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Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking Appoints Amit Tanna as Head of Coverage, India

Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking is growing its Asia Pacific business through select activities in India, in line with the bank’s ambitions to diversify its expertise and geographical presence to the benefit of its clients.

One of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, India has substantial growth potential over the next decade owing to its demographics, urbanization, digitization, plans for infrastructure development, and need to expand its energy capacity to cater to its growth requirements.

Natixis CIB’s strengths and deep knowledge in sectors including energy transition and natural resources, telecoms, and infrastructure, among others, coupled with its financing and advisory abilities, place the bank well to advise Indian corporates on their strategic journeys.

In line with this, Natixis CIB is pleased to announce the appointment of Amit Tanna as Head of Coverage, in India. Based in Hong Kong, Amit reports to Francis Ansvananda, Head of Coverage, South East Asia.

In this newly created role, Amit will drive Natixis CIB’s India client strategy, with a focus on originating event-driven transactions with select Indian corporate clients who are leaders in Natixis CIB’s core areas of focus: renewables, digital infrastructure, tech, and healthcare, as well as with Financial Sponsors and Multinational Corporations.

Amit joins Natixis CIB’s robust Asia Pacific coverage team, which delivers a comprehensive suite of advisory services and solutions to clients, across capital markets, structured financing, and hedging and investment solutions.

Amit brings more than two decades of experience to the role. He joined Natixis CIB from Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, where he held a number of strategic financing and corporate finance roles since 2009 and was most recently the Regional Head of Leveraged and Acquisition Finance. Prior to Standard Chartered Hong Kong, Amit was the Head of Origination and Client Coverage for Bank Permata in Indonesia. Amit has also worked with Standard Chartered, GE Capital, Credit Agricole, and ING Bank in India, in various Corporate Finance and Client Coverage roles.

Commenting, Francis Ansvananda said: “We are delighted to welcome Amit to our Coverage team. He brings a wealth of invaluable experience and knowledge to this role, that will allow him to further develop our franchise and continue strengthening our market presence. His appointment underscores Natixis CIB’s ongoing commitment to providing bespoke and differentiated advice in selected and diversified areas of expertise, supporting the strategic development and growth of its clients’ respective businesses. We look forward to growing our business with him.”

SYNEGRA EMS Showcases its Products and Solutions at Indian Telecom Exhibition 2023

New Delhi India: March 30, 2023: Synegra EMS Ltd, a leading electronics manufacturing service provider and a subsidiary of SmartLink Holdings Ltd participated in Indian Telecom Exhibition 2023. The two-day event was held at Taj Palace, New Delhi which witnessed a gathering of digital innovators, international businesses, telecom, and broadcasting players, as well as leaders from IT, internet, IoT, & Embedded Technology industries.

TEPC hosted the 17th edition of ‘India Telecom 2023’ – an Exclusive International Business Expo under the Champion Sector Scheme of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. The event’s main objective was to provide opportunities for Indian telecom stakeholders to meet prospective overseas buyers.

At Indian Telecom Exhibition 2023, SYNEGRA EMS showcased its electronics manufacturing services and home brand DIGISOL Make-In-India Networking Products such as Wi-Fi Routers, Access Points, POE Switches, Fiber Cables, and other Passive Products. The company is committed to establishing a benchmark for Quality in Electronics Manufacturing Services.

Talking about the exhibition, Prakash Bhat, General Manager Manufacturing, SYNEGRA EMS Ltd said, “We are delighted to be a part of The Indian Telecom Exhibition 2023 which witnesses a huge number of diversified visitors from PAN India and overseas every year. The platform provided us an opportunity to showcase our competitiveness in manufacturing for any brand in India. Besides manufacturing networking products, we also do contract manufacturing for motherboards, EV chargers, Medical Equipment Parts, etc.”

SYNEGRA under SMARTLINK has over three decades of experience in manufacturing electronic products for the IT, networking, and telecom industries. The Company is 100% owned by SMARTLINK capable of manufacturing all kinds of products from Routers, Switches, Wi-Fi, FTTH, and also other products like EV charges, etc for export as well as domestic EMS jobs

Entropik, an AI Startup, Receives 17 Patent claims for Multimodal Emotion AI Technologies

30 March 2023, Mumbai: Entropic, a leading AI-powered Integrated Market Research Company, has announced today that the Patent Office of the Government of India has awarded the company a patent for its ‘Multimodal Emotion AI Technologies.’ Entropic is the only company with a multimodal Emotion AI patent (number 419058), putting it at the forefront of the world’s most advanced AI companies.

Entropic, World’s first Multimodal Emotion AI technology, specializes in building Technologies to understand Behavior at large. It uses machine learning and Neural net algorithms to analyze and interpret Face Expression (Facial Coding), Eye Movement (Eye tracking), and Voice tonality (Voice AI) to understand customer behavior in its most fundamental way. Multimodal Emotion AI is used in consumer research to understand better how people feel about products, services, and brands. The application of Multimodal Emotion AI in consumer research includes advertising research, user experience testing, and shopper research, using its products Affect Lab and Affect UX. Its product “Decode” analyses Consumer Research Interviews/ FGDs to decipher meaningful conversational summaries along with behavioral insights.

The master patent entails ‘Multimodal Emotion AI Technologies’, with claims covering facial coding and eye tracking technologies. Facial coding and eye tracking are advanced AI technologies that analyze facial expressions and muscle movements from video feeds to derive attention, engagement, and emotion levels; eye tracking analyzes pupil movement to understand where the user is looking on a mobile or desktop screen.

Speaking on the patent achievement, Ranjan Kumar, founder & CEO of Entropic, said, “The grant of this patent is a testimony to the team’s tireless effort and unparalleled dedication, and it speaks to the company’s competency in pioneering and testing the frontiers of AI technologies. We are ecstatic to bring this revolutionary Multimodal Emotion AI technology to market.

We look forward to empowering brands with disruptive AI forces with the purpose to deliver consumer-centric marketing and product experiences. “Traditionally, the science of consumer research relied on stated responses (surveys and focus group discussions) to understand consumer preferences. While this answers 5% of consumer nuance, 95% of consumers’ subconscious and emotional choices remain in the black box. Tech like facial coding, eye tracking, & voice AI will provide brands with answers to this 95% of questions, helping them better understand their consumers and deliver experiences that resonate at a deeper level.” He further added.

Entropik’s ability to provide accurate, efficient, and impartial consumer insights, has become the preferred solution for global retail brands. With its recent advancements and breakthroughs in Multimodal Emotion AI technology, the company has emerged as a leader in the industry and earned recognition for the same.

Indian Brands Embracing Sustainability Amid Growing Demand

Indian supply chain brands are increasingly incorporating sustainable practices to cater to the growing demand for eco-friendly products. As per a survey, 57% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for genuine green and healthy products. These initiatives primarily include using renewable energy sources, implementing efficient route planning, reducing wastage and emissions, and ensuring ethical labor practices.

With the government’s focus on sustainability and the introduction of new policies and regulations, it is expected that more supply chain brands will adopt eco-friendly practices to remain competitive and meet evolving consumer expectations. Listed below are 4 such brands, walking the path to sustainability:

1.  ShakeDeal: ShakeDeal is a platform focused on supply chain and B2B commerce, aimed at making procurement easier for SMEs and enterprises. With a sustainable vision, the company is aiming at entering markets that can provide sustainable solutions. ShakeDeal caters to multiple sectors like MRO, office supplies, raw materials, and more, and envisions supporting eco-friendly sectors, further strengthening a sustainable supply chain.
2.  GoCoop: This online marketplace connects artisans and weavers with customers, thereby promoting sustainable and eco-friendly fashion, with the vision to create and support sustainable livelihoods for India’s 10 million weavers and artisan community. GoCoop works towards providing a direct link between artisans and customers, eliminating intermediaries and promoting fair trade practices.
3.  Ninjacart: Ninjacart is a fresh produce supply chain company that focuses on reducing food wastage by optimizing supply chain processes. With the use of technology, the brand connects farmers with retailers, thereby reducing the time taken to transport fresh produce and minimizing wastage.
4.  Ecolibrium Energy: Ecolibrium Energy is a brand that provides energy management solutions to businesses, helping them optimize their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. With the use of data analytics and IoT to provide real-time insights into energy usage, Ecolibrium Energy is helping businesses make informed decisions to reduce their energy consumption.

Promising Hiring Sentiments in India’s EPC sector post a slight slump – CIEL Report

Bengaluru,30th March: The country’s fastest growing staffing and recruitment firm, CIEL HR Services has released its latest report ‘Employment Trends Today in EPC Sector in India – Feb 2023’, forecasting a promising employment outlook after a slight decline towards the fag end of 2022. With a combination of serious headwinds like inflation and economic slowdown, hiring activity has dropped slightly in Q4 (OND ’22) after a steady period between May to September in the previous year.

However, due to the positive sentiments around the 2023 Budget, the sector witnesses an increase in hiring reflecting overall stability, especially with its consistency in employing top-level management and an increased lookout for freshers.

Another interesting find from CIEL’s report is that, among all no-tech sectors, the EPC sector takes the lead (11%) with regards to the most sought-after role of Software Development (2,367 jobs) as compared to sectors like FMCG (3%), Pharma (2%) and Banking (10%). With a futuristic vision of leveraging emerging technologies, employers in the sector are on a hiring spree for jobs like Software Engineers, Full Stack Developers, Java Developers, Cybersecurity Specialists, and Integration Specialists. Further, ‘Software Developer’ remains the highest paid: 39% of the jobs are in a salary of INR 10 lacs and above.

Our survey suggests, Bengaluru (19%) remains to be the hottest hub for hiring software specialists, followed closely by Delhi/NCR (18%). Other metropolises like Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai along with the country’s capital and IT capital contribute to more than 70% of the total job postings.

Mr. Aditya Narayan Mishra, Managing Director & CEO of CIEL HR Services, expresses his opinion on the findings; “From CIEL’s study, we observe that the EPC sector can leverage the recent IT hiring cool-off and use the available tech talent to digitize their processes, thereby improve efficiency and enhance customer experience. With the government’s focus on accelerating infrastructure development, this industry is poised to grow at a faster pace and has the potential to create new jobs faster than ever before. Moreover, the sector needs to adopt policies that promote women’s participation and thus expand the talent pool available to serve the sector. ”

Other Key Findings:

Highest Median Tenure in the country

•  EPC performs better than its peers in retaining talent, with a median tenure of 5 years vis-a-vis FMCG at 4.1 years, MSME at 3.6 years, and ITES at 3.3 years.16% Women’s Participation in the Workforce
•  The sector continues to show overwhelming participation of men in its workforce. While gender diversity has increased, women’s participation continues to remain low at 16%.

CIEL HR Services has collated this report by studying 52 leading Indian EPC companies employing 80,000+ employees. The analysis included 21,865 jobs posted on job portals in January 2023.

DBS Bank India launches ‘digiPortfolio’ for seamless investment portfolio management

New Delhi, March 30, 2023: DBS Bank India has announced an innovative investment solution, ‘digiPortfolio’, on its digibank platform. digiPortfolio uses both technology and human expertise to create a set of investment options curated by Morningstar that match the risk preferences of different investors. The platform is an easy, one-stop solution for users to invest money with ready-made baskets of mutual funds. DBS Bank India is one of the first banks in India to offer this type of digital solution.

DBS Bank aims to redefine the customer experience and make it more seamless by using data, AI, and advanced technologies. The offering includes different types of investment options, such as domestic equity, debt, and money market instruments, to ensure there are diverse portfolios to cater to different risk profiles of investors. The digiPortfolio platform is run by Quantifeed and is automated, making it easy to use.

Prashant Joshi, Managing Director & Head – Consumer Banking Group, DBS Bank India, said, “India has witnessed increased participation of domestic retail investors in the burgeoning capital markets during the past two years. However, the complex nature of mutual fund products and the risks involved have kept many prospective investors at bay. Through this differentiated offering, our aim is to simplify the process and bridge the knowledge gap, while helping to balance growth and safety while making investment decisions. It is our endeavor that through digiPortfolio, many of our customers will be more confident about participating in the Indian capital markets.”

Dhaval Kapadia, Director – Portfolio Specialist, Morningstar, said, “Asset Allocation, i.e., the allocation of various assets such as equity and debt in an investor’s portfolio, is known to be a key driver of investment performance in terms of risk and reward over the long term. The digiPortfolio begins with Morningstar’s ground-breaking research on long-term asset allocation. This approach considers various asset classes to build diversified mutual funds-based portfolios of domestic equities and fixed-income offerings. These portfolios are designed to be an investment, aligned to your risk appetite and investment horizon, helping you achieve your financial goals.”

The investment options on the digiPortfolio platform are chosen and made up of mutual funds carefully selected by Morningstar, which relies on more than 37 years of industry research. The portfolios are regularly adjusted to ensure they stay strong even when the market is volatile and give the best possible returns.

digiPortfolio provides instant access to investors with two plans starting at a minimum investment of ₹10,000 and ₹50,000. These plans include features such as portfolio construction, monitoring, and rebalancing services, powered by Morningstar. The Bank uses technology to make things faster, cheaper, and more efficient for investors. There are no extra charges, like sales or transaction fees. Investors can invest for as long as they want, choosing what suits them based on their goals, risk preferences, and investment duration.

Ross Milward, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder of Quantifeed, said, “We are delighted to continue our relationship with DBS Bank and support their latest launch in India. Quantifeed continues to see first-hand how well business and technology can come together, guided by a clear sense of delivering on customer experience. We are convinced that digiPortfolio will continue to revolutionize the digital wealth landscape and bring customers a delightful and personalised investing experience.”

DBS Bank India has a strong commitment to delivering superior solutions to its customers that make banking intelligent, intuitive, and effortless, frequently partnering with industry leaders in the ecosystem. In 2022, the bank collaborated with Bajaj Finance Limited to launch the ‘Bajaj Finserv DBS Bank SuperCard,’ a Visa-powered credit card designed to simplify customers’ wallets by eliminating the need for multiple cards.

Risk disclaimers:

• DBS Bank India Limited, an AMFI registered Mutual Fund Distributor, provides this DIY platform to facilitate digiPortfolio investments. This offering shall not be construed as financial or investment advice
• Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing
• Model portfolios are curated by MorningstarTM based on general risk levels and are not on personalized suggestions. Prior to investing, we recommend you consult your financial advisor to evaluate the product offering’s suitability as per your requirements
• DBS Bank India Limited – AMFI registered Mutual Fund Distributor (ARN-155319)
• Exit charges may apply for early redemption/switch cases, and, are not applicable for ELSS funds

UPI is free, fast, secure and seamless

Mumbai –,30th March 2023: In the recent times, UPI has emerged as preferred mode of digital payment by offering a free, fast, secure, and seamless experience. Traditionally, the most preferred method of UPI transactions is linking the Bank account in any UPI-enabled app for making payments which contributes over 99.9% of total UPI transactions. These Bank account-to-account transactions continue to remain free for Customers and Merchants.

Recent regulatory guidelines, Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI Wallets) have been permitted to be part of the interoperable UPI ecosystem. In view of this NPCI has now permitted the PPI wallets to be part of an interoperable UPI ecosystem. The interchange charges introduced are only applicable for the PPI merchant transactions and there is no charge to customers, and it is further clarified that there are no charges for the bank account to bank account-based UPI payments (i.e. normal UPI payments).

With this addition to UPI, the Customers will have the choice of using any bank account, RuPay Credit card, and prepaid wallet on UPI-enabled apps.

Subagroup of Hotels Launches ‘comfort Inn Silver Arch’, Mussoorie

Suba Group of Hotels, a master franchisee of Choice Hotels India has marked another milestone in Uttrakhand with the launch of ‘Comfort Inn Silver Arch’ in Mussoorie. Conveniently located near the entry of the Picture Palace side of Mall Road in Mussoorie, the property can be accessed easily by road, rail, and by air via Dehradun airport. Some of the prominent tourist destinations including Malls, Kempty Falls, LalTibba, Company Garden, Gun Hill, George Everest House, Cloud End, Bhatta Falls, and Camelback Road are located in close proximity to the hotel.

Announcing the opening, Mansur Mehta, Managing Director, Suba Group of Hotels, said, “We are delighted to launch Comfort Inn Silver Arch in the picturesque hills of Mussoorie. Popularly referred to as the queen of hills, Mussoorie is a major tourist destination frequented by a huge number of visitors from across the country. With the launch of our new property, we will tap the growing potential of tourist inflow in the region. The hotel perfectly epitomizes the Suba Hotel group’s core values of offering immaculate service and unparalleled hospitality”.

“We are pleased to expand our footprints in North India with the launch of Comfort Inn Silver Arch in Mussoorie. This full-service hotel with all contemporary elements is ideal for leisure tourists, flexible independent travelers (FIT), and group travelers. It is our endeavor to continue to penetrate our reach across popular destinations across the country.” said, Mubeen Mehta, CEO, of Suba Group of Hotels.

The Comfort Inn Silver Arch features 27 Rooms and 4 Bamboo Cottages and can accommodate around 80-100 guests. All rooms are Air Conditioned and are equipped with LED TVs with Cable, Free WIFI Access, Limited Hours Room Service, Tea Coffee Kettle in each room, Hair Dryer, 24X7 Hot & Cold Running Water, Safe Locker, Mini-Fridge, Complimentary water, Telephone, etc. The facilities at the hotel include 24-hour room service, a travel desk, car parking, and laundry services.

Guests can enjoy a magnificent culinary journey at The Cafe situated on the Ground floor of the hotel which also has an outdoor seating area. It is a multi-cuisine outlet serving Buffet breakfast and a-la-carte lunch/dinner. To make guests feel pampered, the restaurant’s team members carefully select the fresh ingredients for the food and cook it with a lot of love and attention.

“Each of our properties boasts luxurious rooms with a host of banqueting and F&B facilities. Suba Hotels serves modern travelers by providing a distinctive stay experience, outstanding quality services, and exceptional facilities at competitive pricing. The company has footprints in all major metros, including tier 1 and tier 2 cities. All of their facilities provide elegant and large rooms, exciting locations for holding weddings, events, and exhibitions, and a fantastic dining experience at iconic restaurants”, said Chandrakant Shetty, COO, Suba Group of Hotels.

InCruiter partners with Taggd to streamline hiring and expand the workforce in India

India March 30, 2023: InCruiter, a leading interview solution provider, has partnered with Taggd, a subsidiary of PeopleStrong, to expedite its hiring process. As part of this collaboration, InCruiter has equipped the company with its hero product, Interview-as-a-Service (IaaS), to seamlessly conduct interviews and shortlist the best talents for various IT and Non-IT roles have gradually boosted the Taggd employee headcount.

By leveraging this alliance, Taggd has successfully conducted around 900 interviews in the last one and a half months and has significantly benefited from the outstanding results. The IaaS platform has helped Taggd scale up its operations, recording exponential growth, which is no less than a milestone for the company.

Anil Agarwal, CEO & Co-Founder InCruiter said, “We are happy to collaborate with Taggd and add value to their business. It has been a great experience for us to work with their team in finding top talents, boosting their hiring process by 1.5X, and streamlining their recruitment process. With this partnership, we also got the opportunity to expand our customer base, making this synergy a win-win for both of us. We will continue to associate with more players in the future with an intent to make their hiring journeys smooth and hassle-free.”

Taggd President, Mr. Devashish Sharma, said, “We are delighted to join hands with a leading Interview as a Service partner like InCruiter that has been doing a phenomenal job in this domain. Through IaaS, we have brought great talents to strengthen our existing teams and scale our operations to new heights. We look forward to this synergy and hope to benefit each other in the coming months.”

Since its inception, InCruiter has strived to innovate the employee onboarding experience for its clients through world-class remote hiring solutions. Standing tall today, it comprises a team of more than 2200 interviewers and 200+ clients, including industry-leading names like Mahindra and Practo, seamlessly conducting over 100K interview minutes daily.