iWorld
Reliance Jio adds 13.1 mn mobile subscribers
MUMBAI: Reliance Jio has added 13.1 million mobile subscribers in September where other telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea lost 2.3 million, 2.6 million and 4 million respectively.
Airtel, Vodafone Idea combined lost over 9 million subscribers in the month, according to telecom industry body, COAI’s data.
COAI director general Rajan S Mathews said, “All the operators have expanded their services across the country, and have begun heavily diversifying their services beyond voice & data for the consumer.”
As of September, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea held market shares of 33.75 per cent, 21.80 per cent and 20.94 per cent respectively, according to the reports. In August, Jio had over 239 million subscribers. Airtel continued to be at top position with 343.52 million subscribers followed by Reliance Jio which recently crossed the 250 million mark for its subscriber base, taking its total subscribers to over 252 million at the end of September. Moreover, Vodafone and Idea had subscriber base of over 221 million and 213 million respectively. The UP (East) circle remained at the top with a total of 87.53 million subscribers followed by Maharashtra at 84.70 million subscribers, the report said.
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.
