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
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
