Air India Launches Points Fest To Celebrate 100 Maharaja Club Partnerships

* Crossing 100+ Maharaja Club partnerships

* Maharaja Club Points Fest: Flat 50% Bonus Maharaja Points across spends with lifestyle partners and up to 50% on conversion of bank reward points

Maharaja Club, Air India’s frequent flyer programme, has launched a Points Fest for its Maharaja Club members to celebrate adding 100+ brands to its partnership network between FY 2023 and FY 2026. The milestone marks a significant step forward in the programme’s transformation into a modern, globally relevant lifestyle-led loyalty platform.

Expansion of loyalty partnership network

The Maharaja Club programme has focused on expanding its partner ecosystem, driving over 4.2 million member transactions across 100+ partners in FY26, including international lifestyle and every day-use brands. These partnerships maximise avenues for Air India’s frequent flyers or Maharaja Club members to earn Maharaja Points beyond their spends with the airline, thus accelerating their path to award flights and upgrades.

Over the past three years, Air India has recorded a 2x increase in member engagement as well as a 2x increase in its partner activity rate among members, reflecting higher transaction volumes and deeper customer participation across the network. This expanded network has strengthened the programme’s scale, engagement, and utility across a broader set of member interactions.

Celebrating with Maharaja Club members

To celebrate the milestone, Air India announced a limited-time promotion – Points Fest designed to reward loyal members with opportunities to earn up to 50% bonus Maharaja Points. Until 31 May 2026, the campaign offers members two exciting ways to earn up to 200,000 bonus Maharaja Points per eligible partner. To participate, members need to register for the offer using their Maharaja Club ID and complete transactions or conversions via the designated partner pages.

· Shop and Earn

Members can enjoy a flat 50% bonus Maharaja Points on every transaction made with brands across categories such as the lifestyle, stays, experiences, travel services category, including brands like Adidas, Ajio, Apple, Atlys, FirstCry, Forest Essentials, H&M, Healthians, Levi’s, Myntra, Nike, Puma, The Bicester Collection, UNIQLO, and many more.

· Convert and Earn

For those with accumulated reward points across other programmes, members can earn up to 50% bonus Maharaja Points when they convert reward points to Maharaja Points via eligible Points Conversion Partners including Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC global, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, Flipkart SuperCoins, Audi India and many other points conversion partners. The bonus structure is tiered as follows:

POINTS CONVERTED	BONUS PERCENTAGE %
1 - 25,000 points	10% bonus
25,001- 50,000 points	20% bonus
50,001 - 75,000 points	30% bonus
75,001 - 100,000 points	40% bonus
Above 100,000 points	50% bonus

The Bonus Points earned during the Points Fest can significantly enhance members’ ability to redeem rewards across Air India’s expanding domestic and international network. With 2,00,000 Maharaja Points, members can, for example, redeem up to 5 one-way Economy Class tickets between Mumbai and London Heathrow or up to 20 round-trips on prime domestic routes such as Delhi-Mumbai.

Sunil Suresh, Head of Loyalty, E-Commerce and Marketing, Air India, said: “What we are building with Maharaja Club is not just a larger partner network but a fundamentally different loyalty proposition, one that is integrated into our customers’ everyday lives. As we scale this ecosystem globally, our focus is on making rewards more accessible, more flexible, and ultimately more valuable for our members. At Air India, we are proud to see that Maharaja Points are increasingly emerging as a trusted and versatile loyalty currency, driving consistent engagement across touchpoints.”

Other recent enhancements to Maharaja Club

On 1 April 2026, Air India announced significant enhancements to its Maharaja Club loyalty programme, delivering substantially greater value, flexibility, and recognition to members. These included reduced Maharaja Points requirement for Award Flights and Cabin Upgrades across at least 90% of routes served by Air India, a new simplified, tier-based structure for rescheduling and cancellation of Award Flights, reductions to the flight count thresholds to accelerate tier progression for members, and more.

About Air India group

The Air India group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.

Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India group is in the midst of a five-year transformation programme, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.

The Air India group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress.

With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

For more news on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom

Punjab National Bank (PNB) Net Profit For FY’26 Surpasses ₹16,900 Crore For FY’26

Highlights 

PNB Bank registered a Net Profit of ₹16,904 Crore during FY’26 with Y-o-Y growth of 1.6%. The Net

Profit for Q4 FY’26 is ₹5,225 Crore as against ₹4,567 Crore for Q4 FY’25 with Y-o-Y growth of 14.4%.

Operating Profit for FY’26 stood at ₹29,290 registering a Y-o-Y growth of 9.2% over FY’25.

Operating Profit increased Y-o-Y by 10.7% to ₹7,500 Crore in Q4 FY’26 as against ₹6,776 Crore in Q4 FY’25.

Return on Assets (RoA) improved by 4 bps to 1.06% in Q4 FY’26 from 1.02% in Q4 FY’25.

GNPA ratio improved by 100 bps on Y-o-Y basis to 2.95% as on 31st March’26 from 3.95% as on 31st March’25.

NNPA ratio improved by 11 bps on Y-o-Y basis to 0.29% as on 31st March’26 from 0.40% as on 31st March’25.

Provision Coverage Ratio (including TWO) improved by 32 bps on Y-o-Y basis to 97.14% as on 31st March’26 from 96.82% as on 31st March’25.

Book value per share increased to ₹114.77 during FY’26 from ₹103.36 during FY’25, marking a Y-o-Y growth of 11.0%.

Earnings per share rose to ₹4.55 in Q4 FY’26 from ₹3.97 in Q4 FY’25, reflecting a Y-o-Y growth of 14.6%.

Global Business grew by 10.7% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹29.70 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹26.83 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’25.

Global Deposits registered a growth of 9.2% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹17.11 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹15.67 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’25.

Global Advances increased by 12.7% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹12.59 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹11.17 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’25.

RAM Advances grew by 12.1% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹6.76 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹6.03 Lakh Crore as on 31st March’25.

CD Ratio stood at 73.6% as on 31st March’26 as against 71.3% as on 31st March’25.

CRAR improved to 17.74% as on 31st March’26, up from 17.01% as on 31st March’25, reflecting an increase of 73 bps.

Business Performance in Key Parameters

Deposits

Savings Deposits increased to ₹5,30,321 Crore registering a Y-o-Y growth of 6.4%.

Current Deposits increased to ₹79,294 Crore registering a Y-o-Y growth of 5.6%.

CASA Deposits increased to ₹6,09,615 Crore recording a Y-o-Y growth of 6.3%.

CASA Share of the bank stands at 37.0% as on 31st March’26.

Total Term Deposit witnessed a growth of 10.9% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹11,01,507 Crore as on 31st March’26.

Advances

Total Retail credit increased by 8.3% Y-o-Y to ₹2,80,779 Crore as on 31st March’26.

The Core Retail Advances increased by 18.2% Y-o-Y as on 31st March’26. Within Core

Retail Credit:

• Housing Loan grew by 11.6% Y-o-Y to ₹1,29,832 Crore.

• Vehicle loan posted a growth of 35.1% Y-o-Y to reach ₹35,199 Crore.

Agriculture Advances grew by 10.7% on Y-o-Y basis to ₹1,99,919 Crore.

MSME Advances increased Y-o-Y by 19.9% to ₹1,95,027 Crore.

Asset Quality

Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) declined by ₹6,958 Crore to ₹37,124 Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹44,082 Crore as on 31st March’25.

Net Non-Performing Assets (NNPA) declined by ₹681 Crore to ₹3,610 Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹4,291 Crore as on 31st March’25.

Profitability

Net Profit for FY’26 stood at ₹16,904 Crore, while Operating Profit for the same period reached ₹29,290 Crore.

Total Income for FY’26 was at ₹1,47,017 Crore, recording a growth of 6.5% on Y-o-Y basis.

Total Interest Income for FY’26 was at ₹1,28,223 Crore and ₹32,157 Crore for Q4 FY’26 recording growth of 5.3% and 0.5%, respectively on YoY basis.

Non-interest income for FY’26 was at ₹18,794 Crore recording a growth of 15.2% on Y-o-Y basis.

Global Net Interest Margin (NIM) stands at 2.57% for FY’26.

Total Interest Expenses stood at ₹21,776 Crore for Q4 FY’26 reflecting a Y‑o‑Y increase of 2.6%.

Operating Expenses for FY’26 was at ₹31,464 Crore and ₹7,042 Crore for Q4 FY’26, declining by 2.5% and 19.0%, respectively on YoY basis.

Capital Adequacy

CRAR increased to 17.74% on 31st March’26 from 17.01% on 31st March’25, showing an improvement of 73 bps.

Tier-I Capital improved to 15.15% as on 31st March’26 from 14.05% as on 31st March’25

(with CET-1 at 13.62% and AT-1 at 1.53% as on 31st March’26).

Tier-II Capital stood at 2.59% as on 31st March’26.

Efficiency/Productivity Ratio

Global Yield on Advances was at 7.51% in Q4 FY’26 and 7.80% for FY’26.

Global Cost of Deposits stood at 5.05% in Q4 FY’26 and at 5.16% for FY’26.

Global Yield on Investment was at 6.97% in Q4 FY’26 and 6.87% for FY’26.

Business per employee improved to ₹29.42 Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹26.86 Crore

as on 31st March’25. Business per branch improved to ₹275.63 Crore as on 31st March’26 from ₹253.55 Crore as on 31st March’25.

Net profit per employee improved to ₹21.91 Lakhs in Q4 FY’26 from ₹19.25 Lakhs in Q4 FY’25. Net profit per branch improved to ₹205.22 Lakhs in Q4 FY’26 from ₹181.75 Lakhs in Q4 FY’25.

Priority Sector Achievement

Priority Sector Advances exceeded the National Goal of 40% and stand at 41.89% of ANBC.

Agriculture advances exceeded the National Goal of 18% and stand at 18.09% of ANBC.

Credit to Small & Marginal Farmers exceeded the National Goal of 10% and stands at 10.53% of ANBC.

Credit to Weaker Section surpassed the National Goal of 12% and stands at 13.72% of ANBC

Credit to Micro Enterprises surpassed the National Goal of 7.50% and stands at 9.70% of ANBC.

Financial Inclusion

PMJDY accounts increased to 571.84 Lakh as on 31st March’26 from 542.89 Lakh as on 31st March’25.

Enrollments under PMJJBY, PMSBY & APY as on 31st March’26 are as under:

(No. In Lacs)

JANSURAKSHA SCHEME ENROLLMENT UP TO 31.03.2025 31.03.2026

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) 73.08 92.74

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) 291.97 351.05

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) 46.81 57.19

Digital Progress and Initiatives

Number of PNB One Activated users increased to 260 Lakh as on Q4 FY’26 from 214 Lakh as on Q4 FY’25 registering a growth of 21% on Y-o-Y basis.

Number of WhatsApp Banking users increased to 109 Lakh as on Q4 FY’26 from 62 Lakh as on Q4 FY’25, registering a growth of 77% on Y-o-Y basis.

Number of UPI Transactions increased to 323 Crores in Q4 FY’26 from 267 Crores in Q4

FY’25 registering a growth of 21% on Y-o-Y basis.

Number of PNB One Biz activated users increased to 2.99 Lakh in Q4 FY’26 recording a 205% Y-o-Y growth.

Digital transactions accounted for 95.16% of the Bank’s total transactions in Q4 FY’26.

Total amount sanctioned and disbursed through Digital Lending Journeys crossed ₹20,872 Crore in Q4 FY’26.

Under CBDC, No. of Users increased to 10.50 Lakh and No. of transactions in FY’26 increased to 71.89 Lakh.  

AVPN AI Opportunity Fund Expands To Build AI-Ready Generations Across Asia

* By Empowering Educators And Youth Across Asia-Pacific

AVPN has announced the expansion of the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, supported by an additional USD 10 million contribution from Google.org. This next phase of the Fund focuses on scaling AI literacy for educators and youth, while continuing to support workers and MSMEs in adapting to an increasingly AI-driven economy.

Building on its earlier successes, the expanded programme emphasises the real-world application of AI skills across classrooms, workplaces, and enterprises. It positions AI as a foundational literacy, critical for enabling economic participation and social mobility across the region.

The initiative is expected to benefit over 4.7 million people in education, with a strong focus on empowering educators to integrate AI meaningfully into teaching and learning. The Fund will also introduce a dedicated AI skilling programme for creators and continue strengthening MSMEs and workers with practical AI capabilities to drive productivity and growth.

By 2030, the AI Opportunity Fund aims to reach nearly 5.5 million individuals and enterprises across Asia-Pacific, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth through AI adoption.

Please find the attached press release for more details.

We hope you find this information useful. Should you have any questions or require additional information or interviews, we would be happy to assist.

About AVPN

AVPN is the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 700 diverse members across 43 markets. Our mission is to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human, and intellectual capital in Asia by enabling members to channel resources towards impact. As an ecosystem builder, AVPN enables its members to connect, learn, act, and lead social impact efforts across key pillars while improving the effectiveness of deployed capital, bringing local field needs, regional expertise, and policy insights to the forefront.

Invoicemart Surpasses 50% Women Workforce, Sets New Inclusion Benchmark In The Fintech Space

Invoicemart, India’s leading Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform, has crossed a key milestone, with women now comprising over 50% of its total workforce, well ahead of industry benchmarks in fintech and financial services.

This milestone reflects more than representation; it signals a strategic commitment to building a balanced, future-ready organisation. Women at Invoicemart play an integral role across leadership, sales, technology, operations, and risk—functions that have traditionally seen lower female participation. A consistent focus on equitable hiring, capability building, and career progression has enabled stronger participation in business-critical roles and decision-making.

The progress is underpinned by structured initiatives, including leadership development programmes, equitable opportunities, and continuous learning frameworks, supported by sustained leadership commitment to embedding inclusion into core business practices.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr. Prakash Sankaran, MD & CEO, Invoicemart, said, “Diverse teams drive stronger business outcomes. Crossing this 50% milestone reflects our sustained focus on building an inclusive organisation. We remain committed to building an environment where talent, irrespective of gender, can grow, lead, succeed and create long-term impact.”

Invoicemart’s people-first culture is reinforced through strong employee engagement, wellness initiatives, and recognition programmes across its pan-India offices. The company has also been recognised in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Index for its continued focus on advancing equity at all levels. As it scales further, Invoicemart remains focused on building a high-performance, inclusive workplace that drives sustained business impact.

About Invoicemart

Invoicemart is a digital marketplace for invoice financing in India, operating as a Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) under the regulatory framework of RBI. It is a joint venture between Axis Bank and mjunction. The platform connects MSME sellers and their buyers (corporates/CPSEs) with banks and NBFCs, enabling financing of trade receivables for working capital needs. It supports greater financial inclusion by improving access to formal credit for MSMEs.

For more information, visit: www.invoicemart.com  

Samsung R&D Institutes In India Invite Startups To Co-Create The Future Of Mobile Innovation

• Announce new edition of Samsung Mobile Advance programme

• Enabling startups with up to $50,000 for innovative solutions, with zero-equity

• Invitation to startups to scale across Samsung’s global ecosystem

Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) and Samsung R&D Institute, Noida (SRI-N), has announced the launch of the 2026 edition of Samsung Mobile Advance (SMA), Samsung’s flagship global startup incubation and partnership programme focused on advancing next-generation mobile technologies.

Rooted in Samsung’s Open Innovation vision, the SMA programme aims to bridge the gap between deep-tech startups and Samsung’s global mobile ecosystem, enabling breakthrough innovations across millions of devices worldwide.

In its latest edition, SMA invites startups from India to collaborate with Samsung in shaping the future of mobile experiences. Since its inception, Samsung’s Open Innovation initiative has focused on combining external innovation with in-house R&D to deliver differentiated consumer experiences. With dedicated charters spanning integrated partnerships, strategic investments, and startup incubation, SMA plays a critical role in identifying and nurturing high-potential startups.

Launched in India in 2023, SMA introduced a dedicated grant funding model of up to $50,000 with no equity for Proof-of-Concept (PoC) development, enabling startups to validate and scale their innovations within Samsung’s ecosystem. Under this model, Samsung does not take any equity or ownership in the startups for ideas developed through the programme.

“SMA reflects our deep commitment to open innovation, bringing together startup ingenuity and Samsung’s global R&D strength to co-create the future of mobile experiences. We aim to build long-term partnerships that not only accelerate innovation but also translate bold ideas into impactful solutions at global scale,” said Mohan Rao Goli, Managing Director and CVP, Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore.

“Through SMA, we focus on partnering with startups that demonstrate strong cultural and technological synergy. We aim to integrate the best of external innovation with Samsung’s R&D expertise to shape the future of mobile experiences,” said Kyungyun Roo, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute India, Noida.

Focus Areas for 2026

SMA continues to adopt a broad and inclusive innovation lens, encouraging startups to apply across a wide range of categories, including AI, XR, Security, Health, Camera, Audio, wearables, and other Samsung mobile-related domains.

The programme is designed to foster cutting-edge solutions that can seamlessly integrate into Samsung’s mobile ecosystem, enhancing user experiences across devices and platforms.

Programme Structure & Timeline

The programme follows a structured, multi-stage evaluation and incubation process:

* Application Submission (April – June 30): Startups submit a detailed 6-month PoC proposal outlining innovation, feasibility, and impact

* Application Review (July): Proposals evaluated by Samsung’s expert panel

* Pitch Day (September): Shortlisted startups present to a jury of Samsung leaders

* Final Selection: Announced post Pitch Day

* Programme Commencement (October): Selected startups begin incubation with funding and mentorship

* PoC Demo Day: Culminates in a final showcase with potential pathways to commercialization, partnerships, or investment.

For India, applications can be submitted at startup.connect@samsung.com.

Participants in Samsung Mobile Advance (SMA) benefit from:

* Grant funding (no equity by Samsung) to build Proof-of-Concepts

* Mentorship from Samsung’s global experts and talent network

* Access to Samsung’s product ecosystem and distribution scale

* Opportunities for strategic partnerships and investments

* Long-term collaboration within Samsung’s innovation ecosystem

Over the past few years, Samsung has actively collaborated with startups across domains such as voice intelligence, 4D modelling, and security, demonstrating SMA’s commitment to co-creating impactful, real-world solutions.

With the 2026 edition of SMA, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore and Samsung R&D Institute, Noida reaffirm their commitment to empowering startups, accelerating innovation, and shaping the future of mobile technology through meaningful partnerships.

Startups building transformative technologies for the mobile ecosystem are invited to apply before June 30, 2026, and be part of Samsung’s global innovation journey.  

Instagram Introduces 'AI Creator' Label To Boost Content Transparency For People

Instagram is testing the ability for creators who often create with AI to label their account as an “AI creator.” The label appears on your profile and alongside your content, giving your audience more transparency into the content they see. As a test, not everyone will have access yet, but this feature will be expanded in the coming weeks.

This new label builds on existing “AI info” labels that can be applied when posting AI content and that are automatically added when AI tools are detected in the creation process. If enabled, “AI creator” will appear on your profile’s bio and alongside your content in places such as Feed, Reels, and Explore. In instances when content is labeled as “AI info” and posted by a labeled AI creator, the “AI info” label will appear on the content instead of the “AI creator” label.

Using this label does not impact how your account or content is distributed across Instagram. It is designed to provide more transparency to audiences. Instagram encourages all accounts that regularly post AI-generated content to add this label.

This label makes it easier to understand how content is made, who’s behind it, and what’s worth your attention so that creativity stands out, and people can trust what they discover. Self-identifying as an AI creator builds trust and keeps you in control of your story. It also signals that you value transparency, which can help build a more authentic relationship with your audience.

Adding the label is simple. To do so:

go to your Instagram profile

tap “Edit profile,” and

toggle on the AI creator label.

Once enabled, the label will automatically appear on your profile’s bio and below your username on your content.  

Meta Brings Live Cricket Updates To AI Glasses So You Never Miss A Moment Of The Match

Cricket season just got an upgrade with Meta bringing Live Cricket Updates to Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses. With the new feature, cricket fans in India can now stay on top of every match without reaching for their phone.

Ask Meta AI to follow your favorite team’s game and get AI-narrated score updates, wicket alerts, milestone highlights, and match results, right to your AI glasses in real time. Think of it as your personal commentator, minus the ad breaks.

Simply say "Hey Meta, follow…” and the name of your favorite team or an upcoming match to receive real-time updates. Whether you're in a meeting, at dinner, or on your commute, the new experience will help you follow the match live as the action unfolds on the field.

The feature is currently available in English for cricket matches in India.