Category business

• Being the largest FDI in a financial services company in India
   
• Reinforcing confidence in India’s lending and financial services sector fundamentals and future growth potential
• Strengthening SFL’s capital base and accelerating its growth trajectory 

• MUFG Bank: KPMG India Corporate Finance (Lead Financial Advisor),                                                                                                       J.P. Morgan (Financial Advisor), AZB & Partners (Legal Advisor), Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo) (Legal Advisor)
• Shriram Finance: Wadia Ghandy & Co. (Legal Advisor)

By Sandeep Singh, Founder, Rubystone Hospitality

Planning a family trip to Rishikesh can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. Known for its serene landscapes, spiritual vibes, and adventure activities, Rishikesh attracts tourists from across the world. However, choosing the best hotel in Rishikesh for a family can make or break your vacation experience. Here’s a guide to help you pick the perfect stay for your family.

1. Look for Family-Friendly Amenities
   When searching for family hotels in Rishikesh, focus on amenities that cater to all age groups. Comfortable beds, clean rooms, child-friendly facilities, and in-house dining options are essential. Many family-friendly resorts in Rishikesh also provide indoor play areas, games, and activities to keep children engaged.
2. Check for a Swimming Pool
   A swimming pool can be a huge bonus, especially for families with kids. Rishikesh hotels with swimming pools offer not just fun but also relaxation for adults. Make sure the pool area is safe, well-maintained, and monitored so everyone in the family can enjoy it without worries.
3. Prioritize Location and Accessibility
   Consider how close the hotel is to popular attractions, adventure spots, and the city centre. Resorts in Rishikesh for family vacations should ideally be located near the Ganges or amidst natural settings, allowing you to enjoy scenic views while reducing travel time with kids.
4. Read Reviews and Experiences
   Customer reviews provide valuable insights into a hotel’s service, cleanliness, and family-friendliness. Look for feedback from families who have stayed in premium family resorts in Rishikesh to understand what to expect in terms of comfort and convenience.
5. Compare Packages and Inclusions
   Many hotels offer inclusive packages for families, covering meals, activities, and sightseeing tours. Choose the best family stay in Rishikesh that offers good value without compromising on quality. Packages can save time and money while enhancing the overall experience.
6. Safety and Hygiene Standards
   For a family trip, safety and hygiene are non-negotiable. Ensure the hotel follows proper cleanliness protocols, provides secure accommodations, and has emergency facilities. This is especially important for hotels catering to families with young children.
7. Check for Special Services
   Some family-friendly resorts in Rishikesh offer services like babysitting, guided treks, yoga sessions, or bonfire nights. These small touches can elevate the experience, making your stay more enjoyable and memorable.

 Choosing the best hotel in Rishikesh for a family involves more than just booking a room—it’s about ensuring comfort, safety, and fun for every family member. From Rishikesh hotels with swimming pools to premium family resorts in Rishikesh, there are options to suit every need and budget. Keep these tips in mind, and your Rishikesh family trip will be a perfect blend of relaxation, adventure, and unforgettable memories.

Mumbai,  Dec 20:-Arisinfra Solutions Limited,  a leading tech-enabled supply and services network for India’s construction and real estate sectors, today announced that it has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding  with JS Infra Solutions to explore a strategic collaboration in the asphalt and road infrastructure materials ecosystem.

India’s asphalt market is anchored by bitumen demand and one of the world’s largest road networks. The Indian bitumen market is currently estimated at approximately USD 4.2 billion with annual consumption of around 9 million tonnes and industry estimates projecting demand to scale to ~31 million tonnes over the coming years. This growth is supported by India’s 6.6-million kilometre road network the largest globally  alongside sustained investments in highways, metro corridors, urban roads, and periodic resurfacing cycles.

While demand remains strong, value creation in the asphalt segment is increasingly execution-led rather than supply-led. The sector continues to be fragmented, with a limited number of operators capable of delivering consistently at scale across complex urban and inter-city infrastructure environments.

JS Infra Solutions operates at this execution layer and is among the top ten asphalt producers in the Mumbai region, with execution experience across arterial roads, metro-linked infrastructure, flyovers, and dense urban corridors, serving leading EPC contractors and infrastructure developers.

Under the MoU, the parties will assess the feasibility of a collaboration, with an initial focus on the Mumbai region one of India’s most demanding infrastructure markets. Any proposed model is intended to be replicable across other infrastructure-intensive regions, subject to feasibility and performance.

The proposed framework seeks to combine JS Infra’s on-ground execution capability with ArisInfra’s operating infrastructure, sourcing capabilities, and technology-enabled coordination systems, with the objective of evaluating an asset-light, partnership-driven approach to the asphalt segment.

Commenting on the development, Ronak Morbia, Chairman & Managing Director of ArisInfra Solutions Limited, said;

“Road infrastructure in India is entering a phase where execution quality and operating discipline matter as much as material supply. This MoU allows us to evaluate the asphalt segment through a partnership-led, asset-light approach, aligned with how we build scalable and profitable execution ecosystems.”

Pinal Kothari, Owner, JS Infra Solutions, said;

“We have built strong execution capabilities in some of India’s most complex urban infrastructure environments. Exploring a collaboration with ArisInfra allows us to assess how operating systems, sourcing scale, and execution experience can come together in a structured and scalable manner.”

Any definitive arrangement, including the formation of a joint venture or other partnership structure, will be subject to execution of definitive agreements, approval of the Board of Directors, and receipt of applicable statutory and regulatory approvals. There is no binding obligation or capital commitment on either party at this stage.

Chandigarh, Dec 20: India’s general insurance industry demonstrated steady progress in 2025, with gross premiums reaching INR 3.08 trillion a 6.2% growth. Yet, non-life insurance penetration remains around 1%, far below the global average of 4%, signaling vast untapped potential. Health insurance led the portfolio, contributing over one-third of premiums, driven by rising awareness, post-pandemic financial protection needs, and medical inflation of nearly 12%. These trends underscore the sector’s resilience and adaptability amid economic and regulatory changes said Mr. Rakesh Jain, IndusInd General Insurance.

Looking ahead, 2026 promises accelerated growth of 8–13%, fueled by increasing insurance awareness, deeper penetration into underserved markets, and sustained demand for health and commercial lines. Technology will remain a defining catalyst, with AI-driven underwriting, telematics-based motor products, and platforms like Bima Sugam transforming accessibility and customer experience. Digital adoption already grew over 30% in 2025, reflecting a clear shift toward convenience and transparency. These innovations will not only improve efficiency but also deliver personalized solutions that strengthen trust and engagement.

Rapid digitalisation has improved convenience but introduced new challenges. Insurance fraud costs the industry nearly INR 50,000 crore annually, with 10% of premiums lost to fraudulent activities. Cybersecurity threats are escalating India saw 2.04 million incidents in 2024, including a breach exposing 31 million records. Phishing attacks in BFSI surged 175%, while deepfake scams jumped 280%. The average cost of a data breach is INR 19.5 crore, underscoring the financial impact. Investments in AI-powered fraud analytics, predictive risk scoring, and robust cybersecurity frameworks are now mission-critical to safeguard trust and ecosystem integrity.

Recent GST reforms, including the removal of GST on select products, are improving affordability and will drive penetration in 2026. Climate risks remain critical, India faced over 240 extreme weather events in 2024, causing economic losses exceeding  USD 10 billion. Innovative solutions like parametric insurance and advanced climate risk modeling are essential for faster payouts and resilience. These products can ensure protection for communities and businesses alike.

As we step into 2026, our focus is clear: strengthen trust, elevate customer experience, and expand inclusive protection. A digital-first approach across distribution, underwriting, and claims will be key to achieving the nation’s vision of ‘Insurance for All’ by 2047. Every process, product, and interaction must be powered by technology to deliver speed, transparency, and convenience. The future is promising, and with collaboration and foresight, we are poised to deliver sustainable growth while safeguarding the interests of millions. Together, we will shape a future where insurance is accessible, affordable, and trusted by all.

Dec 20: Shardeum has announced a partnership with Humanode to introduce biometric-based digital identity into its ecosystem, addressing one of Web3’s most persistent challenges: distinguishing real people from bots and fake accounts.

Blockchains are highly effective at verifying wallets, but they struggle to identify the humans behind them. This gap has left dApps exposed, leading to bot-driven airdrop farming, low-quality participation in campaigns, and governance systems vulnerable to manipulation. By integrating Humanode’s Biomapper, Shardeum enables applications to verify unique, real humans without compromising user privacy.

The integration allows developers to build human-aware smart contracts and dApps on Shardeum unlocking fairer airdrops, higher-quality quests, bot-resistant incentives, and more trustworthy community participation. Biometric verification is handled off-chain, with only privacy-preserving cryptographic proofs shared on-chain, ensuring that no raw biometric data is ever exposed.

Nischal Shetty, CoFounder, Shardeum said, “For Web3 to mature, it needs to recognize people, not just wallets. When humans and bots are treated the same, incentives get gamed, communities lose trust, and participation becomes superficial. By working with Humanode, we’re giving developers on Shardeum the ability to design applications around real human participation where fairness, intent, and meaningful engagement matter more than automation or scale.”

Humanode’s Biomapper is currently integrated at the application level on Shardeum, enabling builders to start experimenting with human-verified experiences today. Native SHM support is planned in a future update, further streamlining how identity and value flow across the ecosystem.

Together, Shardeum and Humanode are laying the groundwork for a more human-centric Web3 one where applications are designed around real people, not automated wallets, and where fairness, trust, and meaningful participation can scale alongside decentralization. This partnership marks a step toward ecosystems where incentives reward intent, governance reflects genuine voices, and on-chain activity represents real human engagement.

Developers and ecosystem teams can begin exploring human-verified use cases on Shardeum today by integrating Biomapper into their applications.

By:-– Rohit Shukla, Senior Sales Director, India & SAARC, SolarWinds

2025 Wrap-up

In 2025, India moved from rapid digital adoption to sustained, large-scale execution. With an estimated 70% of firms eager to use Generative AI for automation, and the emergence of agentic AI, the focus decisively shifted from proofs-of-concept to real-world impact. AI-driven automation, hybrid cloud maturity, and always-on digital services became the norm, significantly increasing system complexity and the demand for real-time visibility across IT environments.

This acceleration made one thing clear: digital innovation without observability is unsustainable. As technology stacks became more distributed, spanning cloud, edge, SaaS, and on-premises, traditional monitoring approaches could no longer keep pace. Without deep observability, teams faced blind spots across dependencies, slower root-cause analysis, rising operational costs, and increased risk to service availability and customer trust. In an always-on economy, even minor disruptions could cascade rapidly, impacting business outcomes.

The launch of the SolarWinds AI agent showed customers how deeply embedded intelligence can move from manual firefighting to guided workflows across complex, hybrid environments. The real breakthrough lies in combining telemetry and business context so agents can sequence actions and hand off to humans only when judgment is truly required.

As India continues to set the pace for global digital adoption, SolarWinds remains committed to supporting this momentum with solutions that bring clarity, stability, and trust to increasingly complex IT ecosystems.”

2026 Predictions

“As we look ahead to 2026, Indian enterprises will rethink how they balance investments between AI and human talent. As AI solutions become more complex and costly, organizations are also contending with a shortfall of more than a million skilled technology professionals in India. This is driving a growing recognition that tools alone are not enough. Successful AI and agentic adoption will depend on deep human expertise through subject matter experts who understand how applications, databases and infrastructure connect to deliver reliable end-user experiences.

India is quickly emerging as one of the fastest‑scaling markets, with over 50% organizations planning to implement Agentic AI by 2026 and digital‑native enterprises moving from pilots to enterprise-wide deployments. Looking ahead, enterprise-wide autonomous workflows will become standard in areas such as incident response and change management, where policies, data quality, and integration boundaries are clearly defined. At SolarWinds, we are committed to enabling this next era of autonomous operations by empowering organizations with secure observability, ITSM, and Agentic AI for measurable business impact.

The real differentiator for Indian organizations will be how effectively they integrate agentic AI with observability and human judgment, rather than deploying AI in isolation. Intelligence is moving beyond post-incident alerts toward proactive, self-directed decision-making, positioning agentic AI as a foundational element of operational and architectural strategy.”

New Delhi, Dec 19: Relaxo Footwears Ltd, India’s largest quality footwear manufacturer has announced “BUY & FLY” an exciting Winter Campaign in partnership with EaseMyTrip, one of India’s leading online travel-tech platforms.The campaign is aimed to bring      together everyday shopping and the joy of travel at the peak of the holiday season. Running from 15th December 2025 to 18th January 2026, the “BUY & FLY” Winter Campaign will be live across 413 Relaxo Exclusive Brand Outlets, offering customers a chance to walk in for footwear and walk out with travel rewards.

The campaign is built around a simple but compelling promise of “Walk with Relaxo, Fly with EaseMyTrip.” or as positioned in Hindi, “Chale Relaxo Ke Saath, Ude EaseMyTrip Ke Saath.” to appeal to buyers. Customers who shop for INR 1,499 or above will receive an assured EaseMyTrip voucher of worth INR 3000,  unlocking instant value on future travel. Customers just need to copy the coupon code given on their invoice and claim it on EaseMyTrip website. Along with this, shoppers will enter a pool of exciting rewards, including weekly holiday vouchers and a Jackpot Couple Trip to Goa, making every purchase a potential gateway to a well-deserved break. The EaseMyTrip voucher is redeemable exclusively on the platform until April 20, 2026.

This collaboration arrives at a perfect moment. With December and January being the height of India’s travel season, the partnership combines Relaxo’s strong retail presence with EaseMyTrip’s reputation as a trusted travel platform. The result is a consumer experience that feels modern, aspirational, and deeply rewarding.

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Mr. Aakash Koparkar, Vice President  Retail Business,  Relaxo Footwears Ltd., said,

“Customers today seek value, delight and experiences they can hold on to. The ‘BUY & FLY’ campaign brings exactly that spirit to our winter season. By joining hands with EaseMyTrip, we are turning everyday shopping into an opportunity to explore new destinations. It is our way of thanking customers for choosing Relaxo and giving them something memorable in return.”

Commenting on the partnership, Rikant Pittie, CEO & Co-Founder of EaseMyTrip, said,

“For most families, the holiday season is that time of the year when they step away and experience something new together. At EaseMyTrip, we want to make that experience easier, more accessible and more rewarding. Partnering with Relaxo allows us to extend this promise beyond the travel ecosystem and into everyday retail.”

With assured vouchers, weekly rewards, and a dream holiday up for grabs, the “BUY & FLY” initiative is expected to drive strong footfall and build festive cheer across all participating stores. More importantly, it positions Relaxo as a consumer-first brand that continues to innovate, surprise, and upscale the shopping experience.

Magma, Asia’s leading industrial B2B solutions provider, has today announced the close of its Series A round at USD 8 million, following an additional USD 3 million extension to its previously announced USD 5 million raise in April 2025. The USD 3 million fresh infusion includes:

• USD 1.2 million from Capria Ventures, Avinya Ventures, extending their existing investment
• USD 1.3 million from the Gujarat Government’s VC arm, GVFL Ltd.
• USD 0.5 million from AVNM Ventures

With this USD 8 million Series A round, Magma has raised a total of USD 11.3 million to date, including USD 3.3 million in seed funding. 

Magma is building a first-of-its-kind ‘Industrial Operations Stack’ for India’s factories and contract manufacturers. With deep proximity to industrial clusters and a fundamentals-driven, profitability-first approach, the company works closely with mid-market manufacturers to modernise production, improve throughput, and bring transparency to supply and demand in India’s fragmented industrial ecosystem.

The latest capital will be deployed to scale Magma’s operations across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Telangana; strengthen the company’s precision manufacturing network; accelerate the growth of TerraMag its advanced industrial materials brand; and introduce new factory-focused solutions, to be announced shortly. The company will also double down on Magma Green  India’s leading green manufacturing and materials platform delivering waste-management and recycled-materials solutions across the paper, plastic, agro, and sawdust value chains. 

Magma stands at a powerful inflection point: scaling rapidly across India’s industrial backbone and demonstrating that a profitable, sustainable, tech-enabled B2B enterprise from a non-metro city can attract global capital and help redefine the future of Indian manufacturing.

Neal Thakker, Founder and CEO, Magma, said,

“The continued backing from our investors reinforces our belief in a proximity-first, fundamentals-led model rooted in India’s manufacturing clusters. With this round, we are scaling our footprint across key industrial belts and building the backbone for India’s next wave of precision manufacturing. We are on track to reach an INR 1,000 crore revenue run rate within the next 18 months.”

Surya Mantha, Managing Partner, Capria Ventures, said,

“Magma is solving a very hard and very large problem — modernising India’s industrial backbone. Their traction in mid-market manufacturing clusters, the quality of on-ground operations, and Neal’s clarity on building a durable business give us confidence to increase our investment. We believe Magma is positioned to become a defining company in India’s industrial stack, as they address a USD 36 billion opportunity in one of India’s most underserved industrial supply chains.”

Gaurav VK Singhvi, Managing Partner, Avinya Ventures, added,

“Over the last six months, Magma has delivered what we look for in an industrial platform at scale: steady revenue growth, improving gross margins and disciplined execution. The revenue mix is now anchored in core verticals, the company has added customers across more than 14 states, and it has remained cash generative. The team’s proximity to manufacturing clusters and focus on fundamentals give us confidence to deepen our ownership. We see a clear path to a larger, more profitable business and are excited to support Magma as it builds toward public market readiness.”

New Delhi, Dec 19: NEELGAGAN, India’s established stationery destination, continues to strengthen its presence across education, office and large-scale organisational markets through a broad portfolio of paper and plastic stationery products.

As education and work environments adapt to digital systems, the need for dependable stationery continues to coexist with these shifts. In response, NEELGAGAN has expanded its role from a traditional stationery brand to a comprehensive solutions provider focused on consistency and scale.

Its product portfolio spans notebooks, notepads, account books, ledgers and a wide range of office stationery, positioning the brand as a dependable partner for bulk and customised requirements. NEELGAGAN is among the few remaining national-scale players in key categories such as notepads and account books, segments that continue to play a critical role in education, administration and small business operations. In many organisations, paper-based documentation continues to run parallel to digital systems, making dependable stationery a non-negotiable part of daily operations.

While several stationery categories have fragmented or become increasingly regional over time, demand for structured record-keeping, daily writing and administrative documentation continues to sustain these core segments. NEELGAGAN’s strength lies in its ability to serve diverse use cases while maintaining consistent quality and supply. The brand’s wide SKU spread also enables organisations to meet multiple stationery requirements through a single, reliable partner.

Beyond retail, NEELGAGAN has developed strong capabilities in customised and large-volume stationery solutions. The company works closely with organisations to meet specific requirements related to size, binding, paper quality and format, enabling flexibility for specification-driven orders. These solutions are widely used across classrooms, examination centres, administrative offices and field operations, where standardisation and supply reliability are essential.

As learning formats and work environments evolve, demand for dependable stationery remains strong. NEELGAGAN continues to focus on understanding regional usage patterns and servicing these markets through an established distribution network.

Speaking on the brand’s positioning, Mr. PRANAV GUPTA, DIRECTOR – MARKETING, NEELGAGAN, said,

“Stationery is a fundamental requirement across education, offices and organised workplaces, and its importance is often underestimated. At Neelgagan, our focus has always been on consistency, availability and understanding how stationery is actually used across India. That approach continues to guide how we serve our partners and markets. Our role is to ensure that these everyday tools work reliably, quietly and consistently, wherever they are needed.”

Adding to this, Mr. KANAV GUPTA, DIRECTOR – SALES, NEELGAGAN, said,

 “Across markets, what we consistently hear from customers is the need for dependable supply and uniform quality. Whether it is a school, an office or a large organisation managing procurement at scale, predictability matters. Our focus has been on ensuring that partners can rely on Neelgagan not just for product range, but for consistency in availability and service.”

The company remains focused on business continuity, partner relationships and clear external communication, while strengthening its relevance in a changing stationery and learning landscape.

With a legacy spanning over seven decades, NEELGAGAN continues to build on its foundation of trust while aligning its portfolio and distribution to the evolving needs of education, administration and organised users. The emphasis is on staying close to how organisations actually function, rather than on chasing short-term category shifts.