eNews
Digital, sports & events co GSC to make Aus, NZ buys, receives funds
MUMBAI: Global Sports Commerce (GSC) and its affiliate Techfront International, a supplier of in-stadium LED screens, as well as integrated sponsorship and digital solutions for sports and media events, has received funding to support acquisitions of Screencorp in Australia and Oled & Carniegie in New Zealand.
BlackRock’s Private Credit team arranged sole financing for the combined transaction.
The intended acquisitions will enable GSC to deepen penetration of the Australian and New Zealand digital sporting solutions markets, while entering the fast-growing digital billboard sector. Techfront Australia, a subsidiary of Techfront International, enjoys market leadership in Australia and New Zealand as partner to the AFL, All Blacks, NZ Cricket and in association with MKTG for Cricket Australia & Big Bash League.
GSC CEO M S Muralidharan said, “These acquisitions will facilitate deep engagement with sports for GSC and Techfront and amounts to a template for replicating a successful model throughout Europe and North America. BlackRock’s support provides Techfront with greater impetus, and contributes to the consolidation of sports commerce worldwide via use of technology such as Commerce Optimiser.”
Techfront Australia CEO Neil Maxwell said, “The addition of these companies provides TFA with an unparalleled scale in the Australian and New Zealand markets. We are now able to cater to an increased number of sports and in the process, provide broader offerings along with an enhanced level of service.”
BlackRock head of Asian credit Neeraj Seth commented, “GSC and Techfront’s dominant position in key cricket markets, plus growing involvement in football, rugby, tennis and other sports, make it an attractive investment opportunity. Private credit has become an important source of flexible capital for mid-market companies at a time when banks are being constrained from providing financing to Asian companies.”
He added, “BlackRock is well-positioned to provide companies such as GSC and Techfront with capital throughout multiple Asian jurisdictions. This enables such organizations to expand at the same time as allowing us to equip our investors with diverse sources of investment return.”
GSC provides dynamic solutions, along with sponsorship & commercial management and premier consultancy. It’s affiliated units work with sports organisations such as FIFA, ICC, BBCI, UEFA, IAAF, EPL, IPL, Bundesliga, IPL and AFL, all via various subsidiaries and partners.
Techfront continues to be at the forefront of LED innovation, by developing the proprietary Go-Green Technology, the world’s first Ultra High-definition 4K HD and being the first globally compliant LED technology company as certified by FIFA and the UEFA.
BlackRock, a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services with AUM US$5.1 trillion, helps with a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles.
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.
