eNews
Google ropes in Preeti Lobana as country manager India
MUMBAI: There’s a new country manager who’s come on board at Google India. Google president Asia Pacific Sanjay Gupta announced that Preeti Lobana is joining the company as country & vice-president for India.
Said he: “Her leadership and passion for customer-centricity has fueled impactful solutions for businesses across industries empowering millions of businesses to thrive in the digital age. Preeti’s leadership will be instrumental as we deepen our engagement with India’s unique ecosystem, leveraging AI advancements like Gemini to accelerate digital inclusion and unlock unprecedented economic opportunities for every Indian. I am confident that her deep market expertise will guide us in shaping a future where technology truly benefits all.”
“In her new role, Preeti will partner deeply with Roma Datta Chobey, who led as the interim country manager and will continue her exceptional leadership as managing director for Google India’s digital native Industries. Roma’s expertise across diverse sectors, from e-commerce and fintech to gaming and media, will be invaluable as we accelerate innovation and growth for these dynamic businesses.”
An MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Preeti worked mainly in the financial services sector in the early part of her career before she joined Google in 2016 as director APAC customer experience. Over the next eight years she explored roles such as senior director ads customer care and vice-president publishers, partners, ads content team g Tech. And now she is the country manager and vice-president Google India.
Her financial services exposure began with ANZ Grindlays Bank for 10 years where she went on to head the personal loans department. Then as head of banking services at Standard Chartered Bank. She followed that up with a close to 10 year stint at American Express where she headed global services. She then moved on to Natwest group as managing director and head global financial services India where she stayed for four years.
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.
