Brands
Noise collaborates with Airtel Payments Bank and Mastercard to launch new way to pay
Mumbai: Airtel Payments Bank collaborated with Noise, a smartwatch brand, and Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments space, to unveil A New Way to Pay. The entities have come together to launch the Bank’s Airtel Payments Bank Smart Watch aimed at revolutionizing contactless payments, to redefine and make contactless payments accessible to a larger consumer base. Bringing the power of, Tap and Pay to every wrist, the initiative will empower users to unlock the full potential of smart wearables and democratise convenient financial solutions, enabling users to stay ahead of the curve and enjoy the benefits of the future of payments.
These smartwatches, developed by Noise and enabled by Airtel Payments Bank will boost Tap and Pay capabilities, and enhance the experience for users by bringing the convenience of contactless payments through the smart wearables. The smartwatch will empower Airtel Payments Bank’s customers to do more with their wearables, making it a one-stop solution for their daily lifestyle needs. The new smartwatch is now available to be purchased at Rs 2,999.
Customers who have a savings account with Airtel Payments Bank can purchase this smartwatch from the Airtel Thanks App. Customers who are new to the bank can order the smartwatch immediately by opening a bank account digitally on Airtel Thanks App. They can then activate the watch by linking it to their savings bank account via the Thanks App in just one minute. Once linked, users can immediately commence making payments by simply tapping the watch on Point of Sale (POS) machines with the Tap and Pay facility. A customer would be able to make payments between Rs 1 to INR 25,000 per day using the Airtel Payments Bank Smart Watch.
The smartwatch has been conceptualized and meticulously crafted by Noise, India’s leading smartwatch brand, celebrated for offering a perfect synergy between state-of-the-art technology and functionalities that enhance a convenient lifestyle. Equipped with an array of health and productivity features and industry-forward innovation, the smartwatch is designed with an appealing 1.85-inch square dial to enhance the user experience further by enabling contactless payments directly from the wearable.
The smart watch’s NFC chip supported by the Mastercard network will further empower people to do more with their wearable, making the smartwatch a one-stop solution for all their lifestyle needs. The NFC chip-enabled smartwatches are designed to seamlessly support contactless payments at retail outlets, POS terminals, and various other touchpoints, making financial transactions more inclusive and convenient for all.
Speaking on the launch, Airtel Payments Bank COO Ganesh Ananthanarayanan said, “Urban digital customers now have a seamless solution for on-the-go digital payments through our partnership with Noise and Mastercard. The Airtel Payments Bank Smart Watch revolutionizes how customers engage in contactless payments, offering unparalleled convenience. With this innovation, customers can effortlessly make transactions without the hassle of carrying extra cards or using their phones for small payments. Our collaboration with Noise reflects our commitment to addressing the evolving needs of urban digital consumers. By integrating contactless payment capabilities into wearable technology, we empower customers with greater freedom and flexibility in their daily transactions. This smartwatch is the first wearable device that the bank has launched. The Bank will be coming up with more options and innovative payment solutions to enhance the digital banking experience, ensuring convenience and security for our valued customers.”
Speaking on the partnership and the innovation in the Smart Watch, Noise co-founder Amit Khatri said, “At Noise, innovation is our driving force, guiding us to constantly meet evolving consumer needs. We are thrilled to partner with Airtel Payments Bank. It marks a significant stride in redefining the smart wearable experience, exemplifying our potential to disrupt and bring forth yet another industry-forward innovation: Tap and Pay functionality in smartwatches. Through the Tap and Pay functionality powered by NFC chips on the Mastercard network, we aim to simplify the payment process and enhance convenience by unlocking a new way for users to interact with their devices. From conceptualization to bringing the idea to life, the Airtel Payments Bank Smart Watch, born from this partnership, reflects on our commitment to delivering meaningful innovation that ensures that every interaction with our product upgrades and enriches their lives.”
Highlighting the significance of this collaboration, Mastercard division president of South Asia Gautam Aggarwal said, “Today’s aspirational consumers are always on the lookout for unique multifaceted solutions that are quick, easy, efficient, and convenient. Contactless technology is a digital catalyst for a new set of consumer experiences. Mastercard has been partnering with the world’s leading global brands in the wearable segment to bring contactless payments to life. The company is delighted to collaborate with Airtel Payments Bank and Noise to jointly power the launch of this innovative smartwatch, which will act as a comprehensive lifestyle solution. Backed by Mastercard’s promise of safe and secure transactions, it will provide users with an enhanced and secure payment experience.”
While helping users unlock contactless payment functionality on the Smart Watch, which is equipped with Bluetooth calling capability, and boasts a long-lasting battery life of up to 10 days. Additionally, the SmartWatch offers access to a collection of 150 cloud-based watch faces and supports 130 different sports modes. With an IP68 water resistance, it can withstand water exposure. The watch features a 1.85-inch TFT LCD with 550 nits brightness and is available in both black and blue colour options. Furthermore, it includes a Stress Monitor feature to help users track and manage their stress levels effectively. Additionally, the SmartWatch features SpO2 Monitoring, enabling users to monitor their blood oxygen saturation levels for better health insights and tracking. It is available in black, grey, and blue colour options.
The smartwatch is just the start of this long-term partnership between Airtel Payments Bank and Noise, and the brands are working together to come up with the next phase of innovations on wearables, empowering India with Smart Payment Solutions.
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
