Thursday, January 5, 2023

Varthana Raises $7 Million (Rs 56 Crore) From MicroVest Based In USA


-       The funds will lend greater heft to Varthana’s aim of supporting and transforming affordable education in rural India and providing loans to affordable private schools

Varthana, a Bangalore-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) pioneer in the affordable education loan sector, has raised $7 Million (approx. Rs 56 Crore) from MicroVest, a global investment firm based out of the United States. This investment will enable Varthana’s vision of supporting and transforming affordable education in rural India and providing loans to affordable private schools on a pan-India basis.

This funding will strengthen Varthana’s aim of aiding and supporting affordable schools to recover from the disruptions caused by COVID-19. 

Commenting on the development, Steve Hardgrave, CEO and Co-founder, Varthana, said, “MicroVest has been our long-term investment partner working towards the cause of providing access to quality education in India. The low-budget schools in which we invest are counting on inclusive financial services to get back to business following the unprecedented challenges faced during the pandemic. With the support of MicroVest, Varthana is now in a stronger position to play a constructive role in aiding these affordable schools.”

“After two years of battling COVID-19, schools have shown positive signs of growth and sustenance. Our aim is to serve more than 10,000 schools by the end of this financial year,” added Steve.

Besides providing loans, Varthana has helped schools implement digital learning tools and teaching methods so that students could continue their education remotely throughout the pandemic.

“MicroVest is proud to support Varthana on its mission to help low-income students and their families in India access quality education,” said MicroVest CEO, Joshua Moraczewski. “Varthana is a testament to the impact that every dynamic financial institution can make when provided the opportunity to scale its innovations and approaches. We are committed to supporting Responsible Financial Institutions like Varthana. During this challenging post-COVID environment, their efforts are more important than ever.”

SUN Mobility Presented With The 2022 Tracxn Emerging Startups Award


* The company was recognized in the Top Energy Storage tech Startup category for its execution excellence and future growth potential 

SUN Mobility, a leading provider of energy infrastructure and services for Electric Vehicles (EV) has been presented with the Emerging Startups Award by Tracxn, an analyst-led platform. This edition, for ‘Top Energy Storage Tech Startups’ identified promising global startups leading the industry in this space. 

Companies have been identified based on a detailed analysis of multiple publicly available information such as market size, investments, execution excellence, and future growth prospects. A pioneer in the battery swapping space, SUN Mobility has been working towards its goal to propel the adoption of 1 million EVs by 2025 by addressing some of the key EV adoption issues - high cost, range anxiety, long charging time, and lack of infrastructure - through its innovative solutions.

“Being recognized amongst global companies for the kind of work we are driving is heartening to see. This recognition comes at a point in our journey where we are driving our efforts towards transforming the future of Urban Mobility by helping democratize mass-scale adoption of electric vehicles,” said Anant Badjatya, CEO, SUN Mobility.

SUN Mobility’s vision is to make Electric Vehicles accessible and affordable for all, and their universal network of interoperable energy infrastructure is helping accelerate the pace of mass adoption of electric mobility. The company has collaborated with vehicle manufacturers, battery cell technology providers, fleet operators and aggregators, oil marketing companies, and cities in order to holistically foster and guide the EV ecosystem. 

About SUN Mobility

SUN Mobility is a global leader in providing energy services to the transport sector enabling electric vehicles to be refueled in a faster, cheaper, and more convenient way; thereby helping the mass adoption of electric vehicles globally and transition to a sustainable, pollution-free future.

Founded in 2017, it is a joint venture between SUN Group and Maini Group, pioneers in areas of electric mobility and clean energy. The company is co-founded by Chetan Maini, previously founder of Reva Electric Car Company now Mahindra Electric, Uday Khemka, Vice Chairman of SUN Group, Ajay Goel, Co-Founder & Executive Director, and Anand Badjatya, CEO. In 2019, Bosch acquired stakes in SUN Mobility and has been a strategic partner in accelerating the technological evolution of the company. Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil trading organization, is also a strategic investor in the company. SUN Mobility’s energy solution, deployed at Swap Point™  leverages its interoperable battery-swapping technology by means of Smart Battery, Quick Interchange Station, and Smart Network. The organization is working with fleet operators, shared mobility providers, cities, and automotive OEMs across all platforms including 2/3 wheelers and buses to challenge the status quo with an economical, scalable, and smarter way forward. SUN Mobility has deployed 227 Swap Points™ in more than 18 cities in India, powering over 54 million km in the country so far.

For more information, visit: www.SUNmobility.com

Accenture Completes Acquisition Of Inspirage, Expanding Digital Supply Chain Capabilities


Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has completed its acquisition of Inspirage, an integrated Oracle Cloud specialist firm with an emphasis in supply chain management, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The acquisition further enhances Accenture’s Oracle Cloud capabilities, helping it accelerate innovation for clients through emerging technologies, such as touchless supply chain and digital twins. Financial terms of the transaction, previously announced on September 6, were not disclosed.

Approximately 736 Inspirage people join the Accenture Oracle Business Group, further bolstering its Oracle supply chain skills and expanding its capabilities to help product-centric clients create interconnected, intelligent and innovative supply chain networks.

About Accenture 

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

73% Said Household Expenditure Has Increased For Them Compared To Last Year: Axis My India January CSI Survey


* 50% believe that it is due to the rising inflation

·        10019 people surveyed; 70% are from rural India while 30% are from urban India

·        Overall household spending has increased for 55%, decrease of -1% over previous month

·        Consumption of essentials products increased for 41%, a decrease of -5%

·        Consumption of discretionary products increased for 7%, a decrease of -1%

·        Consumption of health-related items has increased for 39%, net score remains same

·        49% mentioned that Flipkart was their most used e-commerce platform

Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, released its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues. The January report reveals that sentiments have dipped across 3 out of 5 sub-indices. While spends across health products has reduced which is a good indication, sentiments on household spends and essentials also reduced marginally. The survey further highlights that 73% of the consumers believe that their expenses have increased this year compared to the last and 50% believe that it is due to rising inflation.

The January net CSI score, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, is at +08, from +07 last month reflecting an increase by 01 points.

The sentiment analysis delves into five relevant sub-indices – Overall household spending, spending on essential and non-essential items, spending on healthcare, media consumption habits, entertainment & tourism trends.

The survey was carried out via Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 10019 people across 36 states and UTs. 70% belonged to rural India, while 30% belonged to urban counterparts. In terms of regional spread, 25% belong to the Northern parts while 27% belong to the Eastern parts of India. Moreover, 28% and 20% belonged to Western and Southern parts of India respectively. 61% of the respondents were male, while 39% were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 30% reflect the age group 36YO to 50YO

and 27% reflect the age group of 26YO to 35YO.

Commenting on the CSI report, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Axis My India, said “Our Consumer Sentiment Index shows that the sentiments were highest in H1 of 2022 post which it dipped slightly but overall, we ended 2022 with consumer sentiments better than 2021 & much better than 2020. In H2 overall consumer spending had reached a status quo bias where the keenness to increase consumption had been limited, mainly due to inflation & rise in interest rates. However, a majority mentioning that the current government has been able to handle India's economic situation better than other countries reflects India’s overall performance in 2022. Moving forward, the intent to invest & save more in 2023 reflects the current environment of resilience & cautious growth”.

Key findings:

·        Overall household spending has increased for 55% of families, decreased by 1% compared to last month. The net score which was +48 last month has decreased by 1 to +47 this month

·        Spends on essentials like personal care & household items has increased for 41% of the families, which reflects a decrease by 5%. The net score which was at +28 last month, decreased by two at +26 this month

·        Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, and Refrigerator has increased for 7% of families, which reflects a decrease by 1% from last month. The net score, which was at -1 last month has increased to +2 this month, showcasing an upward sentiment

·        Expenses towards health-related items such as vitamins, tests, healthy food has surged for 39% of the families. This reflects a decrease in consumption by 3% from last month. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, has a net score value of -27, which remained same as last month

·        Consumption of media (TV, Internet, Radio etc.) has increased for 21% of the families, which is same as last month. The overall, net score, which was at -2 last month, remains the same

·        Mobility has increased for 7% of the families, which reflects an increase by 1% from last month. The overall mobility net indicator score which was at -2 last month, has reported +2 this month

On topics of current national interest:

·        According to Axis My India’s CSI Survey household expense increased for 73% of families than the previous year. 50% of the surveyed thought that high costs of products & services due to inflation affected the household expense, 19% mentioned that the increased expense is because of increased health related expenses.

·        In attempt to understanding the investment patterns for consumers during the new year 16% of the people surveyed said that they will invest this year and 40% said that they would invest in MF, Insurance, Gold, Stock Markets etc. and other 16% would invest in real estate. 34% of the people would like to invest for their children’s education. 30% of people resonated the idea to save more this year

·        Exploring sentiments around sports and sporting event 46% mentioned that they liked watching the T20 World Cup, 25% liked to watch the IPL & 16% liked the FIFA WC.

·        Demystifying the nature of consumer’s purchasing power, the survey unveils that 49% shopped through Flipkart and 24% from Amazon. 38% would buy apparels during the year end/ new year sale. 13% mentioned that they looking to buy a 4 or 2-wheeler.

·        The survey also threw light on social media habits of consumers, with 35% of people who surveyed used Facebook more, 25% watched content on YouTube. 52% of people informed that their consumption of mobile/ internet has increased.  

·        The survey also highlighted that 62% believe that the current government has been able to handle India's economic situation better than other countries this year and the expectation for 2023 is creation of more employment opportunities.

ICICI Bank Unveils Digital Solutions For Exporters In A Single Platform


·         First bank to offer comprehensive set of digital solutions on a single platform

·         The set of solutions provide increased operational efficiency and convenience to exporters

·         It provides industry-first offerings such as instant disbursal of Export Packing Credit and Trade APIs for seamless export transactions

ICICI Bank today announced the launch of digital solutions for exporters, a comprehensive set of banking and value-added services on a single platform. In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the industry, the suite of solutions digitise the entire export life-cycle-- from discovery of export markets, export finance, foreign exchange services to receipt of export incentives. The initiative aims to simplify the journey of exporters by decongesting the current time-intensive manual procedures, thereby significantly improving their operational efficiency.

The set of solutions also offer industry-first facilities such as instant disbursal of Export Packing Credit (Insta EPC) and Trade APIs. Insta EPC provides export finance instantly, while Trade APIs enable smooth handling of export transactions directly from exporters’ ERP systems, thereby providing greater convenience.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Sumit Sanghai, Head- Large Clients Group, ICICI Bank, said, “Over the years, exports have been an integral part of India’s growth. India’s overall exports in FY 2022 grew by 36% to over USD 670 billion from a year-ago period. It is estimated to touch USD 2 trillion by 2030. ICICI Bank intends to support the growth of exporters with an all-encompassing suite of digital solutions. The set of solutions enables large, medium and emerging companies to undertake their export transactions online, anywhere and anytime. We believe that this initiative will bring in unmatched efficiency in the entire export lifecycle across industries and act as catalyst in their business growth.”

The key services and offerings of the digital solutions for exporters are:

·         Insta EPC: Exporters, having relationship with the Bank, will get the convenience of Export Packing Credit (EPC) instantly and digitally. This facility can be availed through Trade Online, the Bank’s flagship digital platform for export-import transactions. Insta EPC enables instant disbursal of credit in a matter of minutes compared to the industry practice of a few working days. This facility offers significant advantage to exporters as it gives access to funds instantaneously for same day use, enhancing their operational efficiency.  

·         Trade accounts: The solution offers foreign currency accounts namely Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account (EEFC). This is a Current Account that allows exporters to hold their foreign currency earnings in the account, without converting it to the local currency. This feature of the account helps exporters to reduce their foreign exchange transaction cost. It also offers specialised Current Account like One Globe Trade Account (OGTA) for export and import related transactions.

·         Paperless exports solutions: The Bank’s digital solutions like e-Softex (catering to IT/ITeS exporters) and e-DOCs have simplified exporters’ journey across various stages by offering digital filing of documents, settlement and reconciliation of export invoices, among others. It brings in the significant convenience of reduced turn-around time for these transactions from the existing industry practice of a few days to near real time. The simplified digital solutions enable exporters to claim their export incentives faster. 

·         Foreign exchange solution: Exporters can book forex deals over phone or online through digital platforms to get flexibility and transparency in booking rates.

·         Digital Letter of Credit facility (e-LC): The exporters can avail e-LC facility, which acts as a digital repository as well as makes LC available on real-time basis, for verification of trade terms. 

·         Electronic Bills of Lading (e-BL): The Bank has partnered with leading e-BL service providers to facilitate end-to-end digital movement of trade documents across the world. This results in efficient working capital management by reducing turnaround time to a couple of days from existing industry practice of 8-10 days.

·         Value added services: Exporters can avail value-added services from Trade Emerge, the Bank’s one-stop platform that offers a comprehensive digital suite of various banking and beyond banking services for companies. The platform facilitates an end-to-end journey from business incorporation, regulatory guidelines, partner discovery, logistics and cargo tracking through a blend of services provided by trusted alliance partners.

·         Trade APIs: The Bank offers Trade APIs, a future-ready industry-first solution, for seamless handling of export bills. The range of APIs include Remittances, Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees. The Trade API solution provides the exporters with a simplified ‘Do-It-Yourself (DIY)’ experience anytime anywhere. With APIs in place, exporters can initiate transactions via their ERPs directly with the Bank, thereby enhancing productivity.

To know more about the digital solutions for exporters, visit https://www.icicibank.com/html/en/corporate/icicibankstack/Export.html or write to crossbordertrade@icicibank.com or visit the nearest Corporate Banking branch.

For news and updates, visit www.icicibank.com and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ICICIBank

Strengthening Of The Commercial Real Estate Sector In 2023


 “Commercial Real Estate has remained steadfast with many large corporations- domestic and international brands making a great return to the workplace. The momentum to bring back the workforce had begun at the start of 2022, which continued to gather pace as the year progressed. On one hand, the post pandemic phase took off to a promising start with office spaces filling up fast paving way for the new normal. On the other hand, leading global asset management firms joined hands with established Indian realty players that kept the investment market busy. Heading into 2023, the overall picture for the Indian economy is looking extremely positive. In the year 2023, with overall expected growth, pick-up in job creation and ready-to-move-in housing will continue to drive demand. We are also expecting some rapid change in the workplaces, which means that it will also favour greater flexibility. All these factors are expected to drive demand for A-Grade office space. As captured by a leading industry consultant in its report, the market for A-Grade space is expected to touch 1.2 billion sq. ft. by 2030 buoyed by consistent demand. Another significant observation made by such a report opines that in the metro and non-metro cities, adoption of office space will breach the 60 million sq. ft. mark by 2023.  With companies taking significant steps toward sustainability, they are increasingly on the lookout for commercial spaces that align with their sensibilities. Taking this into consideration, certain established players are addressing this growing need of sustainable structures. At SATTVA, we are in the forefront of building commercial spaces that meet the highest standards of sustainability, where all our buildings come with LEED certification. Right from our futuristic tech park SATTVA Knowledge City, which is touted to be Asia’s best tech park to many more, which is home to fortune 500 companies to home grown tech giants.” – Mr. Bijay Agarwal, MD, Sattva Group.

About Sattva Group

With 3 decades of expertise, the Sattva Group has grown into one of the most trusted builders in the country today. Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, it is also a well-known name in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Coimbatore, and Goa. The Group will soon be expanding its presence in Mumbai. With 66 million sq.ft spaces completed, 28 million sq.ft under construction, and 39 million sq.ft in the planning stage, the Group is one of the most premium builders in India today. The Group’s cutting-edge marquee projects in Hyderabad include Knowledge City, Knowledge Capital, Knowledge Park, and Image Towers (Innovation in Animation, Multimedia, Gaming, and Entertainment), a PPP-based model with the Telangana State Government. By further expanding into various verticals such as co-working, co-living, education, hotels, facilities management, and warehousing, the Group today stands tall as a frontrunner, shaping India’s growth story. The Group’s unwavering adherence to quality has given it the “trusted” tag among builders in the country, renowned for its “A Stable” CRISIL rating for over a decade. 

Shubhabrata Saha Appointed As New MD & CEO Of AJAX Engineering


-          Company aims to touch revenue of Rs 3000 crores by 2026

-          Ajax Engineering invests Rs 100 crore in the 5th manufacturing facility under construction in Bengaluru

Ajax Engineering, a leader in Concreting Equipment sector in India, today announced the appointment of Shubhabrata Saha as the new MD & CEO of the company. Shubhabrata served over two decades at Mahindra & Mahindra in various leadership roles. His last assignment at Mahindra was as CEO in Farm Division. He has delivered consistent and sustainable profitable growth while enhancing the brand and network. Shubhabrata comes to Ajax from the $ 3 billion Adventz group where he served as the MD & CEO of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers and the Deputy CEO of their Agri business.

The appointment of Shubhabrata will enhance Ajax’s leadership position as a technology driven, innovative and 360-degree concrete solutions provider.

Mr Vijay, Chairman, AJAX Engineering, commenting on the appointment, said “We are delighted to welcome Shubhabrata on board. Ajax has the aim of “Make in India -make for the World” in concrete and allied technologies. His focus on operational excellence, customer centric wins and inclusive leadership will enable us to accelerate our journey and establish us as a premier player in concreting equipment, both nationally and internationally.

Shubhabrata Saha, MD & CEO, AJAX Engineering said, “I eagerly look forward to embark on the new journey with Ajax Engineering. I see the strong brand recognition AJAX has achieved in the Indian market which will provide me a platform to drive rapid growth. Our target is to drive the revenue up to Rs 3000 Cr in next 3 years through a judicious mix of organic and inorganic growth.”

Shubhabrata is an accomplished leader with proven record of achieving outstanding financial outcomes and build strong brand recognition. Over an extensive experience of three decades, he has developed deep understanding of critical business drivers in both consumer and industrial sectors. He has been highly successful in building stakeholder relationships, seizing control of critical problem areas and delivering customer commitments. He has demonstrated entrepreneurial mindset to deliver turnarounds and has also leveraged the triad of data, digital and technology to solve complex problems. 

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