MAM
LAFFAZ launches its agency arm ‘Digital Mafias’ in UAE
MUMBAI: Digital Mafias, the agency arm of LAFFAZ Media which is a Delhi-based news-hailing startup that covers the startup news, stories related to Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and Indian startup ecosystem, today announced the launch of their services in UAE. The launch took place during the 5th #BrandFusion Entrepreneurship Series of Venture Central (VentureCentral.ae), under the name ‘Market Intelligence Congress’, held at Rose Rayhaan Rotana, Dubai.
A subsidiary of LAFFAZ, a news platform featuring startups, Digital Mafias started their operations in January 2019 in India to offer cost-effective digital marketing and web-development services to startups, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes, regardless of the business objective, sector or domain. In a short period of 8 months the company has witnessed an astonishing growth, and is now entering the UAE market.
With its #BrandFusion series, Venture Central features top brands, supporting partners, market buyers and sellers, business leaders, industry experts and SMEs. The series is a convergence of prominent and key drivers of Dubai’s business hub, and this makes it an effective avenue for building networks and forging strategic alliances. LAFFAZ being the strategic media partner for Venture Central, got the chance to launch their agency model at the 5th #BrandFusion B2B Entrepreneurship Series.
“We are immensely delighted to be acknowledged by Venture Central. While we are already working with a number of Indian brands and startups, getting represented at the Market Intelligence Congress will unlock business opportunities for us in the UAE, and that’s a milestone for us.” – Mohammed Haseeb – CEO, LAFFAZ
“The tech era has brought huge disruption and competition. Most of the traditional digital marketing practices have lost impact. Our ideation and purpose is aligned with today’s marketing ecosystem. That’s why we have come up with personalized services, flexible support and new methodologies to help our clients position themselves in the market. We are confident that we could serve our foreign clients in the same manner and vigor like we do in India” – Pradeep Singh – CTO, LAFFAZ Media
“We value the partnerships forged through the curation of our monthly #BrandFusion Entrepreneurial Series with highlights on Mentorship Talks, Brand Open Mic Presentations, Masterclasses & Business Meet-Ups. Our partnership with LAFFAZ Media & Digital Mafias marked a new milestone in our journey reinforcing Venture Central’s value as an Entrepreneurial Event Hub in the UAE & Beyond proving that digital age knows no boundaries bringing entrepreneurs together from all corners of the globe.” – Jan Bangayan – Managing Partner, Venture Central
Having worked with a number of startups, the founders of Digital Mafias, Pradeep and Haseeb observed the rigidity that most of the businesses undergo while seeking services from digital marketing agencies, thus come up with Digital Mafias to provide top-notch services with flexible support and maintenance.
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.
