MAM
PhonePe launches “Karte Ja. Badhte Ja.” with Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt
MUMBAI: PhonePe, India’s leading digital payments platform today announced the launch of its new brand campaign “Karte Ja. Badhte Ja.” featuring Bollywood superstars Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt. PhonePe is also the official co-presenting sponsor for the television broadcast of VIVO IPL 2020, and will be launching a series of TV ads during this IPL season. The five-week brand campaign is centered around PhonePe’s new Tagline “Karte Ja. Badhte Ja.” and reflects the role played by the company in India’s progress by catering to the varied aspirations and needs of its 20 crore users across the country. The campaign showcases fast transactions, convenient payment modes, simpler investment options, the Switch platform providing one-click access to over 100+ apps and PhonePe’s wide acceptance at over 10 million offline shops.
Commenting on the announcement, PhonePe founder and CEO Sameer Nigam said, “From small villages to busy metros, Indians are striving to progress and prosper. We see our platform as a trusted partner to those billion aspirations, bridging the digital divide and empowering Indians to transact conveniently and securely and aspire to do more and move ahead in life, one transaction at a time. Our vision is to liberate the flow of money and services so that everyone can unlock opportunities to progress at pace. Crafted with this belief, our new brand campaign is a reflection of everyday stories of progress with PhonePe. We are also excited to have Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt as the face of our brand as they are a powerhouse of talent and appeal to Indians across the country. They are both inspiring and bold and personify values like integrity and trust that strongly resonate with the PhonePe brand.”
Speaking on his continued association with PhonePe, Aamir Khan said, “PhonePe continues to innovate, grow and make digital payments and services safe and easy for millions of Indians. I am delighted to be a part of their amazing journey”
PhonePe is also the official broadcast sponsor of VIVO IPL 2020. This is the second year in a row when the company has partnered with VIVO IPL which continues to be the biggest sporting event of the year in India.
The current brand campaign will feature four TV commercials with Aamir and Alia, which will be spread across digital platforms, radio, print and cinema.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
