As Indian consumers increasingly prioritise speed, transparency, and ease of use in their financial decisions, banking is undergoing a fundamental shift. Choice today is no longer driven by branch density or legacy alone, but by how seamlessly financial products integrate into everyday digital behaviour.
 

slice UPI credit card
 

slice is building its banking ecosystem around this change. Designed as a UPI-first bank, slice integrates savings, credit, and investments into a single digital experience that mirrors how Indians already transact. Three offerings in particular reflect this approach, addressing long-standing gaps in value, access, and simplicity.

Savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate

slice has introduced India’s first savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate, ensuring customers earn returns aligned with the true cost of money in the economy. Interest is calculated and credited daily, allowing savings to grow in real time rather than through static, below-market rates.

The offering is enabled by slice’s digital-first operating model, which keeps costs low and deploys deposits through disciplined lending to generate a healthy spread over the risk-free rate. Customers benefit from transparent returns, no minimum balance requirements, instant liquidity, and full digital access from day one, including UPI for everyday transactions.

By aligning profitability with fairness, the product sets out a new benchmark for what consumers should expect from a modern savings account.
 

UPI credit card built for everyday payments

As UPI becomes the default payment mode across India, slice is extending credit to where users already transact. The slice UPI credit card allows customers to scan and pay at any UPI-enabled merchant while drawing directly from an approved credit limit, embedding credit into routine payments instead of restricting it to traditional card usage.
 

This shift matters because access to formal credit is still limited for a large part of the population. Banks play a critical role as stabilizing institutions, enabling consumers to build a credit history early in their financial journey. Regular, responsible credit usage helps individuals qualify over time for lower-cost loans such as home loans, education loans, or business credit. For millions, the absence of a simple entry point into formal credit delays these opportunities.
 

Check the NPCI podcast between Rajan Bajaj, Founder & ED, slice and Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI
 

The card offers up to 3% cashback based on usage, features such as “slice in 3” for no-cost EMI conversion on purchases above Rs. 2,000, and weekly rewards through slice sparks. With no joining, renewal, or annual fees, and a fully digital experience, the slice UPI credit card lowers barriers to formal credit while aligning with existing payment behaviour.
 

Digital fixed deposits with high returns and regulatory protection

For users seeking predictable and secure returns, slice offers fully digital fixed deposits that combine traditional stability with app-based convenience. Customers can open, manage, and track deposits entirely online, choosing from multiple tenures based on their financial goals.

The fixed deposits offer interest rates of up to 7.25% per annum and are insured up to Rs. 5 lakh by the DICGC, providing an additional layer of regulatory protection. By pairing competitive returns with transparency and ease of access, slice is reimagining even conventional products for a digital-first audience.
 

As banking continues to evolve alongside India’s digital economy, slice’s integrated approach highlights a broader shift in consumer expectations. Platforms that simplify savings, spending, and wealth creation within a single ecosystem are increasingly shaping preference, signaling a new chapter in how Indians experience banking.

Happiest Diagnostics, a unit of Happiest Health, has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), marking a significant milestone in its growth journey. The accreditation was achieved within just two years of inception, reflecting strong governance and early maturity of quality systems.

Happiest Diagnostics, a unit of Happiest Health, has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

From inception, Happiest Diagnostics designed, commissioned, and operated its laboratories in alignment with NABL guidelines, enabling a smooth and structured accreditation process. The organisation places a strong emphasis on accuracy, reproducibility, and traceability across its diagnostic services, with an uncompromised focus on clinical quality.

Speaking on the broader vision, Mr. Ashok Soota, Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Happiest Health, said, “Our vision is to build a future-ready diagnostics platform governed by strong quality systems, capable of handling complex biological data, and scalable for advanced testing needs. This milestone strengthens our foundation to systematically expand into molecular, genomic, and preventive diagnostics, supporting how medicine will increasingly be practiced over the next decade.”

NABL accreditation provides a strong foundation for the continued expansion of the company’s accredited test menu and supports its progressive move into advanced diagnostics, including molecular and genomic testing. The diagnostic roadmap is aligned with preventive, predictive, and personalised healthcare needs, with an emphasis on introducing rare and clinically significant tests that remain under-available in routine diagnostic settings.

Mr. Davis Karedan, Co-Chairman & COO, Happiest Health, added, “For us, NABL accreditation is not just a regulatory milestone—it directly impacts the Atithi experience. It assures patients and clinicians that every report is built on rigor, consistency, and trust. As diagnostics becomes central to clinical decision-making, our focus is on delivering an experience that is accurate, transparent, and dependable at every touchpoint—from sample collection to interpretation. This accreditation reinforces our commitment to making advanced diagnostics both clinically reliable and patient-centric.”

While the current NABL accreditation marks an important milestone, Happiest Diagnostics is concurrently building a large reference laboratory that will significantly expand its accredited test portfolio—nearly tripling its current offerings—while enabling advanced and specialised testing capabilities. The reference lab is envisioned as a central hub for quality, standardisation, and complex diagnostics, supporting the organisation’s next phase of growth across molecular, genomic, and data-intensive testing.

As part of its advanced diagnostics portfolio, Happiest Diagnostics has also introduced Gut Microbiome Testing, leveraging high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to analyse over 5 GB of microbial genomic data per sample. This data-intensive test provides clinically relevant insights into digestive health, metabolic balance, immune modulation, and overall wellness, reinforcing the organisation’s focus on preventive, predictive, and personalised diagnostics.

Dr. Bikash Kumar Chaudhury, CEO & Senior Vice President, Happiest Diagnostics said “Diagnostics today plays a central role in clinical decision-making across prevention, diagnosis, and long-term care. Receiving NABL accreditation validates the strength of our quality and clinical frameworks, reinforcing confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our reports. This milestone supports the expansion of our clinical offerings, particularly in advanced and data-intensive diagnostics, while ensuring complex biological data is governed responsibly. Our focus remains on delivering clinically actionable insights that enable early intervention and support personalised, preventive healthcare.”

Looking ahead, Happiest Diagnostics plans continued investments in automation, quality systems, and advanced diagnostics, with a long-term aspiration to build a future-ready, clinically rigorous, and nationally trusted diagnostic ecosystem.

About Happiest Health
Happiest Health is an integrated “Wellness Enterprise” promoted by Ashok Soota. We are committed to improving health through better knowledge, state-of-the-art diagnostics, wellness centers, and clinics in a unique away-from-the-hospital model.

The business divisions of Happiest Health comprise Knowledge, Diagnostics, Healthcare Services and Wellness. The Knowledge business is already a global leader by virtue of its much-acclaimed Happiest Health magazine, free daily Healthzine, podcasts, videos, and impactful health summits. Diagnostics provides routine blood tests and specialized tests in Bangalore.

The Healthcare services (HCS) business specializes in multiple disciplines. We currently offer Dental and Orthopedic services. We will soon offer ENT, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Obesity & Weight management, Urology, and other disciplines.

The Wellness business too has a range of clinics including Ayurveda, Mental health, Body Dynamics, and Physiotherapy. 

Our mission at Happiest Health is to inspire everyone to “embrace wellness” as a way of life.

Riders of Jawa, Yezdi and BSA rode out across India on 26 January 2026, with the shared belief that motorcycling, like the Republic itself, thrives on unity drawn from diversity. Classic Legends, the makers of the modern performance classics, celebrated with them by going live with its community page, titled ‘Nomads: Ride as One, Ride the Legacy’, on its official website. The new page is designed to take riders closer to their local riding community (Jawa-Yezdi-BSA rider clubs) by making discovery and connecting just a click away.

Jawa-Yezdi-BSA Nomads Kommuniti’s The Republic Ride

The Republic Day rides, Nomads for Unity in Diversity, stretched across regions and cultures, from Jammu to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat to Manipur, reflecting India’s vast geography united by a single passion for performance classics from Jawa, Yezdi and BSA. The love for these motorcycles brought together more than 2,000 riders, representing over 20 independent riding communities and more than 150 dealership-led riding groups, spanning different age groups, professions, and riding styles.

In a rolling expression of continuity, seasoned riders rode alongside first-time tourers, and legacy machines flanked modern-day performance classics from brands Jawa, Yezdi and BSA. The independent communities and dealership-led riding groups will now be further unified by Classic Legends’ riding collective called ‘Nomads’, consolidating all the brands’ riding groups on the brands’ common website.

Spanning riding communities across Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA, Nomads is designed to be their shared identity that cuts across the brands, regions, and choice of ride. Built by riders, and not by campaigns, Nomads epitomises the inclusiveness, independence, and joy of riding with one’s tribe. It made Republic Day a fitting celebration to launch the Nomads website nationally. The page will make finding the riding club closest to the rider easy and facilitate riding out with their tribe more often.

Anupam Thareja, Co-founder, Classic Legends, said, “At the heart of motorcycling lies the urge to seek out your own brand of freedom. Our performance classics are designed for that quest. But there is a deeper longing that defines motorcycling across generations, especially in these alienating times of digital overload – the urge to belong. While some days are about riding for yourself, Republic Day is about riding together. The annual rides of Jawa, Yezdi and BSA on this day unites different riders to ride out as a close-knit tribe. This year, we are celebrating them by doing more than sharing their stories. We are going live with our community page, Nomads, which lets each of our riders, old and new, find a riding community near them. The name for our riding collective recognises the urge to test boundaries and yet, belong together for a shared purpose, which could simply be the love of motorcycling.”

In addition to the Nomads page launch, rider stories from across the country were shared in real-time on the Jawa Yezdi and BSA Motorcycle social media handles throughout the day, saluting the spirit of riding with fellow Nomads.

The Republic Day rides are an annual tradition for Nomads, the Jawa, Yezdi and BSA riding communities. This year marks a larger, more unified Nomads presence, deeper collaboration with independent communities, and the launch of the Nomads platform, built to sustain that momentum well beyond community rides throughout the year.

About Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. & BSA Motorcycles

Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. was founded with a vision to reintroduce iconic motorcycle brands in India & international markets. The company currently boasts an elaborate portfolio constituting Jawa, Yezdi & BSA marquee brands. It aims to bring consumers a quintessential motorcycling lifestyle experience by co-creating exciting product and service offerings within its motorcycling ecosystem and bringing back renewed fervour into the performance-classic motorcycle market.

www.jawayezdimotorcycles.com/

www.facebook.com/yezdiforever/

www.facebook.com/jawamotorcycles/

x.com/jawamotorcycles

twitter.com/yezdiforever

www.bsamotorcycles.in/

www.facebook.com/p/BSA-Motorcycles-India-61561313586811/

x.com/bsamotorcyclein?lang=en

Avtar Group, India’s leading workplace culture and inclusion consulting firm, launched the Avtar & Seramount ‘Best Companies for Women in India’ (BCWI) 2026 study at a Leadership Summit held at the Leela Ambience in Gurugram. BCWI, an annual benchmarking study conducted by Avtar and Seramount, is among India’s largest and most rigorous inclusion-focused studies, with over 400 participating organizations and growing each year. Introduced in 2016, BCWI marked its tenth anniversary last year, completing a decade of shaping inclusive workplaces across India.
 

Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Director, Avtar Career Creators, launching the BCWI 2026 in Gurgaon
 

Speaking at the leadership summit, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Director of Avtar, said, “Workplaces will continue to evolve, and organizations will always debate what to prioritize. But there is one non-negotiable truth: Strong performance and stability come only when employees are engaged and customers believe in the organization. Neither is possible without inclusion & belonging. Gender inclusion, in particular, is a decisive performance lever. And today, women’s participation is also a global and national priority. With the Global Gender Parity Sprint accelerating action towards 2030, and India’s 2047 goal of 70% women’s participation promising a $14 trillion economic upside, inclusion is a macro-economic imperative. This is where BCWI plays a critical role. BCWI offers a rigorous, data-backed benchmark that helps organizations build inclusion that lasts, anchored in leadership ownership, pay equity, safe workplaces, flexibility, and fair career progression. I encourage organizations of every size to benchmark with BCWI, learn from corporate India’s most effective practices and be recognized among the country’s most inclusive employers.”

Dr Saundarya Rajesh also unveiled a new benchmark – the Avtar & Seramount ‘Best Places for Workplace Wellness’, recognizing the growing importance of well-being in today’s workplaces. The study will evaluate organizations across areas such as built-in work flexibility, comprehensive wellness benefits, inclusive and equitable practices, data-led decision-making and a strong focus on continuous improvement.

The event convened senior leaders and decision-makers from benchmark-setting companies including CBRE, EY India, IBM, IHG Hotels & Resorts, R1 RCM, Sun Life Global Solutions, Teleperformance and Wipro for high-impact conversations on what sets leading organizations apart, the future of inclusion, and the business outcomes of building equitable, high-trust workplaces. This pivotal leadership summit also featured a path-breaking ‘Solutions Clinic’ that explored the tangible advantages of rigorous benchmarking, along with a key segment that spotlighted the principle-led articulation of the BCWI framework.

Over the last decade, BCWI has documented measurable progress in women’s workplace outcomes across participating organisations. Women’s representation in the workforce among the ‘Best’ companies has grown from 25% in 2016 to 35.7% in 2025, reflecting sustained efforts to strengthen hiring, retention, and advancement. At the leadership level, the benchmark recorded a rise in women’s C-suite representation to 20%, up from 13% in 2016, reinforcing the increasing emphasis on building stronger, more equitable leadership pathways.

Participation in the Avtar & Seramount benchmarking studies is free. Register here:
www.avtarcc.com/enrich/best-companies-for-women-in-india-bcwi/

About Avtar

Avtar Career Creators, founded in 2000 by Dr Saundarya Rajesh, is one of India’s leading workplace culture consulting firms, supporting hundreds of companies in creating diverse and supportive workplaces. Avtar is also the country’s largest provider of second career opportunities for women.

An ISO 20700 certified firm, Avtar’s biggest research projects are its annual benchmarking studies – the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) and the Most Inclusive Companies Index (MICI). Done in partnership with Seramount, BCWI and MICI are India’s largest workplace inclusion benchmarking studies, which have paved the way for the employment of more women and other underrepresented groups. Avtar also promotes inclusive hiring through MyAvtar, India’s first job portal for underrepresented professionals.

A snapshot of Avtar’s work in the last 25 years:

• Provided advisory services in inclusive practices to 800+ organizations

• Conducted 5000+ workshops and training programs in companies of different sizes, spanning industries and locations

• Facilitated the re-entry of 1,00,000 second-career women into the workforce through MyAvtar.com

• Engaged with 200,000+ women through career enablement programs

• Offered unique skilling programs such as DigiPivot (a prestigious course in digital marketing, conducted in partnership with Google, HUL, and ISB) to hundreds of women

• Provided career intentionality training, employment guidance, and access to industry leaders every year to 10,000+ girls from underprivileged backgrounds through Project Puthri, an initiative of the Avtar Human Capital Trust (AHCT)

• Impacted 4000+ schoolboys through MITR (Men Impacting Trust and Respect), an initiative by AHCT that mentors boys to be advocates for women

For its transformational impact in the realm of DEI, Avtar Group was listed in the prestigious Steward Leadership 25 Listing by Straits Times & INSEAD in Singapore in 2022. In 2025, Avtar won the Times Business Awards and was recognized as the ‘Leading Women’s Employment Organization’.

To know more, visit www.avtarcc.com | www.myavtar.com.