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Budweiser at VH1 Supersonic: A festival highlight
Mumbai: Budweiser amped up the beats at Vh1 Supersonic’24 with a celebration of music, art and culture – elevating the music scene in India. The brand curated high-octane acts from electrifying performances at the BUDX Spectrum Stage to immersive experiences at the Brew District, complemented by lip-smacking gourmet burgers.
This edition of India’s biggest homegrown festival witnessed some of the best artists from around the world owning the BUDX Spectrum stage, including Adam Beyer, Yotto, Ben Sims, Denis Horvat, Patrice Baumel, Victor Ruiz, Undercatt, Kohra, Arjun Vagale, Ankytrixx, and Browncoat.
The BUDX Spectrum stage also played host to three exceptional BUDX Uncovered Acts – building on Budweiser’s aim to spotlight and provide a platform to breakout artists from across the country. The stage featured the distinctive sounds of Bangalore-based music producer and DJ Weird Sounding Dude, the mastery of New-Delhi-based producer Zequenx, and captivating beats from Bangalore-based DJ and producer Tasnneem – crafting unforgettable moments that lingered in the air long after the music faded.
BUDX Uncovered Acts
Beyond music, the brand also curated immersive experiences for festival attendees to re-energize them in between sets. Budweiser’s ‘Brew District’ treated festivalgoers to a playground of fun activities with its tattoo and hairstyling stations. Indelible spaces were especially curated for festival goers to savour exceptional brews and immerse themselves in the pulsating beats of the festival – showcased across four signature bars – Beats Bar, Magnum Cocktail Bar, Magnum Beer Bar and Spectrum Stage Bar. The Magnum Cocktail Bar emerged as the standout favourite, courtesy its ingenious crossover cocktails. The bar’s experimental concoctions including Mermalade by Bhavya Ramesh, Tribemama’s Vintage Goddess and kickstarter by Vijay Singh infused an extra layer of taste. Budweiser Magnum Double Barrel Whiskey took center stage, captivating audiences with an exclusive VIP lounge that offered a peerless view of the BUDX Spectrum Stage.
Pairing beer with its perfect companion, Budweiser’s marquee property ‘Bud and Burgers’ emerged as a culinary showdown. Budweiser rolled out the ultimate snacking station in collaboration with esteemed chefs – culinary instructor Chef Delzad and Goa’s favorite Chef Geoff. The chefs battled it out to curate a selection of burger/s to perfectly complement the smoothness of Budweiser beer. Indulging in the ultimate ‘Burger Wars’, attendees cast their votes and declared chef Geoff’s burgers as the ‘King of Burgers’.
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
