Archives 2026

New Delhi, Jan 30, 2026: Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited), India’s leading full-stack merchant payments and financial services platform, today announced its financial results for the quarter ending December 2025 (Q3 FY26), reporting its third consecutive profitable quarter. The performance was driven by strong monetisation across payments and financial services, higher payments GMV, and increased merchant subscriptions.

For the quarter, Paytm posted a profit after tax (PAT) of ₹225 crore, reflecting strong year-on-year growth. EBITDA rose to ₹156 crore with a margin of 7%, reflecting revenue growth and operating leverage. Contribution profit stood at ₹1,249 crore, with a contribution margin of 57%, improving from the previous year.

Payments and UPI Growth:

• Paytm UPI consumer GMV grew 35% over the past nine months, more than double the industry growth rate of 16%, marking the third consecutive quarter of market share gains.

• Payments services revenue (including other operating revenue) grew 21% YoY, while net payment revenue increased 25% YoY, supported by improved payment processing margins and a growth in merchant subscriptions to 1.44 crore.

• Payments GMV rose 24% YoY.

Financial Services Distribution:

• Revenue from distribution of financial services grew 34% YoY, driven by growth in merchant loans and wealth product distribution.

• The growth occurred despite lower volumes under the Default Loss Guarantee (DLG) program.

Operational Efficiency and Cash Position:

• Indirect expenses declined 8% YoY due to lower employee costs (including ESOPs) and reduced Provisions for Doubtful Debt (PDD).

• Cash balance remains strong, providing flexibility for business expansion.

Regulatory Milestones:
During the quarter, Paytm’s offline merchant business was transferred to Payments Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary, in line with regulatory guidelines. Payments Services Limited received RBI approval to operate as an Online Payment Aggregator, while PPSL was authorised to operate as a Payment Aggregator for offline and cross-border payments.

Strategic Highlights:

• Sustained profitability and growth driven by industry-leading monetisation across payments and financial services.

• Expanded merchant payment leadership and higher consumer UPI market share leveraging AI capabilities.

• Revenue growth remained resilient despite regulatory changes impacting rent payments via credit cards and the Real Money Gaming Act, reflecting proactive compliance measures.

Commenting on the results, Paytm said

“Q3 FY26 marks our third consecutive profitable quarter, reflecting continued execution excellence, strong monetisation, and growing market leadership in payments and financial services. Our focus on AI-driven insights, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance positions us well for sustainable growth in the coming quarters,” the company stated.

Mumbai, India, Jan 30:  As enterprises increasingly rely on AI to run digital operations, protect assets, and drive growth, success depends on one critical factor: trusted, high-quality, real-time data. Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Chronosphere, addressing a core challenge of the AI era: the inability to see and secure the massive data volumes running modern businesses.

Chronosphere, a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Observability Platforms was purpose-built to handle this scale. While legacy tools break down in cloud-native environments, Chronosphere gives customers deep visibility across their entire digital estate. With this acquisition, Palo Alto Networks is redefining how organizations run at the speed of AI—by enabling customers to gain deep, real-time visibility into their applications, infrastructure, and AI systems — while maintaining strict control over data cost and value.

The planned integration of Palo Alto Networks Cortex AgentiX™ with Chronosphere’s cloud-native observability platform will allow customers to apply AI agents that can now find and fix security and IT issues automatically—before they impact the customer or the bottom line. AI security without deep observability is blind; this acquisition delivers the essential context across models, prompts, users, and performance to move from manual guessing to autonomous remediation.

Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO, Palo Alto Networks:

“​​Enterprises today are looking for fewer vendors, deeper partnerships, and platforms they can rely on for mission-critical security and operations. Chronosphere accelerates our vision to be the indispensable platform for securing and operating the cloud and AI. We believe that great security starts with deep visibility into all your data, and Chronosphere provides that foundation for our customers.”

Martin Mao, Co-founder and CEO, Chronosphere is joining Palo Alto Networks as SVP, GM Observability and comments:

“Chronosphere was built to help the world’s most complex digital organizations operate at scale with confidence. Joining Palo Alto Networks allows us to bring AI-era observability to a global audience. Together, we’re delivering a new standard — where observability, security, and AI come together to give organizations control over their most valuable asset: data.”

The Chronosphere Telemetry Pipeline remains available as a standalone solution, enabling organizations to eliminate the ‘data tax’ associated with modern security operations. By acting as an intelligent control layer, the pipeline filters low-value noise to reduce data volumes by 30% or more while requiring 20x less infrastructure than legacy alternatives. This is key to Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM® strategy, ensuring customers can scale their security posture—not their spending—as they transition to autonomous, AI-driven operations.

New Delhi, Jan 30: PeopleStrong, one of Asia’s leading human capital management (HCM) SaaS platforms, today announced the strategic appointment of Aashay Manake, former Vice President HR at Jubilant FoodWorks, as its Chief People Officer (CPO). In this role, Aashay will spearhead PeopleStrong’s people and culture strategy, driving leadership capability, workforce effectiveness, and organisational readiness as the company scales across markets.

Aashay brings over 16 years of experience across high-growth and complex organisations spanning FMCG, industrial conglomerates, hospitality/consumer tech, and QSR and food services. Prior to joining PeopleStrong, he held senior people leadership roles at ITC Ltd., GE, OYO, and most recently Jubilant FoodWorks, where he led people strategy for large, multi-brand, and distributed workforces.

An alumnus of SCMHRD, Aashay has led enterprise-wide HR initiatives covering performance and rewards, talent and leadership development, employee relations, and organisational design, often in environments undergoing rapid transformation and scale.

Sandeep Chaudhary, CEO of PeopleStrong, said:

“At PeopleStrong, we believe that people care is good business. As we scale across markets and support organisations navigating increasingly complex workforce realities, having a leader who combines strong HR expertise, process thinking, and genuine human understanding is critical. Aashay embodies this balance exceptionally well. We are delighted to welcome him to the leadership team and look forward to strengthening our people and culture agenda as the company enters its next phase of growth.”

Commenting on his new role, Aashay Manake, Chief People Officer, PeopleStrong, said:

“PeopleStrong has consistently been at the forefront of progressive people practices, setting benchmarks for how culture, leadership, and employee experience can drive long-term value. I am excited to build on this foundation and work with the leadership team to strengthen capabilities, create scalable people systems, and foster a culture that brings joy, energy, and meaning to work.”

This appointment reinforces PeopleStrong’s commitment to building strong leadership capability and a people-first organisation aligned with its long-term growth ambitions. PeopleStrong powers over 500 enterprises, serves more than 2 million users, and processes over 1.75 million paychecks monthly. Its HR mobile app is among the highest-rated globally, with a 4.8/5 rating across iOS and Android, and the company has consistently featured in Gartner’s Voice of the Customer report, earning recognition as a Customers’ Choice for Cloud HCM Suites for enterprises with over 1,000 employees from 2022 to 2025.

As India prepares for the Union Budget 2026, the domestic crypto industry is seeking a more outcome-aligned tax framework, including rationalisation of the capital gains tax rate, allowance for loss offsets, and a re-evaluation of the tax deducted at source (TDS) mechanism.

These recommendations are strongly supported by India’s Crypto Tax Story 2025, the annual report released by KoinX, a crypto taxation and portfolio-tracking platform. Based on anonymised data from nearly seven lakh Indian users with crypto transactions in FY 2024–25, the report offers a data-led assessment of how current tax rules translate into real investor outcomes.

The report finds that while the current 1% TDS has strengthened transaction-level reporting and compliance, it has also led to significant capital lock-in due to upfront deductions. Since TDS is applied to every transaction irrespective of gains or losses, it functions more as a volume-based compliance mechanism rather than a profit-linked tax, resulting in widespread refund dependency.

Commenting on the findings, Punit Agarwal, Founder & CEO, KoinX, said:

“TDS primarily serves as a reporting mechanism to enhance compliance and transaction visibility, not as a financial burden—excess amounts are refunded at the time of ITR filing, making it budget-neutral in the long run. We strongly advocate reducing the rate to 0.1% across the industry to unlock capital tied up in upfront deductions, particularly for high-frequency traders who drive the bulk of volumes yet face refunds in over 30% of cases. A uniform reduction would ease liquidity pressure, discourage migration to offshore platforms, and retain reporting effectiveness without weakening oversight.”

Key TDS Findings (FY 2024–25)

• Over 30% of TDS deducted exceeded users’ final tax liability

• Nearly half of TDS-paying users ended the year with net capital losses

• Less than 5% of traders accounted for 87% of total TDS collections

This skew highlights that while high-activity traders contribute a disproportionate share of TDS, thin trading margins mean both active and retail participants face liquidity constraints—albeit at different scales.

Capital Gains: Profits and Losses Tell a Different Story

On capital gains, the report flags a sharper misalignment between trading outcomes and tax liability. Investor results for FY 2024–25 were almost evenly split:

• 50.91% of users reported net capital gains

• 49.09% of users reported net capital losses

Despite this balance, taxable capital gains were significantly inflated due to the non-allowance of loss offsets. As a result, investors who ended the year with overall losses were still liable to pay tax on isolated profitable transactions.

“Nearly half of investors reported net losses, yet paid tax on individual gains because loss offsets are blocked. Across asset classes, the principle is simple—no net gain means no capital gains tax. Excluding crypto from this logic distorts incentives, undermines fairness, and risks pushing legitimate activity offshore,” Agarwal added.

Budget 2026 Implications

Through India’s Crypto Tax Story 2025, KoinX aims to provide policymakers and stakeholders with empirical inputs to evaluate capital gains rationalisation, loss-offset provisions, and the design of compliance mechanisms.

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, the findings underscore the need to balance revenue considerations with capital efficiency, tax neutrality, and administrative simplicity—especially as retail participation in digital assets continues to expand.

Entry-Level Digital Marketing Hiring Holds Steady, Setting the Stage for Skill-Led Growth in 2026: Kraftshala’s Hiring Trends Report 2025

New Delhi, Jan 30: Kraftshala, India’s leading outcome-focused edtech platform for marketing and sales, has released its Digital Marketing Hiring Trends Report 2025, highlighting sustained momentum in entry-level digital marketing hiring and a distinctly skill-driven outlook for 2026.

The report analyses over 750 entry-level roles floated through Kraftshala’s placement processes across its flagship programs, offering a data-backed view of how hiring patterns are evolving for early-career marketers in India.

Agencies continued to dominate entry-level hiring, accounting for nearly 70% of all roles. Brands, while recruiting fewer candidates overall, demonstrated a sharper focus on depth of skill and ownership. Notably, brand-side roles were 62% more likely to offer higher CTCs, reflecting expectations around analytical thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and direct business impact.

From a geographic standpoint, India’s major metros remained the primary hiring hubs. Delhi-NCR (30%), Bangalore (27%), and Mumbai (18%) together accounted for over three-fourths of all entry-level roles. At the same time, cities such as Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Chandigarh showed rising participation, pointing to a gradual expansion of India’s digital marketing hiring footprint beyond the top three metros.

Workplace preferences remained largely consistent through 2025. As many as 91.5% of roles were in-office or hybrid, with employers continuing to prioritise collaboration, faster learning cycles, and hands-on problem-solving for early-career professionals.

The report also highlights a clear shift in demand toward high-impact roles. Growth marketing, e-commerce and D2C, programmatic, account management, and brand marketing emerged as some of the most sought-after—and better-paying—entry-level opportunities.

Commenting on the trend, Satish Kadu, CEO and Founder of YOptima, said,

“As brands push for measurable business outcomes, programmatic talent that can drive performance through data, automation, and cross-channel decisioning has become mission-critical.”

Expectations around AI proficiency at the entry level have also evolved. Shivaprasad Nair, Managing Director at Assembly Global, noted,

“AI is now basic hygiene for entry-level marketers. What sets candidates apart is learning agility—the ability to apply tools thoughtfully, interpret data, and adapt as workflows evolve.”

Sharing insights from the report, Varun Satia, Founder and CEO of Kraftshala, said,

“What 2025 clearly showed us is that entry-level digital marketing hiring in India is not slowing down—it’s maturing. As we move into 2026, there is real opportunity for candidates who build strong fundamentals and apply them thoughtfully. Recruiters are actively hiring, but they are being far more deliberate about the talent they bring in.”

The report also observes meaningful changes in recruitment processes. With the growing use of AI tools making resumes and assignments easier to standardise, recruiters increasingly moved away from automated screening. Instead, live problem-solving, case-based discussions, and practical exercises gained prominence—making hiring more competitive, but also more transparent for well-prepared candidates.

Chennai, INDIA, Jan 30:  Ramco Systems, a global enterprise software company offering next-generation SaaS-enabled platform and products, today announced the results for the third quarter of the financial year 2025-26.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025 (Q3: 2025-26), the global consolidated income of Ramco Systems Limited stood at USD 20.35m (Rs. 180.02cr). The EBITDA for the quarter stood at USD 5.24m (Rs. 46.43cr) at 26%. With the recent changes in the Labour Code, after considering a one-time exceptional item of USD 2.43m (Rs. 21.5cr), the net profit after tax for the quarter stood at USD 0.36m (Rs. 3.26cr).

Results at a Glance:

Financial Highlights:

• Quarterly Order Bookings stood at USD 10.62m
• Recurring revenue remained stable at USD 11.29m
• With the Unexecuted Order Book at USD 149.74m, Ramco maintains a stable base for future execution and revenue realization
• Maintained a cash balance of USD 11.77m as of December 31, 2025

Business Highlights:

• Added marquee customers and deepened partnerships with existing clients:
  • A leading global IT services and consulting company selected Ramco to standardize payroll across multiple Middle Eastern markets, creating an AI-ready payroll foundation for insight-driven decisions.
  • A global real estate investment and fund management firm adopted Ramco Payce to scale and govern payroll for its Australian workforce
  • A multinational healthcare services and solutions provider chose Ramco to unify payroll across India and the Philippines
  • A US-headquartered defense contractor providing helicopter MRO services selected Ramco Aviation Software to provide end-to-end lifecycle coverage across its operations
  • An aviation charter services provider from Australia chose Ramco Aviation Software to modernize its operations
  • A world leading provider of jet and turboprop engines expanded its relationship with Ramco by choosing Ramco Payce for its payroll function across Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East
  • A leading integrated media company in Asia selected Ramco Payce to unify and modernize its payroll ecosystem
• A global logistics company went live with Ramco Logistics Solution, transforming its fleet management operations across Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines
• Ramco Payce is certified as a Workday Global Payroll Connect (GPC) partner. This integration of Ramco’s multi-country payroll with Workday’s Human Capital Management (HCM) delivers seamless, accurate and scalable solutions for global enterprises.
• Recognized at the HR Vendors of the Year 2025 Awards, winning Best Payroll Software and Best Payroll Outsourcing Partner across Malaysia and Singapore

Abinav Raja, Managing Director, Ramco Systems, said, “As we progress through our modernization journey, we are expanding our technology teams with next‑generation talent. This focus would further enable us to accelerate product shipment, enhance quality, and deepen our AI and agentic capabilities. These steps are positioning us to deliver greater value to customers as we scale.”

Sandesh Bilagi, President & COO, Ramco Systems, said, “We have maintained steady revenue performance and sustained net profitability for yet another quarter. Project delivery remained on track, with our teams ensuring consistent go‑lives across engagements. Customer engagement quality has improved significantly, translating into stronger relationships and greater value delivery. With this operational rhythm firmly in place, our focus will now be on accelerating order closures in the coming quarters.”

Embark on a culinary journey across Asia with our Asian Hawker Dinner, curated to showcase the region’s most vibrant and authentic flavours in an elegant setting. The menu features comforting Asian-style Vegetable & Noodle Soup, alongside Korean and Thai-inspired salads. Interactive live stations bring to life delicacies such as Khao Suey, momo, and chaat, while the Far Eastern Curry Wagon presents fragrant Thai curries paired with jasmine rice.

The grills and mains highlight signature creations including Chicken Yakitori, Bird’s Eye Chilli & Lemongrass-marinated Fish, Kung Pao Chicken, Prawn XO Sauce, and Szechuan-style rice and noodles, complemented by select Indian favourites. To conclude, indulge in exquisite desserts such as Tub Tim Grob and Japanese Matcha Cheesecake.

Venue: The Trinity Square, Taj MG Road, Bengaluru

When: Every Friday | Dinner, 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Greater Noida West, Jan 30: TRG Group, a leading name in commercial real estate, has announced the launch of OneMart, its first modern retail destination, at TRG The Mall in Greater Noida West. Conceptualized as a modern, convenient, and customer-centric shopping destination, OneMart aims to deliver a seamless and value-driven shopping experience under one roof for families, working professionals, and the rapidly growing local community.

Spanning over 20,000 sq. ft., OneMart offers an extensive assortment of more than 10,000 SKUs across 8–12 core categories, catering to every household need. The product range includes food and groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables, beverages, packaged foods, personal care products, household essentials, kitchen and utility items, cleaning products, as well as seasonal and festive goods. The store also features a wide selection of private-label products, ensuring quality offerings at competitive prices.

Designed to enhance customer convenience, OneMart integrates contemporary retail services such as home delivery, loyalty programs, fast express checkout, and specially curated value packs. The store layout emphasizes effortless navigation with broad aisles, clearly labeled sections, effective product zoning, modern lighting, and dedicated “Value Deals” zones—reinforcing the concept of true one-stop shopping.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Pawan Sharma, Managing Director, TRG Group, said:

“The launch of OneMart at TRG The Mall marks a significant milestone in organized retail for Greater Noida West. Our vision is to create a retail destination where convenience, quality, and affordability come together. OneMart is designed to make shopping easy, enjoyable, and rewarding, and we are confident it will set new benchmarks in smart retailing through its enhanced in-store experience and customer-focused approach.”

Strategically located within a 600-acre high-rise township catchment area, TRG The Mall serves a rapidly expanding population of over 5 lakh residents and establishments. As an anchor store, OneMart is expected to drive strong daily footfall, strengthen the mall’s tenant mix, and positively impact surrounding retail activity—positioning TRG The Mall as a prominent lifestyle and entertainment hub in the region.

OneMart further elevates the shopping experience through digital billing, app-based shopping assistance, digital price tags, and real-time inventory updates. By combining affordability, quality, and advanced retail technology, OneMart is set to redefine the standards of smart shopping in Greater Noida West.

Chennai, January 30: HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s leading private sector general insurer, successfully conducted the grand finale of the third edition of the State Insurance Quiz Junior– Tamil Nadu & Puducherry Chapter 2026.

After a series of exciting preliminary and semi-final rounds, the grand finale witnessed a spirited contest among eight top-performing teams. Team Srinuprasad and Ajesh from GHSS Kalkulam, Kanniyakumari, emerged as the champions of the quiz competition. Sibidharshan and Nikil from GHSS Palapatti, Namakkal, secured the first runner-up position, while Monisha and Anushya from GHS Vanavareddy, Kallakurichi, finished as the second runners-up. The winning team was awarded a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh, while the first and second runners-up received ₹90,000 and ₹60,000 respectively. The remaining five teams were each awarded a cash prize of ₹30,000.

This year’s quiz witnessed an overwhelming response, attracting over 1,070 teams from Tamil-medium Government schools across 42 districts, a significant rise from the 530+ teams that participated in the second edition of the state level quiz last year.

Speaking about the initiative, Parthanil Ghosh, Executive Director, HDFC ERGO General Insurance, said, “Building financial confidence at a young age lays the foundation for a resilient future. As the lead insurer for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, we remain deeply committed to strengthening insurance awareness at the grassroots and increasing the adoption of insurance products. What began as a modest initiative—State Insurance Quiz Junior–Tamil Nadu & Puducherry Chapter—with participation from just over 100 schools has grown to more than 1,070 teams in three years, reflecting the rising curiosity and understanding of insurance among students across the states. The success of the 2026 edition reaffirms the impact of this initiative and strengthens our resolve to continue nurturing financially aware and empowered young citizens.”

Since 2016, HDFC ERGO has been organising Insurance Quiz Junior on a national level to spread insurance awareness among next generation, engaging over 25 lakh students across Bharat. Building on this legacy, the company introduced the first-ever Insurance Quiz Senior for undergraduate students in 2025, drawing participation from 1,100+ students across 140+ cities.

As part of its broader insurance awareness efforts in the region, HDFC ERGO also concluded the 3rd edition of ‘Kapitu Varaam’ (Insurance Week) in collaboration with 29 non-life insurers. The initiative aimed to enhance public understanding of motor, health, home, shopkeeper and MSME insurance through multiple outreach activities, including pamphlet distribution, newspaper inserts and awareness drives across high-footfall locations, collectively facilitating ~ 17 lakh interactions.