Home Blog Page 146

Bangalore Watch Company™ Introduces a Watch to Honour Humanity’s First Interstellar Visitor

In the spirit of producing world-class watches that tell stories from modern India, Bangalore Watch Company™ celebrates humanity’s first confirmed interstellar discovery with a new watch in the Apogee collection. The new watch is called – The Visitor.

Visitor amidst space rocks

We launched the Apogee collection in 2021 as India’s first space-qualified watch. Since then, it has been our way of celebrating stories of space exploration through world-class watchmaking. With this new watch, we carry that vision forward by bringing to life a story that started far beyond our solar system,” said Nirupesh Joshi, Co-founder and Creative Director of the brand.

The story of the Visitor goes back to 2017, when astronomers saw an interstellar object passing through our solar system at an extraordinary speed. It had come from another star system, making it the first interstellar object ever observed by humanity. This rare discovery changed the way we think about space, reminding us of the vastness of the universe. It was this discovery that inspired the idea behind the Visitor.

The brand has chosen a Meteorite from outer space to use in the watch, the Muonionalusta meteorite – one of the oldest materials on Earth. Meteorites are extremely hard to work with, but after precision and patience, the Meteorites reveal natural crystalline patterns that make every piece unique. The brand has used this rare material in the Apogee collection since 2021, and in the Visitor, a rare black Meteorite has been used for the dial.

Our customers love the fact that they get to wear a watch that is unlike any other; they’re extremely rare and the patterns make them unique,” said Mercy Amalraj, Co-founder and Head of Ownership Experience.

The Visitor is housed in a case crafted from Cerasteel™, Bangalore Watch Company’s proprietary material that blends high-grade steel with an advanced ceramic coating for strength and refinement. The watch is powered by a highly accurate Swiss Automatic movement, water resistant up to 100M, and designed for everyday wear. The watches are manufactured with the highest standards of Swiss timekeeping with the brand’s in-house watchmakers in Bangalore. The Visitor is a fragment of cosmic history, to carry on the wrist.

The Visitor is priced at INR 216,000/-. The watches can be ordered through the brand’s website www.bangalorewatchco.in starting today.

About Bangalore Watch Company™

Bangalore Watch Company™ produces world-class, luxury wristwatches from India. Each collection, produced in limited numbers, tells stories from modern India. The watches carry themes like Aviation, Space, Cricket, and Nature. Founded in India’s watchmaking ground-zero in 2018, the brand has built an enthusiastic following around the world with patrons in over 30 countries.

Druid Sport Appointed as Exclusive Commercial Representative of the Argentine Football Association in the Indian Subcontinent

The Argentine Football Association (AFA), reigning FIFA World Cup Champions, has appointed Druid Sport as its exclusive commercial representative in the Indian subcontinent.

Druid Sport Appointed as Exclusive Commercial Representative of the Argentine Football Association in the Indian Subcontinent

This landmark agreement will see Druid Sport manage and sell regional sponsorship rights for the Argentina National Teams, giving businesses across the Indian subcontinent direct access to one of football’s most iconic teams and its legendary players. With established partnerships in India already, including brands such as Amul and Kingfisher, the commercial potential is clear. The period leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 offers a powerful platform for new partners to activate campaigns, engage fans, and align with the reigning World Champions.

This collaboration comes as Argentina prepare to visit Kerala this November for a special international friendly, in the lead up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, which is expected to be global superstar Lionel Messi’s last World Cup appearance. The AFA has one of the largest and most passionate followings in the region. From the extraordinary welcome Diego Maradona received on his visit to India, to the overwhelming support for Lionel Messi and the National Team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, millions of fans across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and beyond have embraced Argentina as their own. With more than 250 million fans in India alone, the subcontinent has become one of the largest and most passionate Argentinian fan bases outside South America.

Druid Sport is a boutique international sports marketing agency with a track record of delivering cross-market partnerships for major sports properties. Already exclusively representing AFA in China, Druid Sport now manages AFA’s rights in two of the world’s most dynamic regions – China and the Indian subcontinent, together representing nearly half of the global population. As part of its long-term commitment to this market, Druid Sport is opening a new office in India to serve regional partners, seed new initiatives and commercial programmes and scale operations within this rapidly growing sports ecosystem.

Diarmuid Crowley, Chief Executive Officer, Druid Sport, said, “We are honoured to represent the FIFA World Cup Champions in one of the most passionate football regions in the world. Our goal is to bring Argentina closer to the millions of fans across the Indian subcontinent and to create meaningful partnerships between AFA and leading regional brands. With our presence now spanning both China and India, we are uniquely positioned to connect the Argentina National Team with audiences that together make up almost half the world’s population.”

Claudio Tapia, President of the Argentine Football Association, commented, “We know the passion that South Asian fans have for our team, and we are excited to strengthen this connection through our new partnership with Druid Sport. Its proven expertise in Asia will help us expand our commercial presence and deliver unforgettable experiences for our fans and partners in the region. Looking beyond this year, we feel confident these new associations will build lasting relationships with key business partners, inspiring even greater enthusiasm to play and watch this beautiful game for generations to come.”

CARS24 Bets Rs. 50,000 on the Accuracy of Every PDI Report

In a market where half-truths and hidden histories often shadow used car purchases, CARS24 has introduced a radical industry-first assurance, the CARS24 Guarantee powered by PDI. The initiative guarantees Rs. 50,000 if any critical error is found in its Advanced Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) reports powered by CarTruth, CARS24’s proprietary inspection technology.

CARS24 backs its PDI reports with Rs. 50,000, bringing transparency to India’s pre-owned car market

The move makes CARS24 the first company in India’s auto sector to financially underwrite the accuracy of its own inspection reports, setting a new benchmark for transparency and accountability.

According to industry reports, India’s used car market, already larger than the new car market and projected to reach Rs. 4.5 lakh crore by 2030, is undergoing a transformation. While over 70% of transactions still occur through unorganized players, data-led PDI adoption is rising sharply, with thousands of buyers now opting for digital inspections before finalizing a car purchase.

This festive season alone, CARS24 has recorded an 500% increase in PDI bookings, reflecting a clear behavioural shift among Indian used-car buyers, from relying on intuition to seeking verified assurance.

The growth has been most pronounced in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru , Mumbai and Hyderabad with Tier-2 cities such as Ahmedabad, Indore, and Chandigarh also showing accelerated adoption. The trend signals a larger market evolution, one where data-led inspections are rapidly replacing the leap of faith that has long defined India’s used car ecosystem.

Every maturing market moves from emotion to evidence. The PDI Guarantee signals that shift for India, it marks the moment when belief in a car’s story will finally depend on data, not on the dealerGajendra Jangid, Co-founder & CMO, CARS24

Bringing India Closer to Global Standards
In mature markets like the US and UK, pre-purchase inspections and verified car histories have been standard for years, supported by platforms like Carfax and AutoCheck. The PDI Guarantee bridges that gap in India, giving local buyers a level of confidence comparable to global benchmarks.

CARS24’s Advanced PDI, powered by CarTruth, runs over 300 AI-driven checks covering accident and flood damage, odometer rollbacks, repainting, theft or blacklist records, and ownership verification. The Rs. 50,000 PDI Guarantee applies to critical misses such as:

  • Undisclosed accident or flood history

  • Odometer rollbacks exceeding 2%

  • Theft or blacklist cases missed

  • Incorrect ownership records

  • Repainting errors overlooked

PDI reports have quickly emerged as one of the most sought-after pre-purchase tools among Indian car buyers. Tens of thousands of customers have already used CARS24’s Advanced PDI before buying, a number that continues to grow every month.

By backing its report accuracy with a cash-backed guarantee, CARS24 aims to close the lingering trust gap and drive widespread adoption of standardized inspections in India’s used car ecosystem.

A New Standard for the Industry
With the PDI Guarantee, CARS24 becomes the first autotech company in India to assign real financial value to truth. In an industry long governed by assumptions, the company’s approach signals a shift toward a more transparent, technology-led, and customer-first marketplace.

About CARS24
Since its inception in 2015, CARS24 has been on a mission to simplify car ownership for everyone. Offering services such as buying, selling, loans, insurance, scrapping and more, CARS24 is the ultimate automotive super app. Through CARS24 Financial Services, the company also provides innovative vehicle lending solutions, further enhancing its customer offerings.

For media inquiries, please contact: press@cars24.com

SRM University-AP Recognised with QS-I GAUGE Diamond Rating for Institutional Excellence

SRM University-AP has been conferred QS-I GAUGE Diamond Rating for overall institutional excellence – a recognition that reflects the university’s steadfast pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and innovation.

QS-I GAUGE Diamond Rating Certificate Awarded to SRM University-AP

The university’s advanced Facilities were certified with Platinum Rating, whereas key domains such as Employability, Teaching & Learning, Research, Diversity & Accessibility, and Internationalisation were recognised with Gold Rating. A Silver Rating was credited for its Governance and Structure – reaffirming that teaching-learning practices, infrastructure, governance, and student engagement of the university align with the highest global standards.

The QS I-GAUGE evaluation highlights SRM AP’s strengths and areas for investment. We will use these insights to refine how we allocate resources and to reinforce our competitive edge in the education sector,” remarked Dr Karthik Rajendran, Associate Dean, Office of the Dean – Quality Assurance and Rankings.

Vice Chancellor (I/C), Prof. Ch Satish Kumar expressed his appreciation stating, “We are deeply honoured for the QS I-GAUGE Diamond Rating that reflects our university’s culture of excellence. This milestone is a testament to the dedication of our faculty, the curiosity and drive of our students, and the unwavering support of our leadership and stakeholders.” He also asserted that this recognition further strengthens the university’s resolve to advance knowledge, foster innovation, and contribute meaningfully to India’s progress as a hub of world-class higher education.

The QS I-GAUGE Rating provides a holistic 360-degree audit on SRM AP‘s performance and offers a structured and comprehensive framework to assess key parameters. As a new-age institution committed to build a research-intensive, globally connected academic ecosystem that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and social responsibility, this external validation anchors SRM University-AP as a global benchmark upholding high standards in delivering quality education.

Hong Kong’s Iconic Culinary Festival Returns This October

Hong Kong

Asia’s premier gastronomic event is back! From 23 to 26 October 2025, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival will take centre stage at the Central Harbourfront, transforming the city’s most iconic waterfront venue into a four-day celebration of food, wine, and culture. For Indian travellers, it’s the perfect excuse for a festive-season getaway, combining Michelin-star dining, cultural experiences, and Hong Kong’s vibrant harbourfront energy.

The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival returns 23-26 October 2025, showcasing Michelin-star dining and global flavours

Signature experiences are making a return, including the Grand Wine Pavilion – a curated showcase of global wines, and the Tasting Room an exclusive pop-up restaurant where world-renowned chefs collaborate on once-in-a-lifetime menus. From Bordeaux’s finest vintages to bold Asian flavours, visitors can savour the world’s best in one place.

Taste the Signatures

At the heart of the festival lies the Grand Wine Pavilion, a stunning showcase of a curated wine selection handpicked by renowned experts, including James Suckling, ensuring that every bottle is a must-try for true enthusiasts. Guests can embark on a journey through the iconic Grand Cru Class estates of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, discover bold expressions from next-generation winemakers, and savour rare selections from outstanding producers. This year’s edition is extra special as it marks the 170th anniversary of the Bordeaux 1855 Classification, offering Indian wine lovers a chance to taste history.


Equally anticipated is the Tasting Room, an exclusive restaurant open only for the event, celebrating collaborations among world-renowned chefs. This limited-time dining experience features a premium menu, with each chef contributing a unique course. Available only in Hong Kong during the Wine & Dine Festival, the Tasting Room showcases an extraordinary blend of culinary talents, making it a true celebration of gastronomic artistry.

Celebrity Chefs Lineup

This year’s Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival is set to shine with star power at Central Harbourfront. At the Tasting Room, guests will enjoy exclusive menus crafted by five acclaimed chefs: Chef Andrew Wong of London’s two-Michelin-starred A. Wong, Chef Cheung Yat Fung of Chao Shang Chao (Chaoyang), three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Beijing and Korean celebrity chef Jung Ji-sun of Tian Mi Mi featured in Netflix’s Culinary Class War. Joining them are Hong Kong’s own Chef Menex Cheung of China Tang and Chef Jayson Tang of one-Michelin-starred Man Ho Chinese Restaurant – JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, both celebrated for their refined Cantonese cuisine.

The star power continues at Gourmet Avenue, where award-winning restaurants and bars-recognized by the Michelin Guide and Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, and often fully booked-come together under one roof. For four days only, festivalgoers can enjoy an exclusive culinary experience featuring signature dishes from chefs like Alvin Leung of two-Michelin-starred Bo Innovation, as well as Anne-Sophie Pic, the most Michelin-decorated female chef in the world and owner of the Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic in Hong Kong. For Indian travellers, it’s a rare chance to enjoy signature dishes by chefs whose restaurants are usually booked out months in advance – all in one buzzing waterfront festival.

Pairing Exploration

This year’s festival invites guests to explore exciting pairings. With a new self-guided pairing experience, attendees can experiment with varietals, each matched with complementary foods based on flavour profiles. This setup is ideal for discovering the perfect harmony between global flavours at their own pace, along with bold and unexpected combinations.

New Discovery

Beyond signature elements, the Wine & Dine Festival presents new opportunities for exploration. In addition to the classics such as Bordeaux, Italy, UK, Spain and Japan, this year guests can discover wines from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, Austria and more. It further celebrates the rise of contemporary Chinese gastronomy, which is gaining international recognition and drawing connoisseurs from around the world.

Ready to taste, savour, and remix your palate From 23-26 October 2025, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival offers Indian travellers the chance to explore global flavours, discover new pairings, and celebrate the world’s finest culinary traditions – all on one vibrant harbourfront.

About Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a government-subvented body tasked with marketing and promoting Hong Kong as a travel destination worldwide and enhancing visitors experience once they arrive. These include making recommendations to the Government and other relevant bodies on the range and quality of visitor facilities.

The HKTB’s missions are to maximise the social and economic contribution made by tourism to the community of Hong Kong and to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a unique, world-class, and most desired destination.

Rangsons Aerospace and Optimare India Join Forces to Deliver Advanced Pollution Monitoring Systems

Rangsons Aerospace, a leading product technology firm for aerospace, defence and homeland security, today announced a long-term collaboration with Optimare India to develop and produce advanced Pollution Monitoring/Surveillance Systems (PMS/PSS).

From left: Brig Manjit Singh Rana, Dr Theo Hengstermann, Mr Neset Tkenmez, Mr Pavan G Ranga, and Mrs V Anuradha at the signing of the pollution monitoring partnership

The initiative brings together Optimare India’s domain expertise in pollution detection and Rangsons Aerospace’s strengths in mission-critical integration, avionics, and embedded systems. Under this partnership, Rangsons will serve as the production hub, ensuring scalability, lifecycle support, and strong alignment with the Government of India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

The Pollution Monitoring/Surveillance Systems can be deployed across naval aircraft, UAVs, and maritime platforms, equipped with advanced payloads capable of detecting oil spills, chemical discharges, and hazardous pollutants with real-time data relay. This dual-use technology enhances national defence preparedness while safeguarding India’s maritime environment.

Pavan Ranga, Managing Director, Rangsons Aerospace, said, “This collaboration marks a proud moment for Rangsons Aerospace as we work on a mission of national importance. By combining Optimare’s globally respected pollution detection expertise with our integration and indigenous manufacturing capabilities, we are creating a world-class solution tailored for India. This is more than a technology partnership-it is about strengthening self-reliance, protecting our environment, and building long-term capacity for the country’s defence ecosystem.”

Brig MS Rana, Optimare India, added, “Our partnership with Rangsons marks the beginning of a long-term technology and industrial collaboration, establishing a sustainable, home-grown pollution monitoring capability for the Indian Government’s maritime guarding agencies .”

This initiative not only strengthens India’s self-reliance in critical defence technologies but also supports environmental safeguarding through advanced surveillance systems.

About Rangsons Aerospace
Rangsons Aerospace is part of NR Group, a 75-year-old diversified business group based in Mysore. Rangsons Aerospace is one of India’s leading Product Technology Solutions companies. It has three world class facilities across Bangalore and Mysore. Its product lines include Satellite Communications systems, Airborne Thermal management and Fluid distribution solutions. Rangsons is a Tier 1 partner to global aerospace majors such as Boeing, GE, Honeywell among others. It also supplies several critical systems to Indian majors such as ISRO, Indian Navy, HAL and others. Rangsons Aerospace is dedicated to leveraging technology to develop innovative solutions that will help in achieving our India’s goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

About OPTIMARE
OPTIMARE was founded in 1992 as OPTIMARE GmbH. The primary goal of the company was to equip aircraft with sensor systems for remote sensing of marine pollution. Shortly after, the company has strongly expanded its activities and has transferred its expertise also to new applications, as for example underwater systems and polar survey aircraft. Optimare offer customised complete solutions for airborne surveillance and reconnaissance. Our specially developed mission systems and remote sensing sensors play a crucial role for real-time situational awarness. Mission equipment from OPTIMARE has been used on numerous types of airborne platforms worldwide, e.g., Dornier 228, Airbus DS CN235, Airbus DS C295, Saab 340, Basler BT-67, Bo-105, BN Islander, EMB-110, LET-410 and others. Since its inception OPTIMARE has been engaged in various airborne projects worldwide.

Transforming Indigenous Surgical Care in Tamil Nadu: Dr. Parimuthukumar Completes 100 Robotic Abdominal Surgeries

Prashanth Hospitals proudly announced a groundbreaking healthcare milestone led by Dr. Parimuthukumar, Clinical Lead, Institute of Robotic Surgeries – Prashanth Hospitals. With 100 successful indigenous robotic abdominal surgeries completed, the first surgeon in Chennai to reach this milestone, Dr. Parimuthukumar is setting new standards in surgical precision and patient care across Tamil Nadu. Amongst his achievements, he is also the first doctor to perform the countrys first inter-hospital robotic telesurgery covering a distance of 340 KMs.

Dr. Prashanth Krishna and Dr. Parimuthukumar of Prashanth Hospitals with representatives from Dharan Hospitals and SSi Mantra

The milestone celebration featured a special felicitation by Dr. Vishwa Srivastava, CEO – APAC, SSi Mantra, India’s leading surgical robotics company. Dr. Vishwa honored Dr. Parimuthukumar for his clinical excellence and leadership in achieving the 100 indigenous robotic abdominal surgeries landmark and also acknowledged Dr. Parimuthukumar’s pioneering role in performing India’s first inter-hospital robotic telesurgery.

The 100 successful indigenous robotic abdominal surgeries include Gall bladder removal, Uterus Removal, Simple and complex Hernia surgeries, Colonic Cancer surgery and Spleen removal. By shifting these operations from traditional open methods to robotic-assisted minimally invasive approaches, patients experience smaller incisions, reduced postoperative pain, faster recovery times, and superior surgical precision.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Prashanth Krishna, Managing Director, Prashanth Hospitals said, “At Prashanth Hospitals, our unwavering commitment is to bring the most advanced medical technologies, made right here in India, to provide transformative and precision driven care for our patients. Our mission has always been to make healthcare affordable for everyone through advanced technologies combined with the right expertise. Today, I am happy to share two important milestones, not just for us, but for Tamil Nadu’s healthcare ecosystem – one, the successful completion of 100 indigenous robotic surgeries and two, India’s first inter-hospital telesurgery that was performed recently. I congratulate Dr. Pari and his team for achieving such a meaningful milestone. We will continue to stay committed to make quality healthcare more and more affordable and accessible to all our patients.”

Adding to this, Dr. Parimuthukumar, Clinical Lead, Institute of Robotic Surgeries – Prashanth Hospitals added, “This milestone is more than numbers. It is about lives changed through safer, less invasive surgeries. Our aim is to take precision care through advanced indigenous robotic technology to every patient, regardless of where they live.”

Further adding to this, Dr. Vishwa Srivastava, Managing Director – APAC, SSi Mantra said, “Prashanth Hospitals and Dr. Parimuthukumar embodies the future of surgery with indigenous robotic technology in the state where meticulous precision meets heartfelt passion. Their pioneering work in robotics and telesurgery is setting new benchmarks, transforming healthcare delivery across the state. As a proud Made in India company, I’m very happy to see how our indigenous robotic technology is transforming and saving lives, thanks to hospitals like Prashanth Hospitals for leading this change.”

In addition to this, Dr. V. Selvaraja, Founder & Managing Director of Dharan Hospital said, “Dr. Parimuthukumar’s achievement is not just a personal milestone but a transformative moment for surgical care in Tamil Nadu. Completing 100 robotic abdominal surgeries and pioneering inter-hospital telesurgery highlights the power of technology to bridge healthcare gaps between urban and rural regions. At Dharan Hospital, we are proud to be associated with such path-breaking advancements that redefine precision, safety, and accessibility in patient care.”

About Prashanth Hospitals
Prashanth Hospitals is a multidisciplinary hospital that provides sophisticated and dedicated healthcare services by professionally trained experts. Prashanth Super-specialty Hospital at Velachery and Kolathur is one of the best- and well-known multi- specialty hospitals in Chennai. These facilities have well trained and skilled nursing staff who can take good care of the patients. The vision is to become an internationally renowned medical institute by providing excellent health care services to the patients, and the mission is to maintain the trust of the patient by providing good quality of health care. The values on which Prashanth Super-specialty Hospitals function are quality of care, respect, competence, the effectiveness of the treatment, safety, and creating health awareness among the people. Prashanth Super-specialty Hospitals also provides various health care packages for check-ups and diagnosis of any ailment and their treatments.

Balance is Beautiful: Add Broccoli to Your Festive Plate This Season

As twinkling lights brighten the streets and the aroma of festive delicacies fills our homes, the season of celebration is all about savouring Flavors together. This year, there’s a way to make the joy of festive meals even more delightful – by adding broccoli. With its vibrant green appeal, wholesome nutrition, and ability to soak up spices, broccoli adds a refreshing twist that makes festive dishes both healthy and tasty.

Balance is beautiful with broccoli on your plate

A New-Age Twist to Traditional Feasts
From family get-togethers to festive dinners, broccoli can seamlessly blend into Indian favourites while elevating their flavour and nutrition. Picture it roasted with a dash of masala, tossed into a colourful sabzi, grilled on skewers for a starter, or stirred into a creamy curry. Its versatility means it not only pairs well with Indian ingredients but also brings a freshness and crunch that makes every bite more exciting.

Healthy Can Be Indulgent Too
The best part about broccoli is that it proves balance doesn’t mean compromise. When paired with festive flavours, it feels indulgent while still offering a nourishing edge. From broccoli-stuffed parathas to fusion snacks like broccoli tikki sliders, it brings creativity and variety to the table – turning everyday recipes into festive delights.

Why Broccoli Deserves a Spot on Your Festive Menu

  • Helps Maintain Digestive Balance:

  • Heavy festive foods can leave you sluggish. Broccoli, rich in fiber, supports smoother digestion and gut health – helping you enjoy your favorite dishes without the post-meal bloat.

  • Boosts Immunity During Seasonal Change:

  • With a powerful punch of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and sulforaphane, broccoli helps your body fight off infections and strengthens your immune response – just in time for the weather swings and busy social calendar.

  • Pairs Perfectly with Indian Spices:

  • It’s a myth that healthy food is bland. Broccoli absorbs masalas, marinades, and herbs like magic – making it ideal for festive curries, kebabs, and bhurjis.

  • Light Yet Nourishing:

  • Skip the food coma. Broccoli provides iron, potassium, folic acid, and essential vitamins without weighing you down – perfect for mid-party meals or post-celebration resets.

Ideas to Celebrate with Broccoli

  • Tandoori Broccoli Skewers for your Diwali house party

  • Broccoli & Paneer Stuffed Parathas for a festive brunch

  • Broccoli Almond Soup as a pre-dinner palate cleanser

  • Broccoli Pakoras for a crunchy, crowd-pleasing snack

  • Green Detox Smoothie with broccoli, mint, apple & cucumber – perfect for the day after

Celebrate With Intention
Whether you’re hosting grand get-togethers or enjoying intimate gatherings, festive joy doesn’t have to mean letting go of mindful choices. By adding vibrant, nutritious ingredients like broccoli to your celebrations, you’re not only feeding your body right – youre embracing a more balanced and intentional way of living.

So this festive season, light up your life and your plate with something green, something good – something broccoli.

For more tips and updates, visit our website at broccolilovers.com and follow us on Instagram: @broccoliloversindia

Wibmo Unveils ‘Intelligent Authentication Suite’ for Smarter and Safer Digital Payments

At the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2025, Wibmo, a PayU company, unveiled its ground-breaking Intelligent Authentication Suite, revolutionizing digital payments authentication for banks and merchants. Wibmo’s comprehensive and scalable stack combines three advanced technologies – Web Passkey, Merchant-In App and Bank In-App Authentication, enabling smarter, faster, scalable, and safer digital payments for India and the world.

OTP-based authentication has been cornerstone of digital payments security. However, the surging digital transaction volumes demand evolved authentication infrastructures that overcome challenges like OTP delivery failures, delays, and vulnerability to sophisticated fraud techniques. These challenges cost merchants dip in sales and create customer disputes, while banks struggle with high SMS expenses that have low success rates, leading to reputation damage.

“At Wibmo, our two decades of expertise in digital payments speaks for itself – weve authenticated billions of transactions and consistently set industry benchmarks for trust, security at scale, and customer experience. Our Intelligent Authentication Suite delivers the benefits of our leadership for leading banks and industry giants. We will enable the next frontier of innovation – pioneering the shift from traditional OTP-based methods to advanced biometric-first technology in India’s digital payments ecosystem,” said Shailesh Paul, CEO, Wibmo.

Introducing the Intelligent Authentication Suite

In line with the RBI’s new guidelines on risk-based authentication beyond the current two-factor standard, the Intelligent Authentication Suite offers an alternative to OTPs through secure biometric-first authentication, offering financial institutions and merchants a comprehensive solution for unprecedented security, speed, and user experience. The suite encompasses the following key integrated solutions:

Wibmo Passkey in collaboration with Mastercard:

Wibmo has collaborated with Mastercard to introduce an industry-leading Passkey authentication solution, designed for phishing-proof, biometric-based authentication using fingerprint, Face ID, or PIN. A passkey is a secure digital credential stored on a customer’s device, protected by biometrics or device-supported authentication methods. It uses public key cryptography: the private key remains on the customer’s device, while the public key is held by the authentication provider. Passkey works seamlessly across payment methods.

The solution combines Mastercards global network security with Wibmo’s expertise in authentication, enabling transactions in under 12 seconds, about 80% faster than traditional OTP flows while ensuring robust protection against phishing and credential threats.

“At Mastercard, we remain committed to shaping the future of secure and seamless digital payments. As the first payments network to introduce passkeys in India, we recognize this as a pivotal advancement in authentication innovation. By integrating Mastercard’s global security infrastructure with Wibmo’s deep expertise in payments technology, we’re enabling biometric-first authentication experience that’s faster, safer, and more intuitive – setting a new benchmark for digital trust in India’s payments ecosystem,” said Satya Padhiary, Vice President, Business Development, South Asia, Mastercard.

Flash Pay – Merchant In-App Authentication

Flash Pay is an easy plug-and-play solution that brings biometric-first authentication to checkout, enabling secure payments in under 10 seconds via face or fingerprint recognition, with OTP as a fallback for seamless completion. It offers enhanced control over customer authentication for banks, enabling verification of the user within the merchant-app itself, whereas for merchants, it improves customer satisfaction and boosts repeat business behavior.

At the core of the Intelligent Authentication Suite are two more solutions, Wibmos Smart Orchestration engine and Bank In-App authentication via SDK and API. Smart Orchestration selects the best authentication method based on Access Control Services (ACS) capabilities, merchant needs, risk assessment, and user behavior for stronger security, higher approval rates, and frictionless customer experience. The Bank In-App authentication solution delivers seamless online card payments by allowing users to authenticate themselves on their banks application.

About PayU
PayU, Indias leading diversified fintech platform with Prosus as an investor, operates businesses that are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and offers advanced solutions to meet the digital financial services needs of customers (merchants, banks, and consumers). PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology and has empowered 4.5 lakhs+ businesses, including Indias leading enterprises, e-commerce giants and SMBs. It enables businesses to collect digital payments across 100+ online payment methods such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, EMIs, pay-later, QR, UPI, Wallets, and more. Its a preferred partner in the affordability ecosystem, offering the maximum coverage of issuers and easy-to-implement integrations across card-based EMIs, pay-later options and new-age cardless EMIs. PayU offers e-commerce brands best-in-industry success rates while ensuring a seamless checkout experience.

Wibmo, a PayU company, is a global full-stack PayTech company and an industry leader in payment security and digital payments in emerging markets. Wibmo provides market leading authentication and risk TSP services to leading banks in India and 30+ countries.

Anant National University Hosts Editor-in-Chief of ARTIndia, Reema Desai Gehi, for an Insightful Session on Contemporary Art and Media

Anant National University hosted Reema Desai Gehi, the Editor-in-Chief of ARTIndia and the author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘The Catalyst: Rudolf von Leyden and India’s Artistic Awakening‘ (2024), for an engaging talk session with Anant faculty and students on 3 October 2025. As part of Anant’s commitment to bring distinguished professionals and thought leaders to campus, the Centre for Visual Arts organised this session to broaden students’ perspectives, strengthen their preparedness to address global challenges and inspire them to design innovative and sustainable solutions for the future.

https://www.newsvoir.com/images/article/image1/33434_ANU_image.JPG

Anant National University Hosts Editor-in-Chief of ARTIndia, Reema Desai Gehi, for an Insightful Session on Contemporary Art and Media

During the sessions, Reema traced the 30-year-old journey and evolution of ARTIndia, one of India’s longest-running contemporary art magazines, and shared useful insights about keeping a publication relevant and flourishing in the digital age.

Reflecting on the changing media landscape, Reema shared, “It is important to keep the content fresh and accessible to all in the social media age, while maintaining editorial integrity. At the same time, it is equally important to choose the content mindfully, especially in today’s age of information overload.”

Commenting on the session, Prof Sharmila Sagara, Professor, Centre for Visual Arts, reflected on the session, saying, “Reema’s session was really insightful as she emphasised the importance of rigorous research to deepen the understanding of contemporary art, making media practices more relevant and enriching classroom learning.”

The evening concluded with an interactive Q&A session with students and faculty.

About Anant National University
Anant National University, India’s premier design university, is dedicated to training students to devise solutions for global problems. Anant follows the DesignX pedagogy, where ‘X’ is the symbol drawn from mathematics, representing enhancement. This new learning approach multiplies traditional design pedagogy with liberal arts disciplines, emerging technologies and knowledge drawn from hands-on community experiences to help understand our world better and to devise impactful solutions.

Our multidisciplinary undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in design, architecture, climate action and visual arts harness knowledge from various disciplines and traditional practices to integrate it with cutting-edge technology to address diverse challenges. We train our designers to become solutionaries – revolutionary thinkers with a solution-oriented mindset.

Anant National University has been recognised as the Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat, highlighting our efforts to provide our students with world-class education, innovative pedagogy, high employability and enhanced entrepreneurial and research opportunities. Anant has also received the prestigious ‘5-Star Rating’ in the category of Architecture and a ‘4-Star Rating’ in the University category in the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2023-24. These recognitions reinforce our commitment to creating a world-class institution of great eminence and excellence.