Brands
PayU India gets approval to function as BBPU under the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS)
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India has given PayU in-principal approval to set up and operate Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). PayU has been listed amongst the first non-bank entity that has been grated this license out of the total of 62 non-bank entities that applied for the said license. BBPS is an is an integrated bill payment system in India, offering interoperable and accessible bill payment service to customers through a network of agents, enabling multiple payment modes, and providing instant confirmation of payment. Consumers will be the ones who will get the maximum benefit out of this as they will be able to pay their bills anytime and anywhere in India.
Underlining the significance of the BBPS for the payments ecosystem in India, PayU India co founder and COO Shailaz Nag commented, “PayU is very hopeful about the prospects of BBPS. With BBPS, customers would be presented with the opportunity of easy bill payments for almost all Billers in the country. PayU would ensure that the most convenient and best in class user experience is delivered to its customers, thus encouraging more people to transact online. With the provisions of BBPS, PayU believes more serious players will apply for authorization to work as BBPOU with RBI. Further admittance of prominent industry players in the business will only enhance the country’s payment ecosystem”.
The BBPS license gives a big boost to PayU India’s efforts to create a meaningful difference in the payment ecosystem and strengthen its position as the leader in the utility bill payments segment. The idea is to offer efficient and cost-effective alternative to the existing payment systems and enhance consumer confidence and experience. PayU’s seamless technology coupled with the recent BBPS license will help PayU India to get one step closer to achieve its mission of “Simplifying payments and financial services for everyone”.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
