MAM
GE Money to invest Rs 450 million in India; launches first ever TVC
MUMBAI: GE Money has launched its first ever television commercial (TVC) in India, which has been conceptualised by JWT. It is expanding its branch presence in India and is targeting to reach over 200 branches in 2006 with an investment of Rs 450 million.
The TVC is for GE Money personal loans and features children to demonstrate simplicity, ease and innovation, with the core message being that GE Money is a ‘can-do’ brand that has the ability to say ‘Yes’ to people in need, even when others are saying ‘No.’
The commercial opens with a group of children desperately looking for something. Chintoo is a child with an incomplete project and hence, unhappy. A girl asks them what they are searching for, to which they all reply simultaneously “Chintoo Ki Smile”! Chintoo wants to build a hospital, but he faces resistance from all quarters, with everyone saying ‘No.’ Even the father refuses to help.
The girl smiles and tells the children confidently that they will find Chintoo’s smile. She leads them to a GE Money branch where Chintoo’s request for help is not turned down. The commercial ends with GE Money saying ‘Yes’ and giving Chintoo the means to complete his project. With its ‘Yes’ attitude and the ability to add extra, GE Money is successful in putting a smile back on Chintoo’s face.
GE Money India vice president personal loan Sunil Kapoor said, “One of GE Money’s strongest points of differentiation is that we are about saying ‘Yes’ to our customers, giving them more options, anticipating their financial needs and making the GE Money brand a preferred partner for life. GE Money is about funding aspirations and making dreams a reality. We are using TV for the first time in India as the medium allows us to communicate the emotion and significance of having the means to meet one’s goals. With this TV commercial, we are telling our customers that with GE Money you can say ‘Yes to More, ‘Yes to Smiles’.”
He added, “GE Money has a personal loan product for everyone – affluent, middle and mass segments. We have innovative products designed to meet varying needs as well as special product surrogate programs for self-employed individuals. This first-ever TVC by GE Money in India reflects our commitment to make it simpler for people to fund their aspirations.”
GE Money is the new name for GE Countrywide. Since September 2005, all existing GE Countrywide products – auto loans (new and used cars), consumer durable loans, two wheeler loans, personal loans and home equity-loans against property – have been consolidated under the GE Money umbrella brand. The joint ventures with SBI Card and Maruti will continue to use their existing branding, which enjoy a strong consumer mind space.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
