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☆ India's Paytm wins regulator extension for payment aggregator licence application
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 26 (Reuters) - Indian financial technology company Paytm Payments Services Ltd has received an extension from the country's banking regulator to apply for a payment aggregator licence and aims to reapply in about 15 days, the company said on Sunday. Paytm Payments Services, in the meantime, can continue with the online payment aggregation business for its existing partners, without taking on any new merchants, the company said in a notification to stock exchanges on Sunday. Paytm Payments Services Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of One 97 Communications (PAYT.NS). Payment aggregators, platforms that bring together various online payment options, must be licensed by India's central bank and banking regulator, Reserve Bank of India. In November, India's banking regulator had declined a payment aggregator licence for the One 97 Communications unit that owns the popular Paytm brand.

☆ Airtel would be a complex saviour for Paytm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An investment from tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal would deliver a timely vote of confidence in the loss-making Indian financial technology darling whose Chinese investors are exiting. Currently it only has a payments bank licence, so it can accept deposits but not lend. New shareholders might also help ease an ongoing regulatory freeze on Paytm accepting deposits from new customers. He is seeking a stake in Paytm by merging his financial services unit – Airtel Payments Bank – into Paytm’s comparable unit, and wants to buy shares in its parent too from other holders, per Bloomberg. Mittal seeks to fold Airtel Payments Bank into Paytm Payments Bank in a stock deal and is also seeking to buy Paytm shares from other holders, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.

☆ SoftBank, Ant discuss to sell Paytm stake via block deal - ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The interface of Indian payments app Paytm is seen in front of its logo displayed in this illustration picture taken July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationFeb 27 (Reuters) - China's Ant Group and Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) have discussed selling stake in One 97 Communications, which operatesIndian digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS), through a block deal, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Monday. SoftBank, Ant Group, Paytm and Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comments. Ant and SoftBank are likely to offload shares gradually in the market as part of their plan to exit Paytm, the report said. China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) earlier this month sold its remaining stake in Paytm for about 13.78 billion rupees.

☆ Schneider CEO’s tenure is refreshingly sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Schneider Electric (SCHN.PA) sells products like circuit breakers that help customers manage their energy consumption in a sustainable way. Jean-Pascal Tricoire’s leadership of the French industrial software group reinforces the image of long-term reliability. Peter Herweck, now the boss of Aveva, the British software group Schneider bought last month, will take over in May. Tricoire’s term is uncommon: only 19% of CEOs stay in the job for more than 10 years while the median tenure is just five years, according to a PwC study. Over the last two decades Schneider’s revenue has quadrupled to 34 billion euros.

☆ Buffett TSMC's U-turn spotlights chips' siren call
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Feb 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A lot can change in three months, especially in the world of semiconductor investing. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) inexplicably sold most of its $4.1 billion holding in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW), a position only disclosed in November. For TSMC, Berkshire probably pocketed a 9% return, Reuters reported citing analyst estimates, having held the stake for roughly three months. He may be right about TSMC, which boasts a monopoly in advanced chipmaking and superior profitability - the "moats" Buffett prizes so highly. Moat or no moat, the outlook for chips is getting dicey.

☆ Silly Meta, Roblox isn’t just for kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Feb 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Video-game and social-media hub Roblox (RBLX.N) isn’t playing around when it comes to expanding its audience. The company behind MeepCity and Royale High has been racing alongside Meta Platforms (META.O) to turn the metaverse into more than just a vague buzzword. Despite being unprofitable and considerably smaller than Facebook’s owner, it is putting up a solid fight. Meta is mulling ways to attract younger users, including maybe opening the game up to minors older than 13. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Ford deal shows U.S. EVs can’t unplug from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It’s evident that President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act “did what it was intended to do”, according to one executive. Ford Motor (F.N) is licensing technology and services from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (300750.SZ), rather than buying batteries directly or forming a joint venture. This unusual setup allows the American auto veteran to use CATL’s lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) chemistry whilst satisfying the IRA’s demands. As automakers start mass-producing electric vehicles, they will depend on Chinese suppliers, wherever they locate their factories. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Rothschild holdouts have little chance of a bump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The dynasty behind famed investment bank Rothschild & Co (ROTH.PA) has sided with France’s business elite to buy out minority investors on the cheap. Any potential holdouts, though, have little hope. If they miss that threshold, the Rothschild family can keep whatever shares they get. That means they could just try the whole thing again next year – but starting from a higher ownership base. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Alibaba exit is first remedy for Paytm’s woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Feb 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Alibaba’s (9988.HK), exit will be a relief for India’s Paytm (PAYT.NS). The move makes sense for Alibaba, though Paytm’s other Chinese backer, Ant, may find it harder to cash out. Paytm’s languishing stock is up over 27% in four days following the better-than-expected quarterly numbers. That allowed Alibaba’s Singapore arm to exit the company at 643 rupees per share, a decent 10% higher than its average purchase price. That implies Paytm’s stock still has a steep climb before the Chinese payments group may be willing to sell.

☆ Alibaba sells remaining stake at India's Paytm as it continues to exit market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In January, Alibaba sold about 3% of Paytm for $125 million, cutting its holdings from 6.26%, based on NSE data. ‘India’s Alipay’Founded in 2010, Paytm is India’s largest payment platform, with more than 300 million registered customers and over 20 million merchants. Paytm and Ant Group had been working on “synergies” since Ant made the initial investment, the company said. In early 2021, Alibaba sold a major stake in BigBasket, an online grocery retailer, to Indian conglomerate Tata Group. In May 2022, Alibaba and Ant Group offloaded their entire stake in Paytm Mall, the e-commerce platform of Paytm.

☆ Alibaba sells out of India's Paytm - ANI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A QR code of Paytm is seen at a mobile repairing shop in Kolkata, India, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Rupak De ChowdhuriBENGALURU, Feb 10 (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) has sold its remaining stake in Indian digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS) through a block deal, India's ANI reportedon Friday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. Paytm and Alibaba did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In January, Alibaba sold a 3.1% stake in the company through a block deal worth $125 million, a source with direct knowledge of the matter had told Reuters. Before that, the Chinese firm had a 6.26% stake in Paytm.

☆ Indian shares set for muted start on rate fears, Adani uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts said that the selloff in Adani stocks has created panic in Indian markets. Ratings agency Moody's warned that the tumble in Adani group stocks could hit the conglomerate's ability to raise capital. STOCKS TO WATCHState Bank of India (SBI.NS): India's largest lender reports a rise in net profit in the third quarter. read moreITC (ITC.NS): Co reports a higher-than-expected rise in net profit in December-quarter on strong cigarette sales and steady demand for packaged foods. read moreMarico (MRCO.NS): Co reports higher-than-expected rise in net profit in Q3 on higher demand for cooking products and hair oil.

☆ Alibaba sells Paytm stake worth $125 mln via block deal - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 12 (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) sold a 3.1% stake in Indian digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS) worth $125 million through a block deal on Thursday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Alibaba, which held a 6.26% stake in Paytm as at end-September, sold the stake at 536.95 rupees apiece, the source said. Morgan Stanley advised Alibaba on the deal, the source said. Alibaba and Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reporting by Sriram Mani in Mumbai, Nishit Navin in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Paytm bank gets central bank nod to name new CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Paytm Payments Bank, majority owned by billionaire Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has received India's central bank's approval to name Surinder Chawla as its new chief executive, a statement said. Last year, India's central bank barred Paytm Payments Bank from taking on new customers and ordered a comprehensive audit of its IT systems, citing "material" supervisory concerns observed in the bank. Paytm Payments Bank facilitates transactions on mobile commerce platform Paytm. In its statement, One 97 Communications Ltd (PAYT.NS), the parent of fintech firm Paytm, said India's central bank has given its nod to appoint Surinder Chawla as Paytm Payments Bank's managing director and chief executive. Paytm listed in 2021 after a mega $2.5 billion initial public offer.

☆ Exclusive: Nexus Venture eyes $700 million fund to bet on India, U.S. tech startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( M. Sriram | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It would also expand the pool of funds available to startups, at a time when fundraising by Indian startups fell by a third last year to $24 billion, Venture Intelligence data showed. Founded in 2006, Nexus was one of the first Indian venture capital firms to invest in U.S. and India-based software startups. The new fund will be its seventh so far and take the firm's assets under management to more than $2 billion. The new fund has received a strong response from endowments, one of the sources said, without sharing names of any specific investors. Nexus was co-founded by Naren Gupta who ran a software company in the United States for 15 years before selling it to Intel.

☆ The 10 most active European and US investors betting on India as Asia's tech powerhouse, as it hits 100 startups worth $1 billion or more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Funding from US and European HQ'd investors into Indian startups. 2021 was a banner year, with nearly 75% of the total funds into Indian startups coming from foreign investors. Foreign investor traction in India remains strong, said Draganov, who expects US and European venture capitalists to maintain their presence in India in the coming years. Using data from Dealroom and PitchBook, Insider profiled the most active investors that are headquartered in Europe and the US that have backed Indian startups since 2016. Based on the deal volume and size of investments into Indian startups since 2016, here are the top European and US firms investing into Indian startups, in alphabetical order.

☆ SoftBank, Tencent Lead Way as Asia’s Tech Investors Become Stock Sellers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Dave Sebastian | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SoftBank and other large investors in Asian tech companies are pulling out of the sector. Some of the world’s most influential institutions are selling shares of Asia’s technology giants after owning them for years, a troubling sign for investors after what has already been a painful market selloff. In recent months, Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. has pared its stakes in the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and the Indian mobile-payments company Paytm, in both cases following declines in their share prices. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Warren Buffett’s company, has been gradually reducing its stake in BYD Co., a Chinese electric-vehicle maker that it has owned shares in since 2008.

But many are delaying IPOs amid a stock market rout that has raised concerns over frothy tech valuations. In a statement to Reuters, Snapdeal said it has decided to withdraw the IPO prospectus "considering the prevailing market conditions", without elaborating. It adding that Snapdeal may reconsider an IPO in future depending on its need for capital and market conditions. The change of Snapdeal's plans comes as tech stocks in India that listed in recent years face investors' wrath. In August, TPG and Prosus-funded Indian online pharmcy PharmEasy withdrew papers for its $760 million IPO, while Warburg Pincus-backed seller of wireless earphones, boAT Lifestyle, also withdrew its papers in October.

Last month, Paytm said it would become free cash flow positive in the next 12-18 months. The buyback plans come as several technology stocks in India face pressure amid a rising interest rate environment and concerns over valuations. Shriram Subramanian, managing director of Bengaluru-based corporate governance advisory firm InGovern Research Services, said Paytm's investors should focus on its long-term fundamentals. "Investors should look at how the company is able to make money from their business, the path to profitability and when will they become profitable rather than focusing on the buyback," Subramanian said. Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman and Akansha Victor; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Paytm parent One97 considers share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - India's One 97 Communications Ltd (PAYT.NS) said on Thursday it is considering to repurchase its shares. The parent company of digital payments firm Paytm said that its board is set to meet on Dec. 13 to consider the buyback proposal. Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mukesh Ambani will take credit where it’s due
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Boss Mukesh Ambani might do precisely that to fund a push by his $220 billion Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) conglomerate into consumer lending. The company is spinning off and listing its little-noticed non-bank financial company. More than rivals, Ambani is sitting on a treasure trove of data to assess the credit worthiness of borrowers. As a home-grown tycoon, Ambani has a better chance of success than other late entrants to financial services. On Oct. 21, Reliance revealed plans to spin off Reliance Strategic and rename it Jio Financial Services.

☆ India regulator asks One 97 Communications unit to reapply for payment aggregator licence
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - India's banking regulator has declined a payment aggregator licence for the One 97 Communications Ltd (PAYT.NS) unit that owns the popular Paytm brand, asking it to reapply with 120 days after meeting certain conditions. The regulator asked Paytm Payments Services Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of One 97 Communications, to reapply after getting the necessary approvals for foreign direct investment in the company to comply with existing rules, the company said in a notification to stock exchanges on Saturday. Payment aggregators, platforms that bring together various online payment options, must be licensed by India's central bank and banking regulator, Reserve Bank of India. In its communication to exchanges, One 97 Communications said it does not expect the delay in securing a payment aggregator licence to impact its business. The regulator also asked that Paytm Payments Services not bring onboard new online merchants until it reapplies for the licence.

☆ Indian shares down on concerns over Fed's rate posture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Praveen Paramasivam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Indian shares slipped on Thursday, mirroring the weakness in Asian peers, amid growing signs that the Federal Reserve might not temper its aggressive monetary policy anytime soon. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific shares ex-Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) slid a steeper 1.47%, with analysts pinning the smaller drop in local equities to India's fiscal health and economic growth prospects. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly even said a pause was off the table. The Fed's stance could trigger "bouts of volatility," said Prashanth Tapse, vice president of research at Mehta Equities. "Traders are not uncomfortable with the high valuation of Indian markets, hence periodic profit-taking will continue."

☆ Meta's India public policy chief, WhatsApp's India boss quit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (Reuters) - WhatsApp's India head Abhijit Bose and Meta Platforms Inc's (META.O) public policy director in India Rajiv Aggarwal have resigned, a Meta spokesperson said on Tuesday. The departures follow the exit of Meta's India head Ajit Mohan, who quit this month after four years in the job to join rival Snap Inc (SNAP.N). A Meta spokesperson said both of the exits were unrelated to the current layoffs. Meta has appointed Shivnath Thukral as its new director for public policy in India and the company will look for a replacement for Bose, the spokesperson said. Couple of months back, the head of WhatsApp's India payment business, Manesh Mahatme, also quit to join Amazon India.

☆ Paytm’s Earnings Penance Delivers a Little Hope
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Paytm reported quarterly results that are considered relatively encouraging, with revenue surging 76%. Indian fintech giant Paytm delivered impressive earnings numbers this week as it hobbles its way toward profitability. Unfortunately for its investors, that brave performance had little impact on the stock. A sustainable rebound for shares of Paytm, which raised about $2.5 billion in India’s largest initial public offering last November, awaits good news on the regulatory front—and probably a global sea change in investor sentiment toward tech firms, too.

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