eNews
IFA Berlin turns up the volume with summer garden concert series
BERLIN: IFA Berlin is adding decibels to devices this September, as the world’s largest consumer tech show cranks open its 2025 edition with a four-day music festival in the lush Sommergarten at Messe Berlin.
The IFA Sommergarten Opening Night on 4 September will see Berlin’s tech fair trade neon lights for stage lights. The evening opens with punky powerhouse Deine Cousine, followed by cult favourites Evil Jared & Krogi, famed in both rock and gaming circles. Rising stars Sorvina and Danilo Timm—picked from the Berlin Music Commission’s “Listen to Berlin” talent pool—will bring homegrown sounds, while Anne West wraps the evening in brooding indie pop.
“It’s music, tech and mindset—we believe they belong together,” said IFA Management chief executive Leif Lindner, highlighting the tie-up with StarFM, Berlin Music Commission, and Listen to Berlin.
IFA ticket holders can access the concert free—while supplies last. B2C attendees with existing tickets will receive upgrade info, while B2B guests and exhibitors will get a separate registration link.
The music doesn’t stop there. The IFA Sommergarten line-up runs until 7 September:
* 5 Sept: Alles Liebe Tour with Max Herre and Joy Denalane
* 6 Sept: Open For Everything with Ikkimel & Friends
* 7 Sept: Podcast icons Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz live with Fest & Flauschig
IFA Berlin has been pushing buttons and boundaries since 1924, and continues to be the premier global showcase for consumer and home tech innovation. This year, it’s throwing a party to match.
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.
