for excellence. This sponsorship deal will bring great advantages, not just for the Club, but also for our city and our country.”
As part of the agreement with Qatar Airways, the airline‘s name will adorn, from the start of the 2013/14 season, Barca first-team shirts at La Liga matches across Spain, Champions League matches across Europe, as well as friendly matches, including FC Barcelona‘s pre-season tours.
The airline will be working with FC Barcelona on creating joint initiatives, centering on added value flight and holiday packages for fans globally, as well as a host of community programmes involving loyal followers across the world ensuring both brands remain at the pinnacle of their respective fields.
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.
