Author: Neel Achary

Share.Market (PhonePe Wealth) decodes mutual fund investing trends of GenZ on International Youth Day

Bengaluru 11^th Aug 2025 : This International Youth Day, Share.Market, PhonePe’s wealth management platform, highlights the growing participation of India’s young investors in Mutual Funds. A recent analysis of over 6 lakh mutual fund investors between August 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025 reveals that approximately 48% of the mutual fund investor base is in the age bracket of 18 to 30 years, indicating a strong mindset shift of youth towards investing and long-term wealth creation.

The data spotlights that nearly 95% of Gen Zs begin their investment journey in mutual funds through Equity. This reflects a clear appetite for high risk-reward investment options over short-term savings options. Moreover, the young investors are showing a strong preference for disciplined and consistent investing behaviour.

This trend is evident in how they are choosing to begin and sustain their mutual fund journey:

• Maharashtra (16%), Uttar Pradesh (11%), and Karnataka (8%) lead in youth investor participation, reflecting widespread adoption across regions.
• Approximately, 81% of the young investors come from B30 (Beyond Top 30) cities such as Jodhpur, Raipur, Vishakhapatnam, Gorakhpur, Mysore, Jamshedpur and Kolhapur, indicating increased financial inclusion and awareness.
• As a commitment to long term wealth creation and savings, 92% invest on a monthly basis through SIPs with an average transaction value of approximately Rs. 1000 which is 18% lower than above 30 age group.
• Approximately 21% of the young investors opted for at least one lumpsum investment with an average transaction value of nearly Rs. 8000 that is 30% lower than the investors over 30 years.
• Diversified equity fund categories such as Value / contra and Flexicap are among the most preferred categories for these under-30 investors, with 70% of them owning a fund from at least one of these categories. Midcap and small cap are the other popular categories among these investors.

Commenting on the trend, Nilesh D Naik, Head of Investment Products at Share.Market (PhonePe Wealth) said, “It is inspiring to see India’s youth take charge of their financial well-being so early in life. Inculcating a healthy investing habit will improve their long-term investment journey and help them become confident investors over time. Their inclination towards consistently investing in SIPs and diversified fund choices shows a level of maturity and financial literacy that is promising for the future. At Share.Market (PhonePe Wealth), we are committed to empowering young investors with the tools, education, and insights they need to make informed and impactful investing decisions.”

This data reaffirms Share.Market’s mission to democratise investing and make wealth creation accessible to all, especially the next generation of investors who are shaping India’s financial future, one SIP at a time.

Zithara.AI Unveils India’s only AI-First Retail Operating System for Jewellers

Hyderabad, 11th August 2025 – Zithara.AI, India’s fastest-growing AI-native customer engagement and data platform, launched the country’s only unified, end-to-end AI-powered retail operating system designed specifically for jewellery retailers navigating the crossroads of heritage and high technology.

“We are unveiling a full-stack retail system comprising the AI Agentic Framework, Mobile AI Toolkits, Ziri – the AI-Powered Data Intelligence Agent, and the newly launched Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, all integrated into a single, composable infrastructure. This system doesn’t ask retailers to abandon tradition, but it empowers them to scale it with intelligence. With us, every associate becomes more empowered, every customer interaction more meaningful, and every store more responsive. Intelligence isn’t buried in reports—it’s embedded into day-to-day operations,” said Varun Kashyap, Co-Founder, Zithara.AI.

 The Key Innovations introduced by Zithara.AI while making a unified AI-powered retail operating system for the jewellery industry are as follows:

MCP – Model Context Protocol Server

India’s first of its kind, the MCP Server serves as the foundational infrastructure for live retail intelligence. It interprets behavioural signals, integrates data from across channels, and enables context-aware actions across sales, marketing, service, and loyalty. Retailers can plug in their Large Language Models (LLMs) and run them alongside Zithara’s CRM and CDP, allowing for a tailored AI stack that fits each retailer’s logic and customer DNA.

AI Agentic Framework

Sitting atop MCP, this layer orchestrates personalised engagement by monitoring customer behaviour in real time across physical stores, websites, WhatsApp, and campaigns. It automates what were previously manual CRM tasks, such as nudging lapsed customers, following up on bridal collections, or re-engaging high-value buyers—all done autonomously at scale.

Mobile AI Toolkits for Store Teams

Zithara equips store associates with mobile-native tools to schedule appointments, capture walk-ins, send campaign messages, and manage loyalty interactions—all context-aware and connected to real-time customer data. This empowers in-store teams to deliver premium, insight-led service without relying on memory or spreadsheets.

Ziri – AI-Powered Data Intelligence Agent

Ziri is a mobile-first business intelligence tool for CXOs and multi-store operators, offering real-time, AI-generated reports on conversion trends, store performance, and campaign impact—powered by live CRM and transaction data. No dashboards. No data pulls. Just clarity of the decision taken.

The retailers who have leveraged Zithara.AI’s platform have witnessed a 3× increase in repeat purchases, a 60% uplift in customer lifetime value, and real-time reactivation of dormant leads via WhatsApp automation so far. Now, with the advent of Zithara.AI’s full-stack retail system, it is bound to have more impactful outcomes.

According to Sri Devi Reddy, Co-Founder, Zithara.AI, “We believe AI should amplify human intuition, not replace it. Zithara’s unified stack enables jewellery businesses to preserve the craft of relationship-building while enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and scale through AI. This is not just CRM, not just automation; this is intelligent retail. It is built from the ground up for Indian jewellers ready to lead with legacy and scale with AI.”

Fairmont Udaipur Palace Announces Vishrut Gupta as General Manager of this magnificent new destination

Udaipur, 11 August’2025 – Fairmont Udaipur Palace is delighted to announce the appointment of Vishrut Gupta as General Manager of this magnificent new palace in the Aravalli Hills. With over two decades of distinguished experience in luxury hospitality, Vishrut brings to the role a rare blend of strategic foresight, emotional intelligence, and a deep-rooted passion for culturally immersive guest experiences. His thoughtful leadership and commitment to excellence position him perfectly to helm this new-age palace and shape it into one of India’s most iconic luxury destinations.

As the driving force behind the pre-opening and launch of this iconic destination, Vishrut is focused on building Fairmont Udaipur as India’s definitive modern palace for celebration, connection, and enchantment. His leadership philosophy is anchored in empathy, precision, and purpose—values that resonate through every aspect of the guest journey.

At Fairmont Udaipur, Vishrut steers operations across four foundational pillars: deeply authentic local cultural integration, an uncompromising service ethic, an empowered and purpose-driven colleague culture, and agile commercial strategy tailored to serve an evolving market. Each of these pillars supports his vision of creating a palace that doesn’t just impress—but moves, uplifts, and lingers in memory.

What defines Vishrut’s approach is a quiet, deliberate elegance. Under his guidance, Fairmont Udaipur Palace is being shaped into an environment where every interaction holds meaning, and every moment—no matter how small—is delivered with care. From curated arrival rituals to intuitive in-room personalization, he is committed to building an experience that is detail-rich, emotionally resonant, and seamlessly orchestrated. He leads a handpicked team of hospitality experts—each selected for their finesse, creativity, and sensitivity to celebration, tradition, and guest expectations.

In a luxury market increasingly defined by personalization, authenticity and hospitality with soul, Vishrut positions Fairmont Udaipur Palace as a destination where grandeur meets the discerning eye of modern global travelers. His emphasis on sustainable practices, technology-driven service personalization, and experiential innovation ensures that the guest journey is not only luxurious—but meaningful and memorable.

Whether it’s crafting dramatic arrivals with Willy Jeeps and rose-petal canopies, offering signature rituals like the 56-dish Royal Thaal, or transforming moments into memories through immersive experiences like bedtime folktales, sound healing, or wild nature trail breakfasts—Vishrut’s vision is to spark wonder. A sense of timeless enchantment that leaves every guest not only satisfied, but spellbound.

As Fairmont Udaipur Palace begins its journey as one of India’s one of India’s most luxurious destinations, Vishrut Gupta stands at the helm with a deep belief in thoughtful leadership, an unwavering pursuit of excellence, and a quiet conviction that the most impactful kind of luxury is that which stays with you—long after the stay ends.

Realme P4 Series Sets New Benchmark with Dual Chipset Technology

New Delhi, August 11, 2025: realme, the most popular smartphone brand among Indian youth, today announced the highly anticipated, online-focused realme P4 series, introducing cutting-edge innovations in performance and visual experience. The series will launch in India on August 20th, 2025.

As the first smartphone series in the industry to feature dual chipsets in its segment, the realme P4 Pro combines the power of Snapdragon® 7 Gen 4 and the Hyper Vision AI chipset co-developed with Pixelworks to deliver a performance and display experience that challenges flagship standards. Alongside, the realme P4 leverages a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra 5G chipset with Pixelworks’ dedicated GPU, delivering smooth visual performance, enhanced display quality, and superior power efficiency — making advanced visual computing more accessible than ever.

This partnership builds on realme’s vision to make advanced technology widely available and represents a leap forward in mobile gaming, thermal efficiency, and immersive visuals for Indian users.

Francis Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, realme India, commented:

“As we are bringing a leaner product line-up, the new realme P series is clearly defined as our performance-driven online series to compete with VIVO and MOTO on Flipkart. realme is readily back for online competition with great new tech. Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 has been newly launched in 2025, and realme is proud to be the first brand introducing this chipset in India.

And just like the periscope lens was popularized over the years, this launch marks a key milestone in pioneering dedicated GPU for the mass. A dedicated GPU will become a must for all smartphones in the next 3 years. Bringing two flagship-level features in one go, we predict that the realme P4 series will be one of the most successful online product lines in 2025.”

Jun Fang, Vice President of Pixelworks and General Manager of Mobile Business Unit, added:

“Congratulations on the launch of the realme P4 series smartphone! As the first models in the realme P series to integrate a dedicated visual processor, the realme P4 series is providing users with an unprecedented immersive visual experience among its mid-range peers. The new P4 series epitomizes Pixelworks’ profound AI technologies in rendering acceleration, game performance and picture quality. We are honored to partner with realme to continuously up level the visual experiences for consumers.”

Power Meets Precision: Performance Highlights

At the heart of the realme P4 Pro lies a dual-chip setup, combining general-purpose computing with specialized visual processing. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 — the most advanced 7-series chipset to date, built on a 4nm TSMC process — delivers over 1.1 million Antutu score, ensuring powerful CPU and GPU performance for multitasking, gaming, and demanding applications.

Working alongside it is the HyperVision AI Chipset, powered by the Pixelworks X7 Gen 2 visual processor, which handles rendering, frame rate upscaling, and AI-based resolution enhancement. This hardware-level offloading enables Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 to perform on par with flagship-tier chipsets.

Together, this dual chipset architecture ensures:

• 144FPS gameplay across over 100 titles

• Real-time frame generation

• Up to 1.5K resolution upscaling

• AI Hyper Clarity, AI Hyper Motion, and AI Always-On HDR

• Up to 300% boost in clarity and smoothness

With GT Performance Engine 3.0, the realme P4 Pro balances sustained performance with intelligent thermal control. The Pixelworks chip not only enhances visuals but also improves system responsiveness, allowing for extended gaming sessions without overheating or performance throttling.

In competitive games like BGMI, the realme P4 Pro delivers stable 144FPS, setting a new benchmark. The phone also introduces Frame Generation Index in collaboration with PerfDog, offering real-time insights into performance gains powered by the Pixelworks chip.

The realme P4 also adopts a dual-chip architecture with the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra 5G SoC and a Pixelworks visual processor, enabling smoother gameplay, better frame stability, and a premium visual experience — bringing high-performance gaming into the mid-range category.

Inspired by Nature and Industry: Design

realme P4 Pro debuts the Living Nature Design, a harmonious blend of organic inspiration and advanced craftsmanship. The back panel is crafted from premium tech-wood material, with each grain pattern polished to preserve its natural texture and depth. The surface is smooth yet tactile, dynamic under changing light, and resistant to everyday wear.

It comes in three nature-inspired finishes:

• Birch Wood – a light, sun-warmed grain reminiscent of spring forests

• Dark Oak Wood – a rich brown tone inspired by ancient hardwood

• Midnight Ivy – a deep emerald hue capturing the essence of where ocean meets forest

Each variant delivers a unique sensory experience, balancing timeless natural beauty with cutting-edge engineering.

realme P4 introduces the Metal Heart Design, a rugged yet elegant style inspired by industrial engineering. Featuring clean metallic lines and exposed screw details, it blends durability with flair. Available in:

• Steel Grey – sleek and minimalist

• Engine Blue – bold and dynamic

• Forge Red – youthful and energetic

Availability

The realme P4 Pro and realme P4 will launch in India on August 20th, 2025, at 12 noon, and will be available via Flipkart and realme.com.

Stay tuned for more updates. Visit realme.com and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube for the latest news.

Steelage Utsavam Launched in 100 Cities to Promote BIS Certified Jewellery

Steelage Utsavam’ campaign launched across 100 cities in India to promote BIS certified products for jewellers

Mangaluru, 11th Aug 2025: Gunnebo, a global leader in physical security solutions, has been serving the Indian customers for more than 90 years through prominent brands like Steelage and Chubbsafes. From August 1st to 14th the organization launched its flagship campaign, ‘Steelage Utsavam’ with the aim of spreading awareness about BIS standards as well as BIS certified safes, strong-room doors and vaults amongst jewellers. This campaign will cover more than 100 cities, making it one of the largest on-ground initiatives in the physical security solutions industry.

The aim of ‘Steelage Utsavam’ is to educate jewellers on the importance of using BIS-certified security products, and to help end-users choose the right safes, vaults and high-security locks for their jewellery outlets.

As part of the nationwide ‘Steelage Utsavam’ campaign, the event was held on 9 Aug in Mangaluru, supported by Gunnebo’s channel partner. The event featured live demonstrations, expert-led discussions, and interactive sessions to help jewellers understand the role of certified products in enhancing business security. To boost visibility and engagement, the activity was supported with on-ground brand activations, specially designed product vans, along with product showcase across brand stores in major cities.

Speaking on the campaign, Anirban Mukhuti, Head of Marketing & Product Management, Asia, Gunnebo Safe Storage, said: “Steelage Utsavam is a pan-India drive to connect with India’s jewellers’ fraternity and build awareness about BIS certified security solutions. An on-ground campaign of this scale is the first of its kind in the physical security solutions industry. We are achieving this with active support from all our channel partners and intend to reach out to jewellers in every prominent town of India.”

In the coming days, ‘Steelage Utsavam’ will cover major towns across all regions of India bringing BIS-certified security solutions closer to business communities nationwide.

GCCs Powering Economic Transformation: ACCA Convene Leadership Roundtable at GIFT City supportd by IFSCA

09th August 2025: ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), a globally recognised professional accountancy body hosted an exclusive leadership roundtable at GIFT City supported by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), on Friday, August 8, 2025. The strategic dialogue brought together senior leaders from India’s top Global Capability Centres (GCCs), government stakeholders, and academia to explore how Gujarat is emerging as a vital player in the global GCC ecosystem.

The event in Ahmedabad attracted around 40 senior leaders, including top HR and finance heads from leading GCCs and other industries such as Welspun Transformation Services, Adani GCC, BNP Paribas, S&P Global, Kraft Heinz, Baroda Global Shared Services, KPMG, Cadila Pharma, Zydus, TCS, QX Global Group, Befree Global, and Pacific Group.

The distinguished speaker line-up included Stephen Hickling, British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan; Ashutosh Sharma, Chief General Manager at IFSCA; and senior officials representing ACCA — Md Sajid Khan, Director – India; Sundeep Jakhar, Head of Public Affairs – India; and Naina VG, Strategic Head of Corporate Alliances – India who launched ACCA’s latest GCC report.

As India strengthens its position as the world’s front office, Gujarat is fast becoming the epicentre of next-generation global service delivery. The rise of GIFT City – India’s first operational International Financial Services Centre is playing a transformative role by attracting global institutions to set up operations, especially in financial services, fintech, analytics, and strategic decision-making.

GCCs are contributing directly to Gujarat’s economic diversification by creating high-quality jobs, enabling knowledge transfer, and fostering innovation. With its state-of-the-art infrastructure, progressive policy framework, and unified regulatory support from IFSCA, GIFT City offers a globally competitive environment for setting up knowledge-intensive global centres.

The roundtable discussion saw vibrant participation from GCC leaders who shared practical insights on operational excellence, talent strategies, policy enablement, and leveraging GIFT City’s unique advantages. Leaders discussed the need for continuous innovation, building globally competitive skill sets in digital finance and analytics, fostering leadership pipelines, and deepening cross-border collaboration. Participants emphasised the pivotal role of an enabling regulatory framework and public-private-academia partnerships in sustaining GCC growth momentum.

A key highlight of the roundtable was the launch of ACCA’s latest thought leadership report on GCCs. The report projects that GCCs will contribute 2% to India’s GDP and generate 2.8 million jobs by 2030. In FY24 alone, GCCs in India generated approximately $64.6 billion in export revenue, marking a significant 40% rise from the previous fiscal year.

Md. Sajid Khan, Director – India at ACCA said: ‘ India has emerged as an ideal destination for Global Capability Centres, thanks to our digitally skilled, young workforce, a stable regulatory environment, and robust digital infrastructure. Gujarat, with GIFT City at its heart, is fast becoming a preferred destination for high-value GCCs. The state’s progressive outlook, combined with a robust talent pipeline and enabling infrastructure, offers a compelling case for global companies. ACCA is proud to support this transformation by equipping finance professionals with global capabilities that meet the evolving demands of these centres’

The roundtable concluded with a call for continued collaboration among industry, academia, and regulatory bodies to ensure that India not only sustains but accelerates its momentum in becoming a strategic global delivery hub . With continued collaboration between regulators like IFSCA, industry leaders, and academic institutions, the state is well-positioned to attract high-value global operations and reinforce its role in driving India’s service-led economic growth. GCCs in Gujarat are no longer a future possibility they are a present-day reality shaping India’s rise as a trusted global partner for innovation and value creation.

GIFT City’s rise as India’s premier International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) has positioned Gujarat as a key player in the global capability delivery landscape. Its world-class infrastructure, unified regulatory framework, and tax-efficient environment are attracting global corporations to set up high-value GCCs in financial services, fintech, and innovation. This shift is driving foreign investment, creating high-skilled jobs, and exposing Gujarat’s talent pool to global finance, risk, and R&D functions. The growing GCC footprint is also fuelling a strong ancillary ecosystem spanning legal, consulting, analytics, and ESG cementing Gujarat’s role as a full-spectrum global business hub.