iWorld
Gupshup adds Messenger API for Instagram to help businesses engage better
Mumbai: Messaging services company Gupshup on Friday announced the addition of the Messenger API for Instagram to its platform. This will now allow Gupshup businesses to benefit through a richer two-way conversation with their followers on Instagram at scale.
Gupshup has a longstanding collaboration with the Facebook family of messaging platforms; having collaborated with Messenger in 2017, and as one of the earliest to adopt WhatsApp for business service in 2018. According to Instagram research1, 90 per cent of people on Instagram follow a business and 50 per cent are more interested in a brand when they see ads for it over Instagram.
“We are delighted that Gupshup is launching the Messenger API support for Instagram. The Messenger API for Instagram is now available for all developers who make it possible for brands to improve and enhance messaging experiences with customers,” said Messenger’s vice president, platform partnerships, Konstantinos Papamiltiadis. “By integrating the Messenger API for Instagram, businesses and developers can effectively scale messaging workflows to better own the customer experience and build more authentic relationships.”
“Gupshup is committed to helping businesses engage their customers better through conversations across multiple channels” explained Gupshup’s co-founder and CEO Beerud Sheth. “We are now making available our rich set of tools, powered by conversational AI, to help businesses make their Instagram conversations rich, contextual and personalized. Using these tools, businesses and celebrities and influencers with business accounts on Instagram will now be able to build stronger customer relationships, improve customer satisfaction, develop new business models and drive greater revenues.”
Gupshup, with the Messenger API for Instagram for conversational messaging, is now available to its businesses who may access the same at www.gupshup.io
Gaming
Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons launch India’s first official F1 sim racing championship
Nationwide competition creates pathway from virtual racing to pro motorsport
MUMBAI: Formula 1 has teamed up with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited to launch India’s first officially sanctioned F1 sim racing competition, marking a new step in the country’s growing motorsport ecosystem.
The championship, titled F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, will offer a structured national platform for sim racers, with participants competing on the official F1 25 across multiple stages. The competition will begin with online qualifiers, followed by city-based simulator rounds, before culminating in a national final in Mumbai this November.
Open to players across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, registrations for the event will begin on 30 April via the Mumbai Falcons app. The format mirrors real-world racing, featuring official circuits, team liveries and competitive structures aligned with the global series.
Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan said the initiative arrives at a time when interest in the sport is surging in India, adding that a structured sim racing platform could help identify and nurture the next generation of talent.
Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited managing director Ameet Gadhoke noted that the championship aligns with the team’s long-term goal of building a strong motorsport pipeline in the country and placing Indian talent on the global stage.
The launch also reflects broader momentum in esports, especially after its recognition under India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. By bridging gaming and real-world racing, the initiative aims to offer aspiring drivers a credible entry point into professional motorsport.
With interest in Formula 1 steadily rising and conversations around its return to India gaining pace, the new championship could become a proving ground for future racing stars.
