e-commerce
MSME mission gets a BoB boost as SIDBI and Bank of Baroda join forces
MUMBAI: India’s small businesses just got a big lift and this time, the push comes from a power-packed partnership built for a Viksit Bharat 2047. In a significant move to strengthen the nation’s enterprise backbone, the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) have signed an MoU to turbocharge credit flow, expand working capital access, and bolster support for MSMEs and startups across India.
The agreement, sealed in the presence of M. Nagaraju, IAS, secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), brings together the precision of SIDBI’s MSME-focused financing and Bank of Baroda’s expansive national and global footprint.
Senior leaders, including JS Manoj Ayyappan, SIDBI CMD Manoj Mittal, and BoB executive directors Lalit Tyagi and Lal Singh, were present as the two institutions outlined a collaborative roadmap to fuel India’s next wave of business growth.
The MoU deepens cooperation across a wide spectrum of enterprise needs:
● Joint Financing: Leveraging SIDBI’s expertise and BoB’s nationwide branch network to amplify credit delivery for MSMEs.
● Working Capital Enablement: Operationalising BoB’s digital Working Capital Platform for SIDBI-sanctioned borrowers, promising seamless and tech-enabled access to capital.
● Startup Financing: Combining SIDBI’s Venture Debt Programme with BoB’s specialised startup banking solutions ranging from advisory to tailored financial products.
● Export Promotion: Using Bank of Baroda’s international presence to help MSMEs and startups tap global markets with improved export banking support.
● Cluster & Innovation Support: Joint initiatives for MSME clusters, incubators and accelerators to nurture entrepreneurship across India.
Calling the collaboration a milestone, secretary M. Nagaraju noted, “This partnership brings together the strengths of a dedicated MSME development institution and a large commercial bank to build a stronger credit ecosystem. By combining SIDBI’s innovative financing models with Bank of Baroda’s reach, this MoU will help enterprises access timely working capital, scale operations, and integrate into global value chains.”
JS Manoj Ayyappan added that the partnership “significantly enhances access to timely and affordable credit,” describing it as a crucial step in reinforcing India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
For SIDBI CMD Manoj Mittal, the MoU marks a natural extension of the bank’s 35-year legacy.
“This MoU deepens our ability to jointly support MSMEs and high-potential startups through venture debt, digital credit, and coordinated working capital solutions,” he said. “We see this as a powerful opportunity to accelerate India’s enterprise growth narrative.”
Echoing this, BoB executive director Lalit Tyagi highlighted the bank’s growing commitment to emerging businesses, “Through this partnership, we will strengthen joint financing, enhance digital credit enablement, and expand specialised banking solutions. Our global presence will further help MSMEs and startups tap export opportunities.”
BoB’s executive director Lal Singh extended thanks to both teams, noting that the partnership sets the stage for “meaningful value creation for customers.”
As part of the event, the DFS Secretary handed over sanction letters to MSME customers, marking the beginning of a partnership expected to reach thousands of enterprises.
With SIDBI’s developmental sharpness and BoB’s vast reach, the collaboration signals a decisive push to ensure that India’s MSMEs and startups don’t just survive, they scale, innovate, and step confidently into global markets.
For a sector often described as the heart of India’s economy, the SIDBI–BoB handshake promises exactly what MSMEs have long needed: more credit, more confidence, and more room to grow.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
