by Akash Pharande, Managing Director – Pharande Spaces

In a recent report on housing prices in the country’s top cities, real estate consultants PropTiger.com found that average residential real estate price tags rose by 7% in 2022. In Pune, prices rose by 8% when compared to 2021. The consultants correctly attribute the price rise to the increased construction cost and the continuing demand wave, which began after Covid-19 and had been going strong ever since.

The fact that housing prices are rising like this after many years of relatively slow or neutral growth is notable. It means different things to different people – those who have already bought their homes are grateful for having acted in time. Those sitting on the fence feel the heat rising – the time to postpone the decision is running out.

Housing prices tend to increase due to a combination of factors, including inflation, supply and demand dynamics, and the overall state of the economy.

Inflation

Inflation plays a significant role in driving up housing prices, but what is it exactly? To put it simply, inflation is the overall increase in prices and concurrent decrease in money’s value or purchasing power over time. As inflation rises, the value of the rupee decreases, meaning that people must spend more money to buy the same amount of goods and services.

Like everything else, the cost of building materials, construction labour, and other expenses associated with housing construction also rise. In a slow housing market, developers will try to safeguard their customers from this increased cost as much as possible since demand would ebb otherwise. However, they can only do it for so long – and when housing demand is healthy, there is no reason not to pass on the increased costs to homebuyers in the form of higher prices.

Demand and supply

The dynamics of supply and demand also contribute to increasing housing prices. When there is more housing demand than supply, prices tend to rise. This can happen for several reasons. For example, if there is a growing population or a large influx of people into a specific area, there will be more demand for housing in that area, but the supply of housing may not be able to keep up. At a more micro-level, a well-known builder’s project may sell so well that there is more demand than supply. This leads to higher prices for the available homes.

There is another angle to the supply-demand argument – namely, that if interest rates are attractively low and it is easier for people to obtain home loans, more people can afford to buy homes, increasing demand and driving up prices. Interestingly, while home loan interest rates are increasing in India, this has not dampened housing demand by much.

Indians are still gung-ho about buying homes because they know that property prices are rising even faster than interest rates. In India, buying a home is one of the top-most priorities for most families. They will wait and watch for a certain amount of time to see if prices and/or interest rates are likely to fall. When they see them rising instead, the homebuyer instinct is activated.

State of the economy

The state of the overall economy can also impact housing prices. When the economy is strong, and people have more money and feel confident in their job security, they are more likely to buy homes, increasing demand and driving up prices. In contrast, when the economy is weak and people are struggling to make ends meet, they may delay buying a home or choose to rent instead, reducing demand and putting downward pressure on housing prices.

The state of the economy does not affect every category of homebuyer equally. In the Indian context, we have seen that luxury housing buyers who come from a place of existing wealth are less impacted by overall economic performance and least affected by interest rate hikes. Middle-class buyers are affected, but as already mentioned, their homebuying decisions are based on more than just how well the economy is doing.

However, there is no doubt that many lower-income Indians who typically buy affordable housing are forced to shelve their plans until the economy picks up, paid employment prospects to improve, or the government rolls out special incentives specifically aimed at helping them realize their homeownership dreams. Conversely, government policies such as tax incentives or subsidies for affordable housing buyers can increase demand and drive up prices.

While housing prices tend to increase over time, the rate of increase can vary significantly depending on various factors. For example, housing prices may be relatively stable in some areas or even decline over time due to a shrinking population or a weak local economy.

With all the action now happening in the Indian housing market, the Indian homeownership mindset now finds the pressure building. Will housing prices eventually edge into complete unaffordability? While interest rates may moderate over time, property prices will not follow suit as demand is high and prices have awakened after several years of stagnation. More than ever before, there may be no time like the present to get off the fence.

VingaJoy cool gadgets that you can consider giving your beloved one’s this Valentine’s Day: –

1. VingaJoy smartest and sleekest smartwatch, —”FITLIFE ULTRA W-500,” – Rs. 3,999

Combining many features FITLIFE ULTRA W-500 is a stylish smartwatch for anyone searching for a wide range of capabilities without paying a premium price. The watch has multiple built-in sports modes and the largest HD screen available. It provides value for money through its high-quality display, user-friendly interface, long battery life, and fashionable appearance. VingaJoy FITLIFE ULTRA W-500 is a perfect option if you’re looking for a smartwatch that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. The watch provides 72 hours of nonstop working and also comes with a free extra strap. Furthermore, a high-resolution and immersive visual experience is provided for all notification alerts. Some other noteworthy features include camera control, music control, and a voice assistant. Available with a 6-month warranty, the VINGAJOY FITLIFE ULTRA W-500 is available at offline stores across India.

2. VingaJoy BT – 780 ECOBUDS 2.0 TWS Earbuds – Rs. 1,590

VingaJoy TWS earbuds offer 20 hours of playback on a single charge and can last for up to 200 hours on standby. It comes with an in-built mic that gives you premium sound quality audio on the go. VingaJoy earbuds are comfortable to wear, with noise-isolating features that ensure an amazing audio experience. Its secure sporty fit design makes it the right pick for outdoor activities like running, jogging, etc. VingaJoy BT-780 is very lightweight and offers hands-free functionality while doing sports or driving. The new earbuds are equipped with Type-C fast charging and offer Hi–Fi Sound quality. Further, the BT-780 is equipped with the Bluetooth V5.1 ensuring the fastest pairing and strong signals over a longer operation range from the source. It comes with dual mic support along with a touch control feature to control your playlist, and receive calls. These earbuds can be used separately after successful auto-pairing.

February 14, 2023 — People in the United States bought 250 million roses to give to their valentines on Feb. 14, 2019. The very next year, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, consumers stopped buying flowers. The growers in South America who supply American florists and supermarkets with beautiful blooms couldn’t sell their crops and had to burn them.

Photo of roses courtesy of Pexels“The industry was highly affected by the 2020 pandemic. People stopped getting married, people stopped having graduations, they stopped having big conferences, or any type of meeting where you would need flowers,” said Barbara Leshyn, floral design instructor for Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. “People lost jobs, from the grower to shipping, to wholesale, to retail.”

However, as the U.S. emerged from lockdown, Leshyn said the floral industry rebounded in a huge way, and so far the recovery, and the fondness for giving flowers, show no signs of slowing down. “We saw record sales in 2021, we saw record sales in 2022, and our projection is that in 2023 we will have record sales specifically for Valentine’s Day.”

Leshyn said the floral industry is doing even better now than it was before COVID-19 arrived. In 2021, the industry rapidly ramped up to meet demand and ended up clearing $6 billion in sales, a new record. That figure includes both cut flowers and the potted plants one buys for home gardens. Breaking out flowers alone, florists made $360 million in sales as opposed to $220 million in 2019, according to the Society for American Florists. Though final figures for 2022 are not yet available, they are likely to be even higher, Leshyn said.

“Valentine’s Day shoppers will see prices higher than they were in 2019, but on par with prices from 2022,” said Leshyn. “Though the European floral industry has been affected negatively by recession and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. market’s ties to South America provide security. We look good for the next year or two.”

Florists have a lot to look forward to this Valentine’s Day, with the National Retail Federation predicting that consumers will spend a record $25.9 billion and that 37% of those shoppers will buy flowers. Yet what about the long view for these fragile blooms?

“Long-term concerns have grown because older generations have generally been florists’ dependable customers. The industry has responded by courting new, younger customers through TikTok,” Leshyn said. “When you have an industry that relies on a perishable product, they have to be pretty forward thinking all the time.”

Submarine Pens, is India’s Largest manufacturer of a range of high-performance roller pens and ballpoint pens. Submarine Pens, home to the finest writing instruments and currently featuring over 5 models, never shies from surprising its customers. This time, Submarine Pens’ new Coffee Pen is a COFFEE TREAT (literally!) for its patrons to powerfully express themselves. Mrp for coffee pen – ball pen 300 roller pen 400.

This one-of-a-kind collection comes in five modern styles and emits the passion, finesse, and amazing quality that let one relate to the enjoyment of being in a café. As they write with the new Coffee Pen from Submarine, customers can sense the aroma of the coffee beans.

The Coffee Pen collection includes a number of modes, such as Americano, Cappuccino, Mocha, Espresso, Latte & Macchiato. You can buy the Submarine coffee pen collection very soon at Archies gallery, top A+ Stores, & online retail. So the next time you’re frantically jotting down notes, you can take a break for a moment of relaxation and take a good, long whiff of your coffee-scented pen.

The season of love has arrived! And what better way to celebrate the day than binge-watching some of the most intriguing love stories Netflix has to offer? Forget the old cliched displays of affection, be it long-stemmed roses or boxes of chocolate or candlelit dinners, as we have curated a list of films that you can stream with your beloved on this Valentine’s Day.

Ante Sundaraniki

Featuring Nani, Nazriya Nazim in the lead role, Ante Sundaraniki, a Netflix Telugu rom- com takes you through the lives of a Christian woman, Leela (Nazriya Nazim), and a Brahmin guy, Sundar (Nani), who fall in love and get married. In an attempt to convince their parents, the children tell different stories, and create a comical disaster by complicating their situation. Ante Sundaraniki is a sweet romantic comedy movie and a perfect binge watch for Valentine’s Day

Available in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Virata Parvam

Vennela (Sai Pallavi), a typical Telangana country girl who draws a lot of inspiration from literature and her father’s Oggu Katha. The most wanted naxal commander Aranya alias Ravanna (Rana Daggubati), whose poem Vennela just so happens to read, captures her heart. The central conflict of this romantic action thriller is how Vennela and Ravanna’s paths connect and if Vennela succeeds in winning her heart. A romantic action film that celebrates love and has powerful emotions, Virata Parvam proves to be a memorable Valentine’s Day film.

Available in Telugu, Tamil & Malayalam

Krishna Vrinda Vihari

Directed by Annish Krishna, the Telugu romantic comedy stars Naga Shaurya, Shirley Setia and Radhika in prominent roles. The story revolves around Krishna (Naga Shaurya), who falls in love with his project manager Vrinda (Shirley). However, descending from an orthodox family, he strives to convince his family to marry Vrinda. This rom-com is an inspiring watch on Valentine’s Day as it takes you through a series of twists and tales of love.

18 Pages

18 Pages, Netflix romantic drama features Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Ajay in the lead. The movie takes you through the life of Siddhu (Nikhil Siddhartha) and Nandini (Anupama Parameswaran). Heartbroken Siddhu finds himself immersed in the enigmatic world of Nandini when he stumbles upon her two-year-old diary. This love-story will enlighten your Valentine’s Day as it will anticipate you to see whether Siddhu and Nandini actually meet.

Love Today

Consider giving your partner access to your phone for the entire day. That sounds impossible, right? Well, that is what Love Today is all about. This rom-com features a young couple who swap phones for 24 hours, at the request of the girl’s suspicious father. Directed by Pradeep Ranganathan, the movie stars Pradeep Ranganathan, Ivana, and Yogi Babu in the lead. This film is a great watch for Valentine’s Day as it makes two strangers fall in love.

Available in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

New Delhi, February 14, 2023: Times Prime, the leading lifestyle subscription app has forged an association with Prooh Technologies Pvt. Ltd, an AD network of uber premium digital and static road-facing inventory, to further engage the brand’s audience with its successful quirky campaign – ‘Members’ Fest. This expansion of the outdoor campaign is from Cyber Hub, Gurgaon to 35 sites across the Delhi NCR region and will showcase the brand’s new offer launches and exclusively curated events. It will run for three months and feature 35 digital screens strategically placed in popular shopping and dining destinations.

Placed at strategic high footfall locations across Delhi NCR, we were able to touch over 30 million prospective members in a span of just 15 days during our unique benefits campaign called Members’ Fest. A campaign designed to spark curiosity about Times Prime, drive engagement and encourage new customer trials.
The 360 approaches to the campaign helped us set new landmarks with a 247% increase in organic traffic, 85% increment in website visits, and a 700% jump in purchase intent shown through searches of Times Prime coupons. The 15-day campaign introduced benefits from fan-favorite brands like MX Gold, McDonald’s, WOW Skin Science, Zoft, Organic Harvest, Myntra and gratified over 1 lakh members.

“Our 15-day extravaganza of exclusive benefits and experiences was a major success. The targeted approach drove engagement, brand awareness, and interaction. To keep raising the bar, we’re partnering with PROOH Technologies for better innovation and adopting the latest marketing technologies.” – Harshita Singh, Business Head, Times Prime.

“This is an industry first initiative combining audience planning, programmatic DOOH AD placement around cohort movement patterns and buying DOOH and OOH space on no fixed rental instead on impressions delivered,” says Vishnu Mohan, Co-Founder of PROOH Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

As one of the most preferred lifestyle super-apps, Times Prime offers an extensive range of benefits on a single platform, from shopping to entertainment and lifestyle, brands like Starbucks, Myntra, Uber, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, Google One, and many more. Times Prime positions itself as a unique Super App that curates subscriptions and benefits besides elevating lifestyle with superior & exclusive access to global brands and experiences. The campaign is designed to create a sense of urgency and dramatize the importance of availing the benefits of Times Prime subscription.

New Delhi, 14th Feb 2023: Leading AI-enabled one-stop solution provider for school education, Zamit got the opportunity to present its services at the first conference of the Boarding Schools’ Association of India (BSAI). The Boarding Schools Associations of India is a pioneer body that supports, represents, and advances the goals of India’s fully residential, private, and unaided boarding schools. The conference was held at Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun.

“We are delighted that BSAI gave us the platform to showcase our innovative AI ideas to the heads of prestigious boarding schools in India. The facilitators from Zamit and its partner Qualification and Assessment, UK, demonstrated various services for teachers, students, schools, and parents, including the 360-degree holistic report card, ZQ for students, and teacher professional development opportunities. Our presentation was well-received by the community, which encourages us to keep thriving in AI. The conference was empowering as we got valuable input on the needs of the teaching fraternity. We look forward to meeting the market demands to aid in the delivery of quality education,” said Mr. Aarul Malaviya, Founder & Director of Zamit.

Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, former finance minister of Punjab and alumnus of the Doon School, Dehradun, was the conference’s chief guest. The forum was attended by over twenty-five eminent educationists, principals and senior teachers of premier boarding schools in India, including The Doon School, Welham Girls’ School, Welham Boys’ School, Hopetown Girls’ School, and Mayo College.

In line with the government’s initiative Make AI in India, Zamit is playing a pivoted role in delivering advanced AI-driven solutions to enhance education quality worldwide. It believes in creating future-ready solutions for students and teachers on the global stage. Its visionary approach led to the creation of Zamit Quotient, the world’s first AI-enabled measurable future readiness indexing system. Besides, its 360-degree holistic report card provides individualized support plans for students based on their academic progress and skill level.

The facilitators, principals, and heads of the participating schools as well as eminent educationalists and academic advisers, had the chance to interact with our team over lunch and discuss ideas and opportunities to establish a cooperative partnership between schools and Zamit.

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New Delhi, 14th February 2023: EduBridge, India’s leading Workforce Development platform, organized SkillsFactor 2023, the largest skill marathon in the country. The event was in its third successive season, which was conducted recently in association with UNICEF-YuWaah.

SkillsFactor is an of its kind platform that brings CXOs of renowned multinationals and startups under one platform to engage with the youth in a purposeful interaction that can deliver them to sustainable careers. The day-long event was strategically planned, with 10 sessions of 60 minutes each from 8 am to 8 pm. Each speaker was given time to interact with an audience comprising of fresh graduates and young professionals, who were seeking to accelerate their career prospects or were looking to switch careers. Over 30000 registered participants had the opportunity to garner insights in the spheres of Technology, Banking and Finance, and Self-Development topics from prominent industry experts.

Over 10,000 youth attended the program this year and with many more following the live stream on the Learn Online with EduBridge YouTube channel. The topics helped participants understand the need for required skills in the workforce in order to build sustainable career paths or make career switch decisions. The event assumed the format of a ‘Marathon’, giving experts an opportunity to answer a maximum number of questions and conduct back-to-back sessions throughout the day.

Some of the topics included 10 Must-Know Things about a Career in Data Analytics, Roadmap to Full Stack Development Career, Move your Career Forward with AWS, Talk to our Young Entrepreneurs, Investing in Mutual Funds, How to Master Skills for Data Analytics, Ultimate Investment Banking Career Guide, Top Career Options for Finance Graduates, Building a Career in Software Programming, and many others. Top Industry Experts like S.Karthik (Delhivery), Ramesh Ekambaram (Leading MNC Bank), Rohit Sharma (AWS), Neelabh Sanyal (Kuvera), Rajat Khatri (Ferns & Petals), Sudarshan Ramakrishnan (Leading Investment Bank), Deepak Jain (Ather Energy), Dhairya Gangwani (Dhairya Decodes), Dhinakar Selwyn (Capgemini), and more have conducted these sessions. The audience participation was riddled with enthusiasm, each session ended with an average of over 15 questions.

EduBridge has also given participants access to useful tools, a book to read, website links, etc. which were shared with the audience. To mark the success of SkillsFactor 2023, EduBridge launched the Elite Learner’s Club, giving learners an opportunity to become part of the EduBridge family. Learners can avail of attractive discounts, prizes, cash-back, and other rewards on making a referral.

According to Girish Singhania, CEO, EduBridge, “We commenced with SkillsFactor in 2020 with the intention of educating the youth on the merit of skilling. Over the years, the event got bigger and better. We invite industry experts across disciplines to strike up a one-on-one conversation with the youth while addressing the in-demand requirements. SkillsFactor is an open platform enabling learners to exchange their views and resolve queries relating to their career path and start accelerating their interest in the desired direction to achieve growth. This season we launched the unique referral program extending our gratitude to the learners and including them as we enliven our efforts at skilling the youth. We look forward to another successful season in 2024.”

Mumbai, February 14, 2023: HDFC Bank has launched a pilot in partnership with Crunchfish, to test offline digital payments for merchants and customers under the RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox Program, known as ‘OfflinePay’.

HDFC Bank’s ‘OfflinePay’ will enable customers and merchants to make and receive payments even when there is no mobile network. HDFC Bank is the first bank in the industry to launch a digital payment solution in a completely offline mode. This can boost the adoption of digital payments in smaller towns and rural areas with poor network connectivity.

Even in urban centers, it can enable cashless payments during large public events, fairs & exhibitions despite network congestion; underground metro stations, parking lots, & retail stores with network blind spots; and even in airplanes, sea ferries, and trains with no network.

HDFC Bank has been working with the regulator to pilot offline digital payments under the Payments cohort of RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox program. In September 2022, RBI approved HDFC Bank’s application, in partnership with Crunchfish, to access the Regulatory Sandbox. Crunchfish Digital Cash AB is a subsidiary of Crunchfish AB, a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm, Sweden. The pilot, if successful, will provide the basis for RBI’s guidance and regulatory support in providing offline digital payments based on ‘The Crunchfish Digital Cash platform to the payment ecosystem of India.

Digital Payment typically requires one party (either the customer or the merchant) to be online. This limits the usage of such payments to areas with good data connectivity. HDFC Bank’s ‘OfflinePay’ brings in the unique capability where both customer and merchant can be fully offline and yet do the transaction. Merchants can receive an instant payment confirmation even in an offline mode. As soon as either the merchant or the customer goes online, the transaction gets settled.

“HDFC Bank is pleased to work under the regulator’s guidance and partner with Crunchfish Digital Cash to launch ‘OfflinePay’, an industry-first digital solution. This innovation will accelerate financial inclusion in remote areas by enabling the adoption of digital payments as both merchants and customers can do transactions without any network. HDFC Bank is committed to bringing more digital innovations and payment solutions to its customers and merchants,” said Parag Rao, Country Head for Payments Business, Consumer Finance, Digital Banking, and Marketing at HDFC Bank.

As of now, HDFC Bank would roll out this service as part of a limited pilot for 4 months in 16+ cities & towns across India. Bank would be enabling merchants and users of even other banks to experience ‘OfflinePay’ via an invitation link. During the pilot, the offline transaction amount would be limited to up to Rs. 200 per txn. To showcase off-us transactions with other banks’ customers and merchants, HDFC Bank has partnered with IDFC First Bank. For building customer & merchant apps for a pilot, HDFC Bank enrolled M2P Fintech Pvt Ltd.

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, today announced the issuance of one million Rupay JCB Cards in India. These credit and debit cards, issued by 12 public and private sector banks and co-badged as RuPay JCB Cards, offer their card members a seamless payment experience within and outside India.

Along with the 3-fold growth in card issuance, a significant growth in Rupay JCB Card usage was also seen with international spending growing 8-fold between April 2022 to December 2022. This is expected to further grow rapidly given the extremely lucrative international campaign currently available for RuPay JCB cardmembers. All RuPay JCB cardmembers are eligible for a whopping 40% cashback on face-to-face transactions in Singapore, Thailand, and Bahrain. The maximum cashback amount per transaction is 3,000 INR and the maximum cashback amount per card is 15,000 INR within the campaign period. The current campaign started on December 29, 2022, and will conclude on March 31, 2023.

This is the second such campaign as RuPay JCB just concluded a similar 40% cashback campaign in UAE, Qatar, and Australia. The offer was on face-to-face transactions from October 1 to December 31, 2022. This campaign has also successfully increased the number of transactions and was well appreciated by bank issuers and cardmembers.

In addition to this, there are multiple ongoing offers across countries in different categories such as a retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and transport.

Mr. Yoshiki Kaneko, President & COO, of JCB International Co., Ltd. said, “We are very proud of our strategic partnership with NPCI. This first million Rupay JCB issuance milestone is a testament to the strength of our partnership which will continue to grow in the coming years. India is a key market for JCB with huge potential given the aspirational young and vibrant base of consumers who especially enjoy international travel and new experiences. We are confident the feature-rich RuPay JCB Card, which offers many international benefits to its cardmembers including an international airport and JCB PLAZA Lounge access, besides many special offers, discounts, and cashback that saves our cardmembers’ money, will be well enjoyed outside India. We will continue to focus on and invest in growing the India business through our esteemed partner, NPCI, to ensure that our issuing partners always have access to the best-in-class technology to create path-breaking products.”