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Los Angeles, 15 th March 2023 – Los Angeles-based music producer duo of Indian descent, Almost Famous have teamed up with American rapper and singer, Tyla Yaweh on their brand-new hip hop single titled ‘Unsick’.

The high-octane rapturous track is stylishly laced with some infectious beats, catchy lyrics and smashing hook lines, and pairs colorful, emotional melodies with punk sensibilities. Poised to be this year’s summer anthem, the track is being creatively managed by Hardik Zaveri and will be released worldwide by MadVerse today.

Explaining how the record came about Simarjeet Saini of Almost Famous elaborates, “The coming together of this collaboration was very organic and authentic. We were introduced to Tyla Yaweh by Kid Heat and we all just hung out at a club one night, and the next thing we know, we were jamming together in the studio. We vibed really well and both Tyla Yaweh and Kid Heat were very intrigued about India and the country’s music landscape. Unsick presents a new genre that witnesses the fusion of traditional Indian instruments with hip-hop. The track can be described as an innovative and experimental fusion of two distinct musical styles, that creates a fresh exciting sound that presents the creative possibilities that emerge from cultural blending. We can’t wait to put this song out to the world as we have been working on this since a while!”

Ahead of the single launch, emo-rap’s next icon Tyla Yaweh and Grammy Award winning songwriter-producer Kid Heat will present their unique blend of hip-hop and R&B in India for the very first time live at a performance in Mumbai for brand new IP ‘AF & Friends’ on the 18th of this month at Opa Kipos. ‘AF & Friends’ is a Los Angeles-based music project that encompasses a multitude of vocalists, producers and instrumentalists who have collaborated to create a genre-bending genre of music that incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&B, soul, and electronic music.

Talking about the live showcase Rishab Sadarangani of Almost Famous states, “AF & Friends is our unique music project that we have launched this year in India to foster cultural exchange between India and the United States as well as serve an impetus to the burgeoning hip hop movement witnessed in recent times in India. Tyla Yaweh and Kid Heat’s maiden visit and performance in Mumbai is going to be an unforgettable experience for music enthusiasts and we have invited friends from Los Angeles and Mumbai to make this a truly immersive global experience.”

Excited about his debut visit to India, Tyla Yaweh who has worked with Post Malone and Chris Brown exclaims, “I’m beyond excited to be visiting India for the very first time and performing live for all my local fans. I’m grateful to Almost Famous for supporting my dream of exploring the Indian sub-continent and hooking this up for me. I’ve always been fascinated by the culture and sounds of India and I can’t wait to let my Indian fans get a taste of my Punjabi singing on Unsick.”

Chiming in Kid Heat who has written for a variety of artists, including Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Lil Wayne and Cardi B and was instrumental in putting this collaboration together adds, “Well I’ve heard so many amazing things about the Indian film and music industry and I’m looking forward to spending time here and exploring the country. I loved putting together this collaboration for Almost Famous and I hope audiences enjoy Unsick.”

Prior to this record, Almost Famous released ‘Breakout’ in collaboration with Soulja Boy in 2019 followed by their debut EP ‘Lost Boy Journey’ in 2021 and ‘Cash Machine’ in collaboration with YOUNG Paris in 2022.

Almost Famous comprises of Mumbai bred, Rishab and Simar, who have known each other for several years. They met at a club in Bombay, Simarjeet convinced Rishab who was DJing at clubs to forge a partnership in music. Almost Famous has been active on the music scene for over a decade having performed at major festivals like Time Out 72 and EVC in India apart from opening for major global acts.

Mumbai, 15th March 2023: India’s leading digital payments and financial services company has announced its business operating performance for the two months ending February 2023. Consumer engagement on the Paytm Super App continues to see robust growth with the average Monthly Transacting Users (MTU) for the two months ended February 2023 at 89 million, registering a growth of 28% year-on-year.

The fintech giant’s focus on creating additional payment monetization with subscription services has continued to expand. Paytm’s leadership in offline payments strengthened further with 6.4 million merchants now paying subscription for payment devices, an increase of 0.3 million in the month of February 2023. “With our subscription as a service model, the strong adoption of devices drives subscription revenues and higher payment volumes, while increasing the funnel for our merchant loan distribution,” Paytm said in its stock exchange filing.

The company is seeing consistent growth in merchant payments volume with the total merchant Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) processed through the platform for the two months ended February 2023 aggregating to ₹2.34 lakh crore ($28.3 billion), marking a year-on-year growth of 41%. The company’s loan distribution business, in partnership with top lenders, continues to witness accelerated growth with disbursements through the platform for the two months ended February 2023 growing 286% year-on-year to ₹8,086 Cr ($979 million). The number of loans disbursed in the two months surged 94% to 7.9 million loans.

Bangalore, India, March 15, 2023: Genesys®, a leader in cloud experience orchestration, today announced highlights from the company’s fiscal year 2023 (February 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023). The company continued its strong momentum, surpassing $2 billion total revenue. The Genesys Cloud CX™ platform continues to gain market share, with revenue increasing approximately 50% year-over-year to greater than $800 million and has achieved its largest new bookings quarter ever in Q4. Additionally, Genesys was named a Leader for its ability to execute and completeness of vision in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS).[1] Genesys was also ranked number one in three out of five use cases in the Gartner Critical Capabilities report.[2]

“Today’s economic uncertainty has underscored the importance of the experience in winning customer and employee loyalty and ultimately driving the bottom line,” said Tony Bates, CEO and Chairman of Genesys. “Companies see Genesys industry-leading experience orchestration capabilities as a game changer in this predominantly digital landscape for its ability to turn impersonal transactions into personal connections.”

“Our Genesys Cloud CX platform provides the flexibility and fluidity that enables organizations to innovate their customer and employee experiences and deliver empathetic, personalized experiences at scale,” continued Bates. “As an all-in-one platform, it’s unmatched in its ability to transform and modernize how organizations connect with people, integrate real-time data, optimize proactive, personalized engagement and deliver a true loyalty differentiator.”

Genesys Growth and Profitability

• Total revenue of greater than $2 billion
•  Genesys Cloud CX revenue of greater than $800 million, up approximately 50% year-over-year
•  Approximately 45% of total revenue from outside of North America
•  Genesys Cloud CX net revenue retention of greater than 120% in the fiscal fourth quarter
•  More than 400 customers with greater than $1 million annual recurring revenue (ARR), including 200 Genesys Cloud CX customers
•  The average number of unique agents for each of the top 50 Genesys Cloud CX customers increased approximately 30% year-over-year to nearly 8,000
•  Genesys Cloud CX software gross margin of greater than 80%
•  Strong profitability and liquidity, delivering mid-20s Adjusted EBITDA margin and ending the year with over $500 million in cash and cash equivalents[3]
•  Expanded Genesys Cloud CX to 12 core regions and 4 satellite regions around the world with three new satellite regions launched in Paris, Jakarta and Hong Kong. Genesys Cloud CX services are deployed in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Regions and AWS Availability Zones.

Industry Recognition

Genesys continues to receive industry recognition and accolades for its market leadership in experience orchestration, innovation, execution strength, and fostering a workplace culture focused on the needs and growth of all employees, among other areas. During the year, the company was recognised as:

•  A Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Journey Orchestration Platforms, Q2 2022[1]; and the Omdia Universe: Customer Engagement Platforms, 2022-2023[2] evaluated for its orchestration and analytics capabilities that provide individual context across the customer journey, important capabilities in connecting every touchpoint and experience across sales, marketing and service
•  A Driver of ROI for customers with differentiated AI and automation capabilities in the IDC PeerScape: Lessons Learned from Implementing Conversational AI[6]
•  A Leader in cloud contact centre by Frost and Sullivan[7], earning first place in innovation around the world
•  A Leader in the Forrester New Wave™: Conversation Automation Solutions, Q3 2022[8] for its comprehensive conversational AI capabilities that span marketing, sales and service use cases, including Exceed.ai® by Genesys
•  A Great Place to Work® throughout the world, with certifications in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Brazil, Philippines and India. It also has been named a Best Place to Work for Women in India and the UK.

[1] Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Contact Centre as a Service, Drew Kraus, Steve Blood, Pri Rathnayake, Pankil Sheth, 22 August 2022

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

[2] Gartner, Critical Capabilities for Contact Centre as a Service, Steve Blood, Pri Rathnayake, Pankil Sheth, Drew Kraus, 23, August, 2022.

Gartner Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organisation and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

This Magic Quadrant was earlier named as Magic Quadrant for Contact Centre as a Service, North America and Magic Quadrant for Contact Centre as a Service, Western Europe till 2019 Genesys was referred to Interactive Intelligence in the 2015 & 2016 Magic Quadrant report.

[3] (1) Adjusted EBITDA represents Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortisation, plus other adjustments such as one-time expenses, restructuring charges and stock-based compensation expense

[4] The Forrester Wave: Journey Orchestration Platforms, Q2 2022, Forrester Research, Inc, Joana de Quintanilla, Paul McKay, June 27, 2022

[5] Omdia Universe: Customer Engagement Platforms, 2022-23 Report

[6] IDC PeerScape: Lessons Learned From Implementing Conversational AI, (IDC #US47715822, June 2022)

[7] Frost Cloud Contact Centre report series:

Frost Radar™: North American Enterprise Cloud Contact Centre Market, 2022, published October 28, 2022

Frost Radar™: Latin American Cloud Contact Centre Market, 2021, published August 18, 2021

Frost Radar™: Asia-Pacific Cloud Contact Centre Services, 2022, published March 11, 2022

Frost Radar™: European Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) Market, 2021, published March 3, 2022

[8] The Forrester New Wave: Conversation Automation Solutions, Q3 2022, Forrester Research, Inc. Jessie Johnson, Steven Casey, Faith Born, Arianne Burnette, September 1, 2022

“We are truly overwhelmed and would like to thank our customers & other stakeholders for believing in us and firming Okinawa’s position in the market as a leading electric two-wheeler brand in the country. The 2.5 lakh milestone is a strong testament to the quality of our robust product portfolio and a representation of our unwavering commitment to achieving a sustainable future and meeting the demand of our customers.

As the industry pioneer and a responsible corporate, our emphasis is on faster adoption of electric mobility in India with best-in-class products, and cutting-edge technologies. With sustainable mobility at the core of our value proposition, our aim is to establish a benchmark in reliability and quality standards that would augment our customers’ experience by several notches. This accomplishment marks a stepping stone to many more accolades as we move forward in our journey.

With a strong pipeline of new products planned to be launched in India very soon, we aim to achieve the magical number of One Million milestone by 2025.”

Jeetender Sharma, MD & Founder, Okinawa Autotech

Achieving yet another milestone in fostering the growth of electric mobility in the country, Okinawa Autotech, a leading Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer today announced that it has reached its 2.5 Lakh sales milestone in India. The company rolled-out its 250,000th unit, the popular Praise Pro model from its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Rajasthan to mark its achievement as the first and, currently the only EV manufacturer to have attained this feat.

Leading the EV revolution from the front, the company started its operations in 2015 and introduced its first model Ridge in 2017. The company now boasts of widest product portfolio, 540+ 3S touchpoints, unmatched after-sales service and enhanced customer connect. The journey of achieving this milestone is also in-line with Okinawa’s vision of sustainable future. It’s 2,50,000 EV two-wheelers have saved approximately Rs. 12.5 Billion as petrol cost and 300.3 million* Kilograms of Carbon Dioxide.

(*Assumption an avg daily commute of 30 km & Petrol at Rs. 90 per liter)

Recently, the company announced the inauguration of its first Research and Development (R&D) Center in Italy, Europe, in association with its joint venture (JV) partner Tacita®️ with a total investment of Euros 25 million over a period of the next three years. The partnership will focus on new product development, upgrading the existing product portfolio and developing an all-new e-powertrain to support the next generation of products. The company is further planning to unveil its first electric cruiser motorcycle very soon, followed by other new models in 2023. Keeping in sync with the rapid growth of the industry, the company is planning to expand its touchpoints to 1000+ dealerships across India by 2025. Currently, Okinawa holds more than 542 touchpoints across the country.

Journey of Okinawa Autotech

New Delhi, 15th March 2023: Hisense, a global leader in consumer electronics and home appliances, has announced the appointment of two seasoned professionals: Vipin Yadav as Director of Marketing, HOD, and Kamalika Deka as Director of HR & Admin, HOD, to the company’s leadership team. With a focus on integrity, innovation, customer focus, and sustainability, Hisense is committed to bringing innovative and world-class products to customers in India and around the world. Vipin and Kamalika’s extensive experience in their respective fields will be crucial in driving the company’s growth and success in India and helping achieve its vision of providing customers with state-of-the-art products and services that offer unparalleled comfort and convenience at home.

With expertise spanning over 15 years of marketing and brand management across multi-niche sectors, including mobile handset, IoT, consumer durables, healthcare & BFSI, Vipin has been graciously awarded for his skills at various industry forums. He has previously worked with OPPO Mobiles India, Aquionics Developments India, Wellspring Healthcare, Religare Enterprises, and Fullerton India (Temasek Holding, Singapore). During his last assignment with OPPO, he had a successful stint of over 7 years and was one of the core members to help create a strong brand in India. He led the brand and marketing of key product portfolios.

Expressing his delight over joining Hisense, Mr. Vipin Yadav commented, “I am thrilled to re-experience the journey of creating a strong brand, which is in its early days in India. I am excited to bring my management vision to action while leveraging my marketing and brand management expertise to help drive the company’s growth. Hisense is known across the world for its innovative and high-quality products, which makes them a global leader. This excites me to be a part of the team that is committed to providing great value proposition to its customers with a delightful experience.”

Kamalika on the other hand comes with an unparalleled experience of 16 years in the HR domain. Before Hisense, Kamalika had a stint with VisionSpring as Director of HR & Admin services along with Nicobar Design Pvt. Ltd., Domino’s India, Titan Company Ltd, and Apollo hospitals enterprise. She was recently awarded T A PAI young HR leader 2022 and is also a TED X speaker.

In Ms. Kamalika Deka’s words, “I am excited to be a part of Hisense and to have the opportunity to work with such a talented and dedicated team. I believe that HR plays a crucial role in driving the success of any organization, and I am committed to helping Hisense India attract, retain, and develop top talent. I look forward to contributing to the growth and success of Hisense India.”

Welcoming Vipin and Kamalika, Mr. Steven Li, MD of Hisense India, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to have Vipin and Kamalika onboard our team. Their talent, experience, and expertise will undoubtedly be invaluable in driving growth and success for our company. We share a common vision of providing innovative and world-class products to our customers, and I am confident that their contributions will help us achieve this goal. Together, we will work towards providing unparalleled comfort and convenience to our customers, making their experience with Hisense accessible and comfortable. I am excited to see what the future holds for our company with our newest leadership members.”

Hisense remains committed to the India market and is confident that the appointment of Vipin and Kamalika will further strengthen their leadership team and help the company grow and achieve its goals. Hisense is excited about the future and looks forward to providing exceptional products and services to its customers in India.

Mumbai, 15 March, 2023: Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited, an investment manager to Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, further strengthened its presence in the ETF space. The Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty Bank ETF registered a growth of over 25x in its AUM during from 1st April 2022 to 28th February 2023 and surpassed the milestone of Rs 2000 crore.

The Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty Bank ETF, an open-ended exchange-traded fund tracking the Nifty Bank Index, launched on 23rd October 2019 is for investors looking for long-term capital growth.

Nifty Bank Index is comprised of the most liquid and large-capitalized Indian Banking stocks. It provides investors and market intermediaries with a benchmark that captures the capital market performance of Indian Banks.

Commenting on ETF’s milestone and growth, A. Balasubramanian, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to see a tremendous response from investors for Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty Bank ETF. The strong performance of the banking sector has played a significant role in the success of the fund, and we believe that the trend will continue in the future. I firmly believe, a robust banking system is a must to support India’s growth.”

The asset under management for Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd in the ETF space has grown over 3x to over Rs 4000 crore as on the end of 28th February 2023 since the start of the current financial year.

In addition to Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty Bank ETF, the other ETFs offered by the company have also witnessed substantial growth in AUM demonstrating the company’s commitment to providing investors with a diverse range of investment options that cater to their needs.

FY23 Highlights of other ETF’s offered by Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd

1. Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty 50 ETF’s AUM up 72% at Rs 1095 crore

2. Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold ETF’s AUM up 50% at Rs 534 crore

3. Aditya Birla Sun Life Silver ETF’s AUM up 76% at Rs 169 crore

For disclosures of quarterly AUM/ AAUM and AUM by Geography, please visit our website: https://mutualfund.adityabirlacapital.com/

Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.

NSE disclaimer: It is to be distinctly understood that the permission given by NSE should not in any way be deemed or construed that the Scheme Information Document has been cleared or approved by NSE nor does it certify the correctness or completeness of any of the contents of the Draft Scheme Information Document. The investors are advised to refer to the Scheme Information Document for the full text of the ‘Disclaimer Clause of NSE’.

Tajurba Business Network, a business networking firm that provides a growth ecosystem for entrepreneurs and practicing professionals to network and grow their businesses, has begun its new chapter in Pune. Founded by a family of serial entrepreneurs, Suresh Mansharamani and Uma Mansharamani in 2017, Tajurba Business Network is successfully empowering businesses in India through four of its ongoing chapters in Mumbai, and three in Delhi and one in Kolkata.

The platform’s founder, Dr. Suresh Mansharamani, states that “MSMEs are the real value creators in any economy, and Tajurba’s aim is to assist and guide businesses on their journey to growth and success by helping them launch their own IPOs. This helps start-ups become profitable, Scale up their business, and in turn lead to the growth of the economy.”

Mr. Suresh Mansharamani further states that “Pune, being the hub of innovative ideas, is their next destination for expansion. The Tajurba Network is expanding its chapters across various cities and has collaborated with several entrepreneurs in Pune to help them accelerate their businesses and increase their profitability. “

Through its vast network spread all across India, Tajurba has created a corporate culture of family and is actively fostering a platform for entrepreneurs to connect, interact, and undertake growth through collaboration. The community’s leadership team, which comprises growth experts, has mentored scores of entrepreneurs and guided them in tackling business challenges.

In addition, the Tajurba platform is focused on building a network of 10 million members by the end of 2027 and get listed at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Commenting on the same Makrand Palnitkar & Venkat Iyer, Regional Director States that “We are excited to see what Pune adds to our mission of empowering MSMEs. Our team is pumped up to build a great chapter in Pune and we look forward to networking and building meaningful relationships with businesses to lead a future of growth and collaboration.”

Mumbai, 14th March 2023: Promate, a global leader in Mobile Accessories, has partnered with Sangeetha Mobiles, India’s leading multi-brand retail chain, to strengthen its retail presence in India. With this association, Promate shall establish its retail footprint across 800+ stores of Sangeetha Mobiles spread across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Tamilnadu, and Goa states. The available categories & products in the first phase at the stores shall include – GaN chargers, fast-charging power banks, Type C Hubs with Multi Streaming Transport, TWS, and neckbands.

Speaking on the association, Gopal Jeyaraj – Country Head, Promate India & SAARC, said, “We are glad to associate with one of the oldest and trusted multi-chain retail stores – Sangeetha Mobiles. We are confident that Sangeetha Mobiles’ in-depth understanding of the market and its substantial reach will be instrumental in establishing our strong retail presence.”

Commenting on the tie-up, Mr. Anil Prabhas – Director – Sangeetha Mobiles Pvt Ltd said, “We look forward to a long-lasting association with Promate. With this partnership, our customers will be able to explore the wide range of Promate products with some exciting deals & offers. On top of it Promate offers 2 years warranty to all their products which definitely gives more confidence to us as a retailer and in turn supports our customers.

Sangeetha Mobiles has a strong market in South India. The association will help Promate in serving a larger customer base, especially those who like the touch & feel the experience of goods before taking any purchase decision. This association further reiterates the importance of India as its priority market for Promate. Very recently, Promate extended a warm welcome to Sangeetha Mobiles in Dubai, hosting a training and meet-and-greet with international associates.

Promate, a global brand, has sold over 90+ million units worldwide. Promate makes the right fit to Indian market and will be focusing on bringing new innovative lifestyle accessory products to India consumers at aggressive price points.

Website

Guests traveling to Four Seasons Resort Maldives at LandaaGiraavaruthis year will benefit from the island nation’s most elevated arrival experience, thanks to two superlative new additions: The Flying Boxfish seaplane and The Island Café – a Landaa haven located in the new Seaplane Terminal at Velana International Airport.

The Flying Boxfish is the second marine-inspired marvel to take to the Maldivian skies as part of Four Seasons private seaplane fleet, following the 2019 launch of its Picasso-inspired predecessor, The Flying Triggerfish.

With a bold yellow and black spotted livery, the new customized premium 10-seater DHC-6-300 Twin Otter Flying Boxfish is a striking option for private seaplane transfers from Velana International Airport to LandaaGiraavaru, a scenic 35-minute flight from Malé in the secluded Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

International arrivals can now experience Four Seasons service in The Island Café: a retreat with a wrap-around balcony, revitalizing dining options, areas for lounging, dining, resting, and refreshing, as well as a play area, and an observation telescope to watch the seaplanes take off and land.

The Island Café isn’t just an arrivals haven. As seaplanes only fly during daylight hours, late international departers can now take the last flight from Landaa and stay in The Island Café until their international check-in gate opens.

To be one of the first to experience the Maldive’s most elevated arrival experience, contact the Central Reservations Department team at tel: (960) 66 00 888 or email: reservations.mal@fourseasons.com.

14th March 2023, India Garuda Aerospace who has created a huge impact with their defense drone showcased four of tis indigenous drones at the 54th Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) day. The event, which took place at the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) in Hyderabad, was attended by the Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah. The showcased drones included Tethered Drones for disaster communication, aerial surveying, inspection, surveillance, and rescue operations for the NDRF. Other drones like Munition & Ordinance Dropping Drone, Fire Fighting Drones, Bomb Dropping Drone,s and Tactical Surveillance Drones were also exhibited, displaying Garuda Aerospace’s latest innovations in drone technology.

Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, of Garuda Aerospace, said, “We are proud to showcase our latest innovations in drone technology to the Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah Ji and the CISF. Our drones are designed and manufactured in India and we are committed to promoting indigenization and self-reliance in the drone industry.”