Author: Rabindra

Criteo Raises Outlook Fueled by Transformation to Commerce Media Powerhouse

India – August 02, 2024 – Criteo, reported earnings for Q2 2024, citing strong momentum as the company continues to execute its transformation to a Commerce Media Powerhouse. Capitalizing on market consolidation and a new privacy framework from Google centered on user choice, Criteo’s solutions to unify the commerce media ecosystem are a catalyst for outsized growth.

Overview of financial results

• At constant currency, Q2 Contribution ex-TAC (net revenue) increased 14% to $267 million, above guidance
• Strong quarterly performance with double-digit organic growth for the third consecutive quarter
• Criteo raises outlook after achieving record top line and adjusted EBITDA margin for Q2
• New solutions (non-retargeting) now represent 52% of business

Criteo Continues Commerce Media Powerhouse Transformation

• Strategic collaboration with Microsoft Advertising brings extensive demand from 500K+ advertisers to Criteo’s global network of 225 retailers
• In addition, Criteo is working with Microsoft Advertising to consolidate their Retail Media supply onto Criteo’s platform
• 30% year over year growth in Retail Media activated spend, outpacing the market
• This includes retailers and marketplaces like Office Depot, Dollar General, QVC, Belk, MyTheresa, Selfridges and Grab
• Added about 200 new brands in Q2 to Criteo’s Commerce Max Demand Side Platform, or DSP
• Increase in agency spend with major holding companies grew more than 50% year over year
• Commerce Max’s new SKU-based planning tool enables brands and agencies to buy sponsored product ads across 225 Retail Media Networks, within one simple consolidated workflow
• AI innovation is playing a central role in performance media success, driving contribution ex-TAC in the double-digit million-dollar range
• On Google’s support of informed consent for third-party cookie use
• Google’s decision not to fully deprecate cookies presents an opportunity for Criteo to benefit from ongoing access to third-party signals for opted-in users, which fits well into Criteo’s comprehensive multi-pronged approach to addressability
• Google will continue to support Privacy Sandbox for opted-out users
• Criteo is one of the largest ad tech partners testing the Privacy Sandbox to date, making the company well prepared to leverage it when third-party cookies are unavailable

 Our transformation is coming to life and we continue to seize the exciting opportunities in front of us, positioning ourselves for a promising future,” said Megan Clarken, Chief Executive Officer of Criteo. “Our focus remains on executing our plan to drive sustainable growth and maximize shareholder value.”

Castler Launches “CastlerCode”- India’s First Cloud Native Source Code Escrow Service

New Delhi, India, 2nd August, 2024:

Castler, a leading provider of escrow services in India, today announced the launch of its innovative cloud native Source Code Escrow solution under the brand name “CastlerCode”. This groundbreaking offering is the first of its kind in the country, providing a secure and efficient way for businesses to protect intellectual property of their software and ensure business continuity.

CastlerCode leverages cutting-edge cloud technology to store and manage critical software and source code, ensuring that it is accessible only to authorized parties in the event of predefined trigger events. By eliminating the need for physical storage and manual processes, the solution offers enhanced security, accessibility, and scalability to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses.

“We are pleased to introduce CastlerCode, which represents a significant leap forward in the way businesses safeguard their softwares and source codes,” said Vineet Singh, Founder and CEO of Castler. “Our solution combines the convenience of cloud technology with the robust security and reliability that our clients have come to expect from Castler. We are confident that this offering will revolutionize the way businesses approach source code escrow in India. Singh further added that “Software/Source Code Escrow is one of the fastest growing categories globally at a CAGR of 20% and is poised to reach $30Bn dollars by 2030.

CastlerCode has partnered with AWS, the leading cloud service providers and industry experts to ensure the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance for its Source Code Escrow solution.

In India the market is set for humongous growth as RBI through its notification dated 7th November 2023, has made software escrow mandatory for all regulated entities. Another notification by RBI dated July 30th 2024 mandates all Non-Bank PSO’s to keep the custody of source codes in an escrow arrangement.

CastlerCode boasts of clients including public and private sector banks and NBFCs, who are mandated by the RBI to escrow critical applications. The solution is designed to cater to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises, across various industries.

“As businesses increasingly rely on software to drive their operations, the need for robust source code escrow solutions has never been greater across the globe and we intent to build a world class SAAS product for the world from India.” added Singh. “With our cloud-based offering, we aim to provide a scalable and cost-effective solution that gives our clients peace of mind and helps them focus on their core business objectives.”

CRISIL Market Intelligence and Analytics

Power demand in India is estimated to have risen ~7.0% on-year in July 2024 to ~150 billion units (BUs) owing to higher power demand in rain-deficient northern states.

However, minus the ~16% on-year surge in power demand in the north, demand moderated in other regions. Power demand rose ~4.0% in the southern region and declined a marginal ~1.0% in the western region. The sharp rise in demand in the northern region was primarily because of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The variance in demand in the north vs the other regions can be explained largely by the spatial distribution of the monsoon. In July, rainfall in Maharashtra and Gujarat was 63% and 45% higher than normal, respectively. Ditto Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh — rainfall in these states was 60%, 33% and 28% above normal, respectively. In contrast, Punjab and Haryana received deficient rainfall of 44% and 41%, respectively, which is likely to have led to higher power demand for irrigation as these are key agriculture states.

Adiva Agarwal’s Debut Kuchipudi Rangapravesham

Rangapravesham is a significant breakthrough in the journey of any Kuchipudi dance performer. ‘Ascending the stage,’ as it means, Rangapravesham is an age-old tradition that marks the transition of the artist from a pupil to a blossoming dancer showcasing expressions using facial and hand gestures, rhythmic movements, and describing a story.

The event will mark Adiva’s debut as solo Kuchipudi dancer, where her performance will showcase the intricate Kuchipudi dance moves and skills, acquired under the tutelage of legendary Padma Bhushan Gurus Dr. Raja Radha Reddy and Kaushalya reddy.

With this milestone of her Rangapravesham, and the unparalleled support from her family and friends, Adiva aspires to scale new heights in her dance journey with unwavering dedication and devotion.

Title of the show: Adiva Agarwal’s Debut Kuchipudi Rangapravesham

Artist Name: Adiva Agarwal

Date: Friday, 09th August, 2024

Timings: 6:30 pm onwards

Venue: Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi

CEE AMPAI 2024 Exam Date Announced, New Exam Centre in Guwahati

Kolkata,2nd August 2024: The Association of Minority Professional Academic Institutes (AMPAI) announced the 9th CEE AMPAI & CEE AMPAI Masters 2024 WB examination, scheduled on August 18, 2024 across 13 centres in Eastern India. The announcement was made by Shri. Bidyut Majumder, Convenor of CEE AMPAI.

This offline national-level examination will take place at Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Malda, Asansol, Medinipur, Siliguri, Patna, Ranchi, Agartala and a newly designated centre in Guwahati, Assam, marking a significant expansion of AMPAI’s outreach. Applicants are required to be Indian citizens and at least 17 years old as on December 31, 2024, and to have passed the 10+2 examination from a recognised board with Physics, Chemistry & Maths.

CEE AMPAI & CEE AMPAI Masters is offering an additional opportunity to take part in another test to study four years B.Tech, B.Pharm, MBA, MCA, M.Tech and M.Pharm. in five top ranked colleges of West Bengal. These colleges are JIS College of Engineering, Narula Institute of Technology, Guru Nanak Institute of Technology, Dr. Sudhir Chandra Sur Institute of Technology and Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology. The exam will be conducted under the supervision of the Department of Higher Education Govt. of West Bengal. Students can get admission in various subjects in these colleges through offline counselling after the entrance exam results are out.

The CEE AMPAI examination is open primarily for Sikh minority students but seats left out will be filled up by candidates from other religions, castes, or categories across India upon fulfilment of eligibility criteria as specified on the website: www.ampai.in.

This initiative aims to enhance accessibility and support for students from diverse backgrounds pursuing higher education in professional fields.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Sohan Singh, Secretary of AMPAI, remarked, “This expansion represents a significant step toward inclusivity and equal opportunity. The mission of AMPAI has made quality education accessible to more students, contributing to a diverse and talented future workforce.”

COMPUTEX TAIPEI Achieves ISO 20121 Renewal with 15% Carbon Reduction and All 21 ESG Goals

BenQ Group’s Green Expo has gone a step further, establishing 21 goals for the 2024 COMPUTEX TAIPEI grand event in accordance with ISO 20121 sustainability management systems

Following the exhibition, all goals were met, and a third-party professional certification was obtained. After obtaining certification for the first time last year, BenQ Group became the only company to successfully renew certification at COMPUTEX.

 Large-scale exhibition events in the past have frequently produced a significant amount of disposable waste. BenQ Group planned the Green Expo with the sustainability philosophy of “Together, Make the World Better.” In 2023, a zero-waste exhibition was established; in 2024, it further took on new challenges and innovated, beginning with the source design and successfully achieving a 15% carbon reduction. Following the exhibition, the wood from the venue was donated to campus courses and international educational expos, thereby designating wood as the ambassador for the BenQ Group in promoting the sustainability philosophy.

According to Joe Huang, General Manager of BenQ Group, COMPUTEX is the world’s representative technology event. This year, in addition to bringing together over 20 companies to showcase their AI capabilities, BenQ Group is dedicated to assisting customers with green transformations and demonstrating the effectiveness of sustainability exhibitions. Sustainability is the process of continuous accumulation and correction. It is hoped that by continuing to strive for excellence and laying the groundwork for sustainability actions, partners can work together to build a long-term green value chain.

A further 15% reduction in carbon emissions through the exhibition and spreading the sustainability philosophy through wood donations In order to achieve the zero-waste goal in exhibition venue design, BenQ Group began with 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) as early as 2023, with a commitment to introducing a low-carbon design. At the 2.0 Green Expo in 2024, in response to plans to assist Taiwanese exhibition businesses in implementing carbon reduction by reducing wood use ratio, increasing equipment rental, and other actions, according to carbon emission estimates by the Industrial Technology Research Institute, BenQ’s carbon emissions from booth

decoration and power consumption decreased by 15% this year, as part of active efforts to achieve a zero- waste and low-carbon Green Expo.

On the other hand, BenQ Group has continued the wood’s life journey after the exhibition, providing recycling services to four K-12 schools as well as an international education expo. Given the recent emphasis on self-produced courses in elementary, junior, and senior high schools, the exhibition wood’s next stop will provide students with new materials for woodworking, school campus maintenance, teaching material production, and educational exhibition experiences. It is anticipated that 15 countries and 1500 participants will benefit, passing on the sustainability spirit from one generation to the next.

ISO 20121 verification: Meeting All 21 ESG Goals in Three Fields
In 2024, there were three major areas of innovation compared to 2023: environmental, where carbon inventory were introduced; social, where the “Green Travel Guide” were launched; and governance, where vegetarian set meals in the “1.5°C-aligned menu” were purchased. This year, all 21 goals were met, which is not only an increase from the previous year’s 15 items, but also a strengthening of the social goals to ten items. Green Expo’s communication and implementation extended beyond working with customers to campuses (different projects are available to universities and K12), educational funds and social welfare groups. The practices of Green Expo, not only take place during the four-day exhibition period at COMPUTEX Taipei, but also have an influence before and after the exhibition. Additionally, in keeping with the objective of the 2023 Green Expo, in terms of the environmental aspect, the principle of 100% zero-waste from decorations, 100% use of recycled dining utensils, and 90% printed material digitalization on the exhibition venue has been met. For the social aspect, a network of partners made up of 20-plus have been brought together to promote sustainable actions, demonstrating more than 50% of AI green smart solutions. In terms of governance, economic values have been co-created with a network of partners, such as purchasing 90% local souvenirs and gifts and 80% local building materials made in Taiwan.
Co-creating Common Good; Calling 25 Partners to Respond to Sustainability Actions
BenQ Group continues to expand its sustainability influence. At the COMPUTEX Taipei exhibition, it invited 25 sustainability partners to respond to the current ISO 20121 sustainability initiatives. BenQ Corporation, Qisda Corporation, Ace Pillar Co., Ltd., Action Star Technology Co., Ltd., Aewin Technologies, Co., Ltd., Alpha Networks Inc., Aplex Technology Inc., Data Image Corporation, DFI Inc., DSI Group, D8AI Inc., Epic Cloud, Grandsys Inc., Hitron Technologies Inc., High Performance Information Co., Ltd., Metaage

Corporation, Metaguru Corporation, Partner Tech Corp., PowerWalker, and WiXtar Corporation are among the BenQ Group’s enterprises.