Brands
Mona Singh voices Coto’s new brand film on emotional wellness
MUMBAI: Coto, India’s leading emotional wellness platform, has released a stirring brand film narrated by actor Mona Singh, urging people to speak up and seek support without fear.
Drawing from millions of minutes of real conversations on its platform, the film transforms lived struggles into powerful stories. A long-distance partner, a burnt-out parent, a young professional crumbling under expectations, each vignette reflects lives we recognise, but too often ignore.
Produced with Trigger Happy Entertainment Network, the campaign doesn’t just spotlight problems; it offers pathways forward. “This film gives voice to the invisible battles so many fight while wearing a smile,” said coto, co-founder, Shefali Anurag. “Our mission is clear: to replace silence with presence, stigma with compassion, and isolation with connection.”
For Mona Singh, lending her voice was more than a gig. It was personal. “Just as I rely on a nutritionist and fitness trainer for my physical health, coto
supports my emotional wellness, bringing clarity and calm when it matters most,” she said. “The difference between barely surviving and truly thriving often comes down to having the right support at the right moment. That’s why I count on coto’s experts, not as a sign of weakness, but as essential
tools for peak performance in every aspect of life.”
With India’s $7 billion wellness market booming, coto is positioning itself not just as a platform but as a cultural force, normalising conversations around mental health, love, and relationships. The brand film is now live across coto’s digital channels, sparking dialogues that aim to travel well beyond the screen into living rooms, workplaces, and communities.
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.
