Sajjan Jindal's Firm, SAIC Motor to Take over MG Motor India
JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal and China's SAIC Motor Corp finalised an agreement to invest in MG Motor India. The deal is expected to be announced by the end of this month or by Diwali.
Under the terms of the agreement, a private company owned by Jindal will initially acquire a 32-35 per cent stake in MG Motor India, while SAIC will hold 51 per cent ownership. An Indian financial institution will own an 8 per cent stake in the business of MG Motor India. MG India and its local employees will hold the remaining ownership.
L&T's Power Business Wins EPC Orders from West Bengal Power Development Corp
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) announced that its L&T Energy-Power business secured an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) order from West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited. The order is for setting up wet Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems at its thermal power plant located in Sagardighi, West Bengal.
The project features include three FGD absorbers catering to four thermal power units (2x300 MW, 2x500 MW). The balance of plant systems to be installed will serve five units of the plant.
For L&T, this marked the first FGD project secured from a state-owned power utility.
Oct 07, 2023
GIC Re appoints Ramaswamy Narayanan as CMD
General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) appointed Ramaswamy Narayanan as Chairman and Managing Director.
He replaced Devesh Srivastava, whose four-year term ended at the close of September 2023 as he attained the age of 60 years.
The appointment came after the Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB) had recommended Narayanan as the head of GIC Re in June 2023, following which his position was approved by the Finance Ministry.
Narayanan joined GIC Re has a direct recruit officer in 1988 and has since managed a spectrum of non-life insurance classes, including Fire, Engineering, Miscellaneous, Motor, Liability, Aviation, Marine, and Agriculture.
Government Extends SBI Chief Dinesh Khara's Tenure
The Government of India extended State Bank of India chairman Dinesh Khara's tenure till August 2024. Currently, the retirement age for the SBI chairman is capped at 63. Khara will turn 63 in August 2024. His current term was set to end in October.
This extension aligns with the regulatory provision that permits the SBI Chairman to serve until the age of 63.
Dinesh Khara assumed the role of SBI's Chairman on October 7, 2020, initially appointed for a three-year term.
Khara joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1984. Before assuming the role of SBI chairman, he had served as the managing director of the bank, overseeing global banking and SBI subsidiaries, among other responsibilities.
Oct 06, 2023
RBI Appoints Muneesh Kapur as Executive Director
The Reserve Bank of India announced the appointment of Muneesh Kapur as the Executive Director.
In his new capacity, Kapur will oversee the Department of Economic and Policy Research. Before this role, he acted as the Adviser-in-Charge of the Monetary Policy Department and held the position of Secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee.
With a career spanning three decades at the Reserve Bank, Kapur has significant experience in macroeconomic policy, research, and monetary policy. He also served as an adviser to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund between 2012 and 2015.
Muneesh Kapur holds a Master's degree in Economics and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB).
Google Names Sreenivasa Reddy New Public Policy Head in India
Google named Sreenivasa Reddy as its Government Affairs and Public Policy lead for India, filling the role after a year-long gap, at a time when tech behemoths are under intensified scrutiny over anti-competition and data usage concerns.
Reddy will oversee interactions with governmental bodies, regulators, businesses, and civil society organisations to frame policies and initiatives. Prior to this, he served as the head of XR (extended reality) regulatory affairs for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Microsoft for two years. Additionally, he has led the government and regulatory affairs divisions at Apple and Ericsson in India.
This appointment came amidst the revamp of digital regulations in the country. The government is formulating the draft Digital India Bill, which is intended to supersede the Information Technology Act, 2000. Although the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 has been enacted, discussions regarding its rollout are ongoing.
Oct 05, 2023
IndusInd Bank Launches Digital Banking App
IndusInd Bank unveiled its digital banking application, INDIE, setting a target to onboard 10 million customers within the next three years. Sumant Kathpalia, MD & CEO of IndusInd Bank, highlighted the app's pivotal role in boosting the bank's customer base from 33 million to a projected 45 million.
Kathpalia mentioned that the bank's focus is on acquiring a majority of mass banking customers through INDIE rather than traditional branches. In the next six months, the bank anticipates 70% of its mass banking customers to come onboard through this app.
TCS Signs with Asda in Disinvestment and Digital Transformation Deal
Information technology (IT) major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced a multi-year partnership with British retail firm Asda to implement a new organisation-wide IT operating model. TCS stated that it has expanded its strategic partnership with Asda to transform its technology landscape and operating model for future growth, following Asda's disinvestment from Walmart.
TCS indicated that the partnership will leverage TCS's cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and security solutions to help Asda carry out the divestiture smoothly and securely. TCS will also assist Asda in enhancing its customer experience and innovation capabilities to help increase its market share and retain price leadership.
Fintech Unicorn Slice Announces Merger with North East Small Finance Bank
Fintech credit and payments start-up Slice and Guwahati-based North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB) announced a merger between the two entities.
The banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India approved the deal, a first-of-its-kind development in the fintech and banking space.
Slice and NESFB customers will have access to a broad range of products and omnichannel offerings.
Oct 04, 2023
PayU India CEO Anirban Mukherjee Elevated to Global CEO Role
Prosus-owned fintech major PayU India's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anirban Mukherjee was promoted to the role of global CEO of PayU in a big management rejig.
In his new role, Anirban will join the Prosus leadership team and report directly to Ervin Tu, Prosus and Naspers Interim CEO. He will be responsible for overall business operations of PayU.
This came just two months after Netherlands-based investment firm Prosus announced that the fintech arm PayU is selling a part of its business to Israel's Rapyd for $610 million.