e-commerce
Paytm aims at 50% share of movie weekend collection
MUMBAI: Paytm has announced that its movies segment is aiming to contribute 50% to the opening weekend online collection of leading Hollywood and Bollywood Movies by end 2017. The company will achieve this with extensive marketing partnerships to further increase its adoption and reach.
Paytm Movies has received an exceptional response with more than Rs. 400 crore in GMV within a year of launch. Contributing more than 20% to the opening weekend collection of all major Hollywood and Bollywood movies, the platform is garnering major traction from Tier II and Tier III cities by upgrading traditional offline ticket booking systems in local theaters to online ticketing. It is also using its widely popular Paytm QR codes to implement easy scan-and-book offline ticketing at their box-office and F&B counters.
“We are thrilled to have a great start to 2017 by achieving blockbuster sales for key movie releases. Our aim this year is to contribute more than half of opening weekend online collection for all major movies. We will continue working with all move theatre chains to increase online ticket sales by promoting them aggressively amongst our vast user base,” says Paytm vice president Renu Satti.
Paytm’s online movie ticketing service is available at more than 3500 screens across 550 cities and the platform’s pan-India distribution reach has led to it currently accounting for around 20% share of opening weekend box-office collection for most movies.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
