Digital
Paisabazaar opens doors to credit with first retail store in Gurugram
MUMBAI: Credit just got a shopfront makeover. Paisabazaar, India’s largest credit marketplace and free credit score platform, has stepped off the screen and onto the street with the launch of its first-ever retail store in Gurugram. This brick-and-mortar debut marks the fintech’s bold push to blend face-to-face financial advice with its tech-driven backbone.
Over the next few weeks, the lender will expand with two more stores in Delhi and Noida before rolling out an ambitious 100 outlets across Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and other metros. These hubs won’t just sell loans but will serve as financial pitstops for every kind of borrower from first-time credit seekers to small business owners offering guidance on personal loans, home loans, business loans and credit cards. For those less comfortable navigating apps, Paisabazaar’s physical presence promises hand-holding, personalised solutions and a friendlier gateway into the world of credit.
“The retail store is a new business model for us, one that combines the comfort of a physical interaction and a technology-led seamless experience,” said Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal. “Our physical presence will help us both scale our business and deepen consumer trust.” The initiative aligns with the fintech’s larger goal of bridging the digital–physical divide and building a hybrid model that caters to millions of Indians who want the reassurance of a handshake alongside a loan approval. In a country where credit literacy still has miles to go, Paisabazaar’s retail foray may well prove to be credit where it’s due.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
