MAM
Havas Media bags integrated media mandate for Gamezy
NEW DELHI: Havas Media India has bagged integrated media duties for Gamezy, a fantasy gaming platform from the house of Gameskraft, one of the fastest growing online gaming companies in India. The mandate includes both offline and online media duties. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.
The account will be handled out of the agency’s Bangalore office led by Saurabh Jain, EVP – South, Havas Media.
Gameskraft co-founder Prithvi Singh said, “Gamezy is a unique offering for online gamers and comes at a perfect time with rising demand for fantasy sports and amidst IPL season. The aim is to make fantasy gaming even more experiential for the users and break through the traditional fantasy gaming experience with a focus on rewards. We are confident that Havas Media Group’s Meaningful Media initiative studies and champions the media that matters most to audiences—media that is engaging, trusted, and influential, and will take the brand to newer heights.”
Havas Media Group India MD Mohit Joshi said, “Despite a challenging year, Havas Media Group India has topped the new business charts in the R3 Media Agency League 2020 for 6 consecutive months. We are glad to further bolster our e-commerce portfolio with this win. There is a rising enthusiasm and opportunity in the online gaming space given the current situation and with the comeback of IPL this year. Gamezy offers a new-age gaming experience whilst ensuring digital safety and transparency. Havas Media is proud to partner with yet another meaningful brand Gamezy and together look forward to creating meaningful and memorable gaming experiences for the users.”
Gamezy is a unique fantasy cricket platform and the latest offering by Gameskraft, a leading online game development company in Bangalore. Gamezy aims to be the most rewarding fantasy game providing more rewards for gamers interested in winnings. The fantasy game was launched last year during T20 cricket season with a vision to create a delightful and seamless experience for gamers looking for participation and engagement during the matches. Gamezy offers the best-in-class playing experience to fantasy cricket users, flexible Instant Cash coupled with welcome & referral bonuses making the onboarding experience a delight on Gamezy App. Gamezy enables users to play their favorite fantasy cricket game in 8 languages and apart from the classical 11-a-side fantasy format, users also have options to play second-innings and 5-a-side teams.
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.
