Mastercard And Google Pay Come Together To Facilitate Tokenization For Card-Based Payments Across India

* The companies work together to provide consumers choice - strengthening the ease, safety, and security of digital payments in India

* Mastercard cards on Axis Bank, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC, RBL Bank, and SBI Card are live

Mastercard and Google today announced the rollout of tokenization that will enable Google Pay users to safely transact using their Mastercard credit and debit cards while enjoying a hassle-free experience. Through tokenization, Mastercard cardholders can make payments through a secure digital token without having to share their credit or debit card details such as card number, expiry date, etc. with a merchant. This collaboration is a commitment to ensure the best-in-class user experience and security features in an increasingly digital first world.

With this collaboration, Google Pay Android users can scan and pay across all Bharat QR-enabled merchants, tap-and-pay, and make in-app transactions through their Mastercard debit and credit card. For a convenient registration, users will do a one-time setup by entering their card details and their OTP to add their card on the Google Pay app.

Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES) allows payment credentials to be securely tokenized and stored in mobile devices. When making a purchase with a Mastercard debit or credit card using Google Pay, cardholders and merchants will enjoy a similar experience as a regular card-based transaction with enhanced safety and convenience. Even if the cardholder’s mobile device is misplaced, details of the card still remain secure as they are stored as digital tokens. The token can be updated by the card issuer allowing lost, expired, or replaced cards to be automatically updated with the merchant. This simplifies the consumer experience and improves success rates by reducing the number of failed transactions on account of expired card details.

Speaking about the latest collaboration, Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head: Google Pay and NBU - APAC said, “At Google Pay, our endeavor is to simplify payments and make it accessible to as many users as possible - one key pillar in making this a reality is to offer the highest levels of security for every transaction with the help of technology. We are excited to collaborate with Mastercard for card tokenization which will offer users state-of-the-art security for card payments. This is already live for several credit card issuers on Mastercard, and we are working closely with other banking partners to further expand the adoption of tokenization in India. We are hopeful that the added simplicity and convenience will make an ever-larger base of users feel secure in making more payments digitally”

Commenting on the launch, Nikhil Sahni, Division President, South Asia & Country Corporate Officer, Mastercard said, “Mastercard continuously focuses on introducing technology that brings simplicity and safety to cardholders, every time they pay. Mastercard has also been at the forefront of enabling choice for banks and cardholders through multiple ways to pay including Pay by App, PoS terminals, Click to Pay, and more. Tokenization enables an additional layer of security for payments, which reduces friction and improves the shopping experience. It will redefine the current payment ecosystem by enabling a safe experience for the consumer and facilitate millions of mobile- first users from remote locations in migrating towards a cashless society. This initiative is an extension of Mastercard’s long standing collaboration with Google and will go a long way towards enabling India’s digital economy.”

About Google:

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

About Mastercard, www.mastercard.com

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business, and managing finances – easier, more secure, and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @mastercardindia, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

KRAFTON, Inc. Launches Exclusive Christmas Events For Battlegrounds Mobile India

* Various in-game events and community events celebrating Christmas will be available for players 

* The new update will showcase the new ‘React Survival’ mode and reopen 6 popular modes including ‘Metro Royale’ 

 KRAFTON, Inc., the South Korean video game developer will be bringing all new game modes and seasonal events for its BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA fans through its December update. The update will be rolled out today on the Google Play Store and iOS App Store . 

The 1.8 update will introduce a new ‘React Survival’ mode. In this mode, players can wear blue tracksuits with different numbers to join the Red Light and Green Light game. The player who gets to the finish line without being detected by the giant Rabbit wins the game. There are 3 rounds in the match, and the match ends when the time limit gets over. This mode can be joined from the arcade mode and what’s more players can even play by creating a custom room privately to play with friends 

The 6 most popular modes in BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA will be reopening in this update too. Among these modes are the ‘Metro Royale Mode’ where you can gear up before the match and loot lots of items, ‘Survive Till Dawn Mode’ where you loot items by killing zombies, ‘Virus Infection Mode’ where you fight either as human or zombie, ‘Heavy Machine Gun 2.0 Mode’ offering exciting combat with helicopters and armored vehicles, and ‘Rune Theme Mode’ where you join the match after choosing 1 out of 3 rune fragments. 

Meanwhile, the new Mythic Winter themed RPM6 will be available till January 17th, 2022. Fans can get the Snow Santa Monster Set, Snow Santa Monster UAZ, and Frozen Guardian Set by purchasing the royale pass for 360UC.  

BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA is available exclusively to play in India. Fans can follow us on our official YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook pages for all the latest developments. 

For more information about the BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE December update and events, you can check out the official Battlegrounds Mobile India website https://www.battlegroundsmobileindia.com/news 

McDonald’s India Reinforces Its Commitment To The EatQual Platform Aimed At Fostering Inclusion

* Launches a new campaign to highlight its inclusivity platform EatQual and the role it has been playing in creating an inclusive experience at McDonald’s

McDonald’s India (West and South) has yet again reinforced its commitment to fostering inclusion through its latest campaign. The iconic brand has launched a heart-warming brand film created by DDB Mudra that highlights how small innovations can go a long way in making the world more equal for everyone. The latest campaign showcases the role that the McDonald’s EatQual packaging plays in addressing one of the many challenges that people with limited upper limb mobility face in their everyday lives. The brand has reiterated that it aims to extend the EatQual platform to launch meaningful initiatives aimed at promoting inclusion across gender, languages and disabilities.

The film opens to a kid trying to do various day-to-day activities such as trying to play a guitar, doing a craft project, trying his hand at blocks, playing video games    using only one hand, and struggling at each one of those. It then shows him walking up to his friend who has only one upper limb, with two burgers – one in the regular packaging and one in the EatQual packaging. It closes with both of them biting into the burger, with his friend being able to hold and have the burger with ease, in the EatQual case.

The brand film showcases a child’s curiosity to explore the world as they see others experience it. The kid after trying a host of activities realizes that eating a McDonald’s burger is one of the few experiences that he and his friend with limited upper limb mobility can share easily.

Speaking about the EatQual initiative, Arvind RP, Director – Marketing & Communications, McDonald’s India (West and South) said, “According to the World Health Organization, around 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. And yet, the world just isn’t made for them. EatQual stems from this fact. It is an inclusivity platform that we will continue to build. The EatQual packaging marks just the first step in that direction. We aim to launch a host of new, meaningful innovations to make the McDonald’s experience easy for everyone.”

Talking about the campaign, Pallavi Chakravarti, Creative Head DDB Mudra West said, “This year, McDonald’s has renewed its commitment to inclusion by continuing to promote the EatQual pack. The world doesn’t treat everyone the same - most things are designed to cater to the able-bodied, as the protagonist of our campaign discovers. So, while the idea of a pack that enables people with limited upper limb mobility to enjoy their burgers with dignity is not a life-changing one, it’s an important one. Because this small step alters an experience for the better - an experience that most of us take for granted. And for some of us, it brings a previously unattainable pleasure comfortably within reach. Sometimes, no, oftentimes, it’s the little things go a long way in levelling the playing field for us all.”

McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India are owned and operated by Westlife Development Limited (‘Westlife’). The company announced the launch of the EatQual packaging last year on the occasion of International Day of People with Disabilities. The packaging was developed in collaboration with an NGO that has been working towards the betterment of the specially-abled community for over 50 years.

Westlife has been taking definitive steps to promote inclusion across their restaurants and make the McDonald’s experience easy and enjoyable for everyone. The company has made many of its restaurants accessible for the specially-abled by installing ramps wherever possible and has made the restrooms wheelchair-friendly. The launch of EatQual is yet another step by the brand to foster inclusiveness.

About Westlife Development:

Westlife Development Limited (BSE: 505533) (WDL) focuses on setting up and operating Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) in India through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. (HRPL). The Company operates a chain of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, having a master franchisee relationship with McDonald’s Corporation USA, through the latter’s Indian subsidiary.

About Hardcastle Restaurants:

HRPL is a McDonald’s franchisee with rights to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants in India’s West and South markets. HRPL has been a franchisee in the region since its inception in 1996.

HRPL serves over 200 million customers, annually, at its 310 (as of September 30th, 2021) McDonald’s restaurants across 42 cities in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh and the Union Territory of Puducherry and provides direct employment to close to 10,000 employees. McDonald’s operates through various formats and brand extensions including standalone restaurants, drive- thrus, 24/7, McDelivery, McBreakfast and dessert kiosks. The menu features Burgers, Finger Foods, Wraps, Salads and Hot and Cold Beverages besides a wide range of desserts. Several of the McDonald’s restaurants feature an in-house McCafé.

The pillars of the McDonald's system – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value – are evident at each of the restaurants that HRPL operates.

Odisha Promotes Niche Tourism Via Tourism Roadshow In Silicon Valley Of India

Odisha Tourism conducted its fourth leg of promotional campaign to boost travel, tourism and hospitality sector in the domestic markets via a tourism roadshow in Bengaluru. Organised in association with FICCI, the event witnessed 100 travel operators from Karnataka and 30 host counterparts from Odisha engage in a series of B2B interactions.

Roadshows, under the State’s present campaign, have been successfully conducted in Vizag, Raipur and Hyderabad, including rapid B2B networking meetings with travel operators, and select meetings with investors and brands looking to enter Odisha’s tourism and hospitality sector.

Deliberating on the need to promote domestic tourism during pandemic Minister of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Government of Odisha Shri Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi said, “The tourism sector is showing great resilience against the Omicron scare. Our sustainable tourism projects like the Eco Retreat, are organised with strict adherence to Covid Safety protocols and all the guidelines laid down by both the Central and State Government. I welcome everyone to come and explore Odisha – India’s best kept secret”

Apart from highlighting the State’s various tourism offerings Director Tourism, Government of Odisha Shri Sachin R. Jadhav focused on Odisha’s flagship tourism project Eco Retreat, a successful luxury tourism model incorporating best practices in material utilisation and holistic waste management. He said, “The 3rd edition of Eco Retreat Odisha is currently being held across 7 exotic locations in the State including three beach destinations of Konark, Pati-Sonapur in Ganjam and Pentha in Bhitarkanika National Park overlooking the picturesque Bay of Bengal, hill stations of Daringbadi and Putsil in Koraput located on the Eastern Ghats, and near the banks of mighty Mahanadi river in Satkosia and Hirakud set next to wildlife sanctuaries. The retreats offer sustainable luxury tented accommodation replete with 3-star amenities.”

Harmonising investor interest and tourist experiences, Odisha Tourism is currently invested on strategic master planning and development of priority destinations in the State. Basis such master planning several innovative and niche tourism offerings are being developed in the State such as houseboat and cruise tourism, camping, homestays, caravan tourism, food tourism and a lot more.

For more information, visit www.odishatourism.gov.in or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

You can also write to pmu@odishatourism.gov.in

Now Avail Vi VIP/Premium Mobile Number At Your Doorstep With Free Delivery

* Customize your mobile number - be it lucky number, anniversary or birthday date and order the sim online

Vi, India’s leading telecom brand, now allows Vi users to avail a range of premium / fancy / customized mobile numbers with added benefit of free doorstep delivery. 

Vi customers can choose an exclusive number based on their lucky number, date of birth or any other date that holds special significance in their life. Both prepaid and postpaid customers can get these premium numbers at their doorstep in the following cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat and Jaipur.

Below are the simple steps to acquire a customized Vi mobile number:

*  Select prepaid or postpaid option

*  Enter the basic details, like your area pin-code and mobile number

* Select a VIP mobile number*:

o   Either from the displayed list of premium mobile numbers

o   Or by entering a pattern or string of preferred numbers like anniversary, birthday or any lucky number of choice

* Enter your name and address to place the order

* Get an OTP to complete your new mobile connection payment

* Get a new SIM delivered at your doorstep with zero delivery charges

For more details on VIP number availability, visit https://www.myvi.in/new-connection/choose-your-fancy-mobile-numbers-online

About Vi:

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform and has a 5G ready network. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. The company offers products and services to its customers in India under the TM Brand name “Vi”. For more information, visit: www.MyVi.in and www.vodafoneidea.com

Emirates Offers Christmas Festive Goodies For All Airline Flyers

Emirates has loaded its flights full of treats for everyone this holiday season: from delicious Christmas menus, luxurious amenities, and cool gifting ideas to festive movies and music playlists.

As the largest international airline serving customers from all over the world, Emirates takes pride in connecting people and cultures. Year round, it offers regionally-inspired menus and a truly global selection of music and entertainment content in over 40 languages. In addition, Emirates brings a flavour of major world festivals onboard and in its exclusive Lounges to share these special occasions with its customers.

Festive meals and treats

Fill up on roast turkey drizzled with cranberry jus lié, served with peas, roast potatoes, and pan fried smoked chicken sausage. Round off the feast with a chocolate mousse with mandarin compote topped with a festive chocolate button.

If you’re travelling in First and Business class, your Christmas dinner begins with lemon and herb king prawns served with fennel salad and cocktail sauce, or a classic salmon gravadlax. Then delve into roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, turkey bacon, paprika potatoes, and creamy Brussels sprouts with a cranberry jus lié. Finish with a choice of delicious festive dessert.

Sip on a velvety hot chocolate while watching your favourite Christmas movie, and on 24 and 25 December, everyone onboard can take home a little baked treat with our compliments.

Prefer to start your dining experience while on the ground? Emirates Lounges in Dubai has laid out a range of Christmas delights. Start with roasted turkey accompanied by root vegetables, roasted new potatoes and chestnut stuffing, and take your pick of sweets from traditional mince pies, Christmas stollen, Christmas fruit pudding with cherry compote, or roasted pear with ginger crumble and diplomat cream. Christmas dishes are also available in some Emirates Lounges outside of Dubai, including London Heathrow, Rome and Cairo. Emirates has re-opened most of its exclusive Lounges around its network, offering complimentary access for First and Business Class customers and eligible Emirates Skywards members. If you’re flying on Economy, you may also be able to enjoy Emirate’s signature Lounge experience for a small fee. 

Gift ideas for loved ones

Do your last minute duty free gift shopping from the comfort of your seat, or better yet, pre-order from EmiratesRed and have your purchases delivered at your seat, prettily packaged and ready for gifting. You can also surprise family and friends with a pre-order delivered onboard by writing to emiratesred@emiratesred.com to book a surprise gift. EmiratesRed is offering a 15% discount on most products this festive season.

Emirates Official Store has also launched a beautiful Christmas collection of branded merchandise including new baubles made from recycled materials and other tree decorations, snuggly jumpers and matching PJs for adults and kids, stocking and wrapping papers with matching prints and more. These can be purchased online for delivery worldwide.

Special memories and limited-edition giveaways:

Emirates’ crew will gladly snap a polaroid of your special moments onboard with your family or friends and present it in a festive frame as a travel keepsake.

This season, fly with us in First and Business class and take home our new amenity kit bags featuring fresh fragrances and new pamper products from Italian luxury brand Bulgari. If you’re travelling in Economy class on our long-haul flights, you can take home kit bags inspired by Expo 2020 Dubai, and packed with comforts including socks, eyeshades, a dental kit and handy bookmark.

Young travellers up to 12 years old can also look forward to collecting a range of new Expo2020 inspired toys and bags, featuring Emirates’ Little Traveller pilots and cabin crew.

Movies and music

Get into the festive mood with holiday-themed boarding music as you settle into your seat, and then continue your musical journey on Emirates’ extensive library of audio channels on ice.

Watch a heart-warming film with a loved one or share some laughs with the whole family, with the wide variety of on-demand entertainment on Emirates ice. Festive TV choices include: The Great Christmas Bake Off 2020, Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays, Friends: The Christmas Episodes, Big Bang Theory: The Christmas Episodes, Christmas in New York: Inside the Plaza, and The Office Christmas Special.

Film buffs can also indulge in Christmas movies and classics such as: A Christmas Miracle, Always and Forever Christmas, Elf, Last Christmas, and A Christmas Story.

Maximise your inflight viewing time by browsing Emirates’ ice content before you fly on emirates.com or the Emirates app, create personal playlists, and sync up with your personal in-seat system once you board to start enjoying your favourite content.

‘Pause’ And View The Installation Made Of Wood And Plastic Waste At The DesignUru 3.0

At the ongoing 3rd Edition of DesignUru Fest 3.0 installations artists are drawing attention to visitors by installing a beautiful space made out of wood waste and plastic waste. This short term structure to be an informal enclosed public space for community interaction is being put up by Assocham GEM, Karnataka Chapter. They have pin-up boards for comments, panels for painting and writing, spaces for weaving, panels explaining the idea of GEM-(Green and eco-friendly movement).

“In 2021, at the IIID BRC Designuru Festival, we at Assocham GEM, Karnataka Chapter, decided to examine this role of temporary structure and in turn celebrate this design. We thank IIID BRC for allowing us this experiment”, says Architect Leena Kumar, Chairperson Assocham GEM, Karnataka Chapter, about the installation made from waste, put up at Designuru.

“Nick named ‘PAUSE’we hope you will ‘Pause’ to tell us your thoughts on our city. Write your comments and tell us what bothers you most”, At the end of it all, we will have an idea of how many engaged, how few engaged, did the public engage at all?” states Kumar.

“Erected from a carpenters backyard with strips of discarded plywood glued together to form the structure, having infill plywood panels that were delivered to us as factory rejects of non-standard sizes, we bring together this enclosure finished with waste generated by city living. And through it all we wish to communicate the idea of sustainability”, sums up Kumar.

Structural composition

While the structure is composed of plywood waste and rejects, the décor is a composition of similar waste encompassing plastic bottles, containers and waste threads, discarded CDs and sample laminates. The recycled plywood structure displays an arrangement of discarded plastic water bottles, a green composition of plants in recycled plastic containers, the thrown away CDs picked up and meticulously pasted on to create an artistic composition that magically transforms itself every evening when darkness descends and the artificial lights come on.

Every problem and its solution needs to be picked and meticulously threaded to find a meaningful end. The recycled temporary structure resonates this, with discarded plastic threads picked from the market place finding their way and threading along the open vents to speak a story of waste and its constructive reuse.

No public structure erected with a purpose is complete without meaningful interaction and a space dedicated to pen down this interaction as well as to voice personal thoughts, opinions. The ‘Pause’ is fully mindful of this, not only leaving ample space in the form of pin up boards for penning down views, suggestions, but also allotting area for those artistically inclined to paint a picture, beautiful or ugly, of the city and its environs.

In a fast emerging online world, the rapid access to making a choice is through catalogues with samples. The architects’ world is no different, with sample catalogues marking every doable segment of décor. The sample laminates are no exception to this. But what does one do with the outdated samples? ‘Pause’ certainly has a place and use for them, permitting its structure to be coloured with their assorted lay, to form a unique decorative element.

Destination thence

The question that next arises, what happens to the structure after the Design Fest concludes? If sustainability is the mantra, the destination of the structure thenceforth will also need to be a sustainable one. So ‘Pause’, at the end of the week will be dismantled to make its way to the carpenter’s backyard. From there on it will continue its process of going through the cycles of use and reuse till it lives out its life and meets its end.

“We live from the earth, we life off the earth, and every man-made item must live its full cycle of life before it self-destructs to become a part of the earth again. To sustain is to use every item to its full life. To waste is to discard the item before it has completed its purpose of creation and fabrication. Re-use is to be creative and give life to discarded items, until there is no energy left in it. On that depends on tomorrow. We have enough for use, but not enough for waste,” concludes Kumar.

DesignUru 3.0 is on at the Rangoli Centre, M.G Road till Dec 22, 2021.