eNews
Media veteran Kumar Ahuja takes the helm at AI upstart Eros Innovation
MUMBAI: Kumar Ahuja, a seasoned entertainment industry executive, has been appointed chief operating officer at Eros Innovation, a global technology holding company positioning itself at the intersection of artificial intelligence and media.
Ahuja brings nearly three decades of experience to the role, having most recently served as chief revenue officer at Sony Music Entertainment from December 2023 to August 2025. Before that, he spent over 26 years at Eros International, where he held various leadership positions including chief operating officer and president of business development.
Eros Innovation describes itself as a technology holding company with ambitions spanning AI, media, entertainment, sports, education and bio-life sciences. The firm serves as parent company to Immerso AI and other subsidiaries, claiming to leverage four decades of investment expertise to back disruptive technologies.
The company boasts 1.5 trillion AI tokens and operates AI data parks in Malaysia and GIFT City, India. It positions these facilities as innovation hubs for cutting-edge AI research with a particular focus on entertainment applications.
Ahuja’s appointment comes as traditional media companies grapple with the rapid advancement of AI technologies. His extensive background in strategic partnerships and business development at major entertainment firms may prove valuable as Eros Innovation seeks to bridge the gap between established media and emerging AI capabilities.
The company says it is pioneering “next-generation intellectual properties” through blockchain, generative AI and tokenisation, though it remains to be seen how these technologies will translate into commercial success in an increasingly crowded AI landscape.
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.
