e-commerce
PhonePe supercharges financial services portfolio
NEW DELHI: PhonePe announced that it has supercharged its financial services portfolio. The company has added six new products in the insurance and wealth management space in the last four months. PhonePe credits its cutting edge technology platform that encourages continuous innovation, the passion of its people and strong and aligned partners as the key pillars that have helped launch multiple products at a rapid pace despite the lockdown.
Insurance and financial services have been deeply under penetrated categories in India due to problems of distribution, customer education and awareness. PhonePe with its over 230 million user base, is uniquely positioned to solve these problems and get the right product at the right price point to customers across India. What differentiates PhonePe’s offerings is that the products are simple to understand, come with an instant enrollment and are distributed digitally at very affordable prices. What also sets the offerings apart is the partnerships PhonePe has built with industry leaders in both the insurance & mutual funds space. These partners come with deep experience in this space, and have worked very closely with PhonePe to launch tailor-made offerings for its rapidly increasing customer base.
PhonePe financial services & payments vice president Hemant Gala said, “PhonePe is building India’s most comprehensive Financial Services platform. Our philosophy has always been to launch customer centric products backed by a deep understanding of customer needs, with simplified payment flows. The customer response to our recent launches has been phenomenal, and we have already become the fastest growing insure-tech distributor in India and have also seen mutual fund investments from over 15,000 pin codes across tier 1,2 & 3 cities and towns. We will be launching multiple tailor-made products in the financial services space addressing key use cases and solving critical customer problems by the end of the year.”
PhonePe head of product management Vishal Gupta added, “We believe that buying insurance and investing in Mutual Fund products should be a simple, frictionless and secure process. All our Financial Service products have been built keeping the above principles in mind. What is also noteworthy is that despite the lockdown, our pace of product development did not slow down and we were able to bring new offerings to the market with the same cadence that we had set for ourselves in the beginning of the year. The deep collaboration, efficient communication and flawless execution across business and products teams made this possible. We will continue to innovate and deliver use case led products while we build out India’s largest Financial Services platform.”
Here’s a quick timeline view of PhonePe’s new launches:
The Personal Accident: Launched in July. Offers the customer or its nominee a fixed, lumpsum amount in the unfortunate event of death or total permanent disability of the insured due to an accident. Premium for the same starts from Rs 24 to Rs 480 with sum insured ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
The Dengue & Malaria cover: Launched in July. Offers policyholders a fixed cash payout amount on diagnosis and more than 48 hours of hospitalisation due to 6 vector borne diseases including dengue, malaria, japanese encephalitis, kala-azar, chikungunya and filariasis.
Hospital Daily Cash: Launched in July. Offers a per day cash payout for upto 15 days on hospitalisation with a minimum 48 hours of hospitalisation payable from second day onwards. Premiums start from Rs 130 and Sum insured available amount goes upto Rs 75,000
CoronaVirus Insurance Policy: Launched in April. Offers a cashless and reimbursement payout for diagnosis and hospitalisation due to Covid-19 – upto Rs1 lakh – with prices starting from Rs 396
Domestic Travel Insurance: Launched in June. Offers an affordable annual insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakhs for a number of travel-related untoward incidents for Rs 499
Super Funds: Launched in May. A comprehensive investment solution managed by professional Fund Managers that invests across multiple top equity, gold and debt funds of different mutual fund companies to help investors create long-term wealth in a safer way. Investors can begin investing with as little as Rs 500 per month.
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e-commerce
Flipkart rolls out 105 per cent bonus for 20,000 employees
Strong FY25 performance drives payouts even as layoffs and shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: In a year where belts were tightened and rewards loosened, Flipkart seems to be playing both offence and defence trimming roles on one hand while handing out a generous 105 per cent bonus on the other. The Walmart owned e commerce major has rolled out a 105 per cent bonus payout for 2025, covering nearly 20,000 employees, signalling a year of steady operational momentum even as the company navigates restructuring pressures. The payout, communicated internally by chief human resources officer Seema Nair, is tied to performance across key metrics including growth, operational efficiency, financial outcomes and people indicators, a combination that suggests the company is inching closer to its long stated goal of sustainable profitability.
Employees at SD level and below are set to receive their bonuses in March, while payouts for senior leadership, including vice presidents and senior vice presidents, will follow after the close of the performance cycle. The elevated 105 per cent multiplier stands out in a sector where cautious payouts have increasingly become the norm, pointing to what appears to be a relatively strong internal scorecard for FY25.
Yet, the announcement arrives with a noticeable contrast. Earlier this year, Flipkart reduced its workforce by around 300 roles as part of its annual performance review process. While officially framed as performance driven, the juxtaposition of layoffs alongside above target bonuses reflects a more nuanced balancing act, one that prioritises cost discipline while continuing to reward and retain high performing talent.
This dual approach is becoming increasingly common across the technology and e commerce landscape, where companies are navigating an uneven hiring environment while under pressure to deliver profitability. Rewarding top contributors, even amid selective workforce reductions, allows firms to maintain morale and retain critical talent without losing sight of financial prudence.
At the same time, Flipkart is also undergoing leadership shifts that hint at a broader strategic recalibration. Nishant Verman has been appointed senior vice president for corporate development and partnerships, while group chief financial officer Sriram Venkataraman is set to step down. Ravi Iyer will take on expanded responsibilities within the finance function, marking a reshuffle at the top as the company gears up for its next phase.
These changes come amid reports that Flipkart is planning to shift its holding structure back to India, a move widely interpreted as groundwork for a potential public listing. While timelines remain fluid, the combination of stronger financial discipline, leadership restructuring and employee incentivisation suggests a company preparing itself for greater scrutiny and scale.
For employees, the 105 per cent payout offers a welcome boost in what has otherwise been a period of adjustment. For Flipkart, it is a signal that even as it cuts where necessary, it is willing to spend where it counts. In the high stakes game of growth versus profitability, the company appears to be hedging its bets carefully, rewarding performance while reshaping itself for what could be its most defining chapter yet.
