Digital Financial News

NITI Aayog is working on a programme to improve India's penetration into global value chains for the growth of domestic micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), its chief executive BVR Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday. Observing that MSMEs are more affected by regulations than large companies, he said the PM has taken a major step towards deregulation and a task force under the cabinet secretary is working on it.

Bank of Baroda (BoB), India's second largest public sector lender by assets, is stepping up on retail loan growth with renewed focus on home loans, tie-ups with auto companies, and a fresh strategy to target corporate account employees with personal loans as it expects a 20% compound annual growth rate to continue at least for the next 3 years, executive director Sanjay Mudaliar said. The brisk pace in retail loans will mean the proportion of retail in its total loan book could increase to about 32% in the next three years from 27%. Home loans as a percentage of BoB's loan book are relatively lower at 51% compared to 55% for larger peer SBI. Mudaliar said early success in personal and auto loans meant the bank never stepped on the pedal on home loans but that is now changing. «We had an experience in home loans, but it was not scaled up to the extent we were looking for. Now with the personal loans coming under pressure, the bank is going slow on digital lending, and with the ups and downs in auto loans, the shift is happening towards home loans,» he said.

Maharashtra government will expand the network of 'Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras', Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar informed the Legislative Council on Wednesday. Shelar emphasised the decision aims to ensure faster and more convenient delivery of government services to citizens in both rural and urban areas.

NPCI) has addressed the UPI outage issue, calling it a “partial decline” caused by technical issues. Further, it confirmed that the issue has been resolved.

Why is this happening? The company has struggled to keep up with the shift towards digital game purchases and streaming services. Physical game sales, once its bread and butter, are in decline. Instead of adapting fast enough, GameStop has found itself losing relevance in an industry that’s rapidly evolving.

asset manager Fidelity Investments is exploring whether to launch its own stablecoin, in the latest sign of mainstream investors looking to cash in on a revival of interest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 dollar peg, making it easier for traders to move funds between cryptocurrencies. Their use has grown rapidly in recent years.

Ajay Devgn. The Bollywood superstar, known for his intense roles, set a new benchmark by becoming India's highest-paid OTT actor.

GameStop shares were back in action as the company's move to hoard bitcoin brought retail investors back to their favorite meme stock. The video game retailer's shares rose 11.6% to $28.35 before the bell on Wednesday after GameStop said it would invest in bitcoin at a time when its primary brick-and-mortar business is struggling to draw customers. «Retail operations aren't the reason why GameStop's shares are flying — they never are. This time it's about the company's move into bitcoin,» said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Whether giving up the Google Tax will get India reprieve in the tariff war that US President Donald Trump has promised to unleash on the world at large remains to be seen. The Google Tax, officially, an equalization levy on foreign service firms, does not generate much revenue.

Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters. Edward Coristine is among the most visible members of the DOGE effort that has been given sweeping access to official networks as it attempts to radically downsize the US government. Past reporting had focused on his youth — he is 19 — and his chosen nickname of «bigballs,» which became a pop culture punchline. Musk turned championed the teen on his social media site X, telling his followers last month that «Big Balls is awesome.»

Bengaluru civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will use artificial intelligence to identify illegal constructions and streamline property tax collection, according to Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar. He said the move aims to ensure tax compliance and prevent unauthorized expansions by property owners. The technology will also be used to deliver property documents directly to residents.

Valerie Chapman, turned to LinkedIn after being laid off twice and now earns approximately Rs 8.6 lakh a month. Chapman previously worked in advertising and content creation but found stability in content monetization on LinkedIn.

Napster, which started out as a music sharing service, is set for a revival and revamp after being acquired by 3D technology company Infinite Reality for $207 million on Tuesday. According to a press release from Infinite Reality (iR), in addition to relaunching Napster as a music streaming service, the company aims to transform it into a “social music platform that prioritizes active fan engagement over passive listening, allowing artists to connect with, own, and monetize the relationship with their fans”. Napster’s journey

Windows XP that’s sparking memories—it’s the dramatic transformation of the landscape itself. Originally capturing a serene scene of rolling green hills and a brilliant blue sky, the photo has made its way back into the spotlight, now showing a stark contrast to what it once was. Once a vibrant, untouched paradise, it has now changed in ways that reflect the passage of time, leaving fans to marvel at how much the iconic location has evolved since its debut in 2001.

The Asian financial center’s roadmap — an updated version was published last month — could serve as a blueprint for the US Securities and Exchange Commission, currently consulting the public to develop a “workable regulatory framework” for digital coins.

«It's something to reassure. It's a good reminder for staff members to carry identification with them, including photos of their visas,» Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Monday. He was asked at the daily press briefing about the UN sending an email to staffers suggesting that they carry a form of identification at all times in case stopped by authorities in New York. When asked if this has ever happened before, Dujarric said «Not in my memory.» According to the note regarding proof of identity if «stopped by authorities in New York,» seen by PTI, the UN reminded all staff members and their families of the «importance» of carrying a form of identification at all times.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s government seems set to drop its 6% equalization levy on online advertising services rendered to Indian advertisers by offshore digital businesses. This so-called ‘Google tax’—since it impacted this US-based web-search company perhaps the most, though also others like Meta and X—was introduced in 2016, but is abruptly being withdrawn just days before US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs go into force from 2 April.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is finally making its way to PlayStation 5, with a confirmed release date of April 17. The game, which first appeared for Xbox and PC players in December 2024, will now be released to additional gaming platforms. Players can reserve both digital and physical editions of the game by placing preorders. They will also be able to get some special bonus items with their purchase.

President Donald Trump’s crypto project World Liberty Financial said it plans to launch a stablecoin redeemable one-for-one with the United States dollar, an announcement that comes as his administration throws its support behind the digital tokens that underpin most crypto transactions.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is investigating whether the guidelines and advisories issued by industry bodies Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) violated competition laws and promoted cartelisation in the advertising industry, according to probe-related documents seen by ET. The investigation was initiated following an August 2024 order by the CCI allowing its director-general to conduct a probe after receiving complaints about possible cartelisation in the advertising industry. The antitrust watchdog on March 18 and 19 searched the premises of these organisations and seized documents. In its application in February seeking approval for the search from a Delhi court, the CCI observed that the allegations pertain to the conduct, guidelines and advisories of these associations, which operate at different levels of the same supply chain.

In addition, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has proactively identified and blocked more than 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrest, the minister said. «The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, under the I4C, has been launched in 2021 for immediate reporting of financial frauds and stopping siphoning off funds by fraudsters. So far, around Rs 4,386 crore have been saved in more than 13.36 lakh complaints,» Kumar said in the reply. As part of the 14C, a national cybercrime reporting portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types of digital crimes, with special focus on crimes against women and children, the minister said. He said the crimes reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs and subsequent action are handled by law enforcement agencies in the states and Union Territories concerned.