Category: News Headline

JSW Paints to acquire 74.76 per cent stake in Akzo Nobel India in bold Rs 8986 crore move

MUMBAI: JSW Paints dipped its brush into the big leagues on Thursday, signing definitive agreements to acquire up to 74.76 per cent stake in Akzo Nobel India Limited (ANIL) for a maximum consideration of Rs 8986 crore. The all-cash deal, one of the sector’s most significant in recent years, marks JSW Paints’ ambitious leap toward top-tier status in India’s fast-expanding paints and coatings market.

The acquisition is contingent upon regulatory approval from the Competition Commission of India and completion of a mandatory open offer to ANIL’s public shareholders. Should all go as planned, the JSW Group’s paints arm will become a heavyweight challenger to incumbents in a market long dominated by a few legacy players.

ANIL, the Indian arm of Netherlands-based Akzo Nobel, brings with it marquee brands like Dulux, International and Sikkens, and a strong decorative and industrial paints portfolio. In return, JSW Paints, part of the $23 billion JSW Group, gains reach, muscle and a serious splash of brand equity.

JSW Paints managing director Parth Jindal said, “Paints & Coatings is one of India’s fastest growing sectors and JSW Paints is amongst the fastest growing paint companies. Akzo Nobel India is home to some of the most globally renowned brands of paints & coatings like Dulux, International and Sikkens. We are excited to welcome them to the JSW family. Together, along with the Akzo Nobel India family – employees, customers and partners – we aspire to build the paint company of the future. With the Magic of Dulux and Thoughtfulness of JSW Paints, we look forward to delighting customers and building lasting value for our stakeholders”.

Akzonobel CEO Greg Poux-Guillaume added, “This transaction is a significant milestone in the execution of our strategy. Akzonobel India has been a consistently strong performer, and we are proud of the brand and talent that have made it a success. With JSW, we are confident the business is in the hands of a long-term partner with deep local expertise and strong ambitions in the sector”.

The acquisition underscores a broader strategy by JSW Paints to cement itself as a dominant force in a market projected to clock double-digit growth, driven by rising urbanisation, housing demand, and premiumisation. It also reflects increasing consolidation in the Indian paints sector, where the battle for shelf space and mindshare has intensified.

Morgan Stanley served as exclusive financial adviser to JSW Paints, with Khaitan & Co. acting as legal counsel and Deloitte overseeing financial and tax due diligence.

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June 27, 2025
Golden words, golden futures as KEF bets big on real stories of change

MUMBAI: What do golden tickets and scholarships have in common? For hundreds of bright young minds, it’s the chance of a lifetime and Kotak Education Foundation (KEF) is spotlighting that connection with heart and purpose. Celebrating MSME Day 2025, KEF has rolled out a compelling campaign titled “Future Ka Golden Ticket” to raise awareness about its flagship Kotak Junior Scholarship.

Featuring real-life beneficiaries, the integrated campaign draws from actual stories of Mumbai’s promising students whose lives have been transformed through KEF’s support. From bus shelters and cab panels to guerrilla tricycle activations in underserved areas, the visuals and the message go straight to the heart.

But KEF isn’t just offering financial aid. It’s going the extra mile with what it calls “beyond scholarship” initiatives mentorship, academic assistance, and life-skills training designed to ensure holistic development. And the campaign, by putting real faces to these efforts, doubles down on trust and relatability.

“We’ve seen how ambition alone isn’t enough. What changes lives is access and zidd,” said a KEF spokesperson, echoing the foundation’s “Inch Wide, Mile Deep” philosophy that underpins every intervention across Maharashtra and Gujarat.

With three core verticals, school interventions, equitable scholarships, and vocational training, KEF’s initiatives have touched thousands. From building teacher capacity and improving English fluency in middle schools to supporting model schools at the district level, the impact is both broad and deep.

In numbers, KEF’s scholarship portfolio includes:

. Kotak Junior Scholarship for students in Mumbai’s low-income schools pursuing Class 11 & 12.

. Kotak Kanya Scholarship (launched in 2021) for meritorious girls nationwide in higher education.

. Project Unnati, which coaches unemployed youth in IT, spoken English, and life skills, guaranteeing placements to help them step into the workforce confidently.

With this new campaign, KEF is looking not just to inspire, but to scale with an eye on systemic reform. The focus is shifting from school-level impact to district and state-level education transformation. The next frontier? Impact at Scale.

As the CSR arm of Kotak Mahindra Group, Kotak Karma’s efforts through KEF are rooted in the belief that education is the greatest equaliser and in this campaign, every story told is another step toward levelling the playing field.

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June 27, 2025
Reise Moto shifts Supercross fandom into high gear with ISRL fan parks in Season 2

MUMBAI: Racing in India is no longer just a blur of wheels and dust on television. It’s now a family affair, a weekend escape, and a full-throttle festival. As the Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) gears up for Season 2 between October and December 2025, it’s revving up not just the tracks, but the fanfare.

ISRL has announced the launch of its high-octane ISRL Fan Parks, presented by Reise Moto, turning race weekends into full-fledged motorsport carnivals across host cities. These fan-first zones are slated to open two days before each Sunday race, and will feature everything from pit-lane access to AR gaming zones, merging adrenaline with accessibility.

Reise Moto, already an associate sponsor of ISRL, takes pole position as presenting partner for the fan parks. “At Reise Moto, being a community-first performance brand, fostering motorsports ecosystem with globally acclaimed products for budding and pro racers. Our association with ISRL is rooted in shared values – performance, passion, and innovation”, said Reise Moto MD Yogesh Mahansaria.

The fan parks promise racing tutorials, tech workshops, pit crew demos, and even electric bike zones for children. Over 5,000 families are expected to attend each weekend, making it India’s first true motorsport family experience. Adding more punch are live music gigs, cultural acts, food trucks, and VIP lounges. Think Grand Prix meets Glastonbury.

ISRL co-founder Eeshan Lokhande emphasised that this is more than just fanfare. “ISRL isn’t just about racing it’s about building a new era of motorsport culture in India. Through the Fan Park, we’re inviting fans to go behind the scenes, meet the athletes, watch pit crews in action, and experience the sheer energy of Supercross up close”, he said.

The parks will roll into each of ISRL’s race cities from October, with highlights including VR racing games, DIY bike zones, kids’ mini tracks, and rider meet-and-greets. It’s motorsport reimagined for the masses, aimed at bringing both seasoned petrolheads and newcomers under one turbo-charged tent.

The league, run by Team Supercross India (SXI), founded by former racers Veer Patel and Lokhande, is fast gaining traction. Reise Moto too has revved up its presence in Indian biking circuits—offering Dakar-spec tyres, a European gear lineup, and 3,000+ dealers nationwide.

From its Gujarat factory to the pit lanes of India’s biggest race weekends, Reise Moto seems intent on steering Indian motorsport fandom into a new lane—faster, louder, and a whole lot more inclusive.

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June 27, 2025
Terribly Tiny Tales goes big with bite-sized drama

MUMBAI: Terribly Tiny Tales (TTT), the cult storytelling brand under Collective Artists Network, has launched Terribly Tiny TV — a slick new vertical riding the wave of “microdramas,” scripted short-format fiction tailor-made for today’s Insta-hungry, binge-in-a-scroll generation.

Forget long-winded narratives — these are sharply cut, emotionally loaded episodes served in just 2, 5 or 10 minutes. Built for mobile, designed for social and engineered to hook you fast, TTT’s microdramas aren’t sketches or trending commentary — they’re full-bodied fictional plots that hit hard and vanish quicker than your coffee break.

“What short films were to festivals, microdramas are to digital culture,” said Terribly Tiny Tales founder & CEO Anuj Gosalia. “With Terribly Tiny TV, we’re creating an IP engine where creators can build deeply human stories designed for digital velocity. This is the next era of storytelling — efficient, emotional, and unforgettable.”

Episodes are fully scripted, cast, and produced by TTT’s in-house storytellers and a growing collective of emerging voices. With new drops every week across Instagram and YouTube Shorts, the platform offers brands and platforms a future-facing, fiction-led format that plays native to digital culture.

“Terribly Tiny Tales has always stood at the intersection of storytelling and new formats,” said Collective Artists Network founder & CEO Vijay Subramaniam. “Microdramas are the natural evolution of that legacy, high impact through high-volume, high-feeling IPs that can live natively on social media while building long-tail value across platforms.”

Backed by more than 60 million organic views and a community of 2,500+ storytellers, TTT is betting big on turning emotional intelligence into shareable IP gold. From Instagram feeds to licensing deals, Terribly Tiny TV isn’t just surfing the short-form wave — it’s scripting the next one.

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June 27, 2025
Sanjay Prasad joins Webengage as VP to drive global channel alliances and enterprise partnerships

MUMBAI: Webengage has put a seasoned hand on the wheel as it pushes deeper into global waters. On June 27, the Mumbai-based SaaS player named Sanjay Prasad as its new vice president, global head of channels and alliances. In his new role, Prasad will take charge of building a high-impact ecosystem of global consulting firms, technology partners and digital agencies to accelerate Webengage’s reach across geographies and verticals.

Prasad comes armed with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise sales, business development, and alliance management across BFSI and tech. His resume spans some of the biggest names in the business—IBM, HP, Oracle, Red Hat, LeadSquared, and MoEngage. With a mechanical engineering degree from Pune University and an MBA from IBMR, he has led strategic partner growth across MEA and APAC.

“Sanjay’s deep understanding of the enterprise landscape and proven track record in building high-impact alliances makes him the ideal leader to drive this mission forward”, said Webengage co-founder & CEO Avlesh Singh. “His vision aligns perfectly with our goal to make Webengage the preferred customer engagement partner for global enterprises”.

The appointment reflects Webengage’s larger pivot towards ecosystem-led expansion and a value-first approach. Instead of just pushing products, the company wants to co-build solutions with partners that deliver transformation at scale.

“It’s an exciting time to join Webengage”, said Prasad. “The platform’s growth route, product maturity, and customer-first culture offer immense potential to co-create value with leading consulting firms. I’m looking forward to strengthening our alliances and building a robust partner ecosystem that helps enterprises bring forth better engagement, retention, and revenue outcomes”.

With Prasad at the helm of partnerships, Webengage plans to institutionalise deeper collaboration models with system integrators, enabling smoother enterprise implementation and faster time-to-value.

The company’s partnership strategy already seems to be bearing fruit. KPMG India partner & head, technology enablement – financial services and office managing partner, Kochi, Vishnu Sri Pillai said, “Customer focused digital transformation is one of the key priorities for enterprises today. Our collaboration with Webengage should aid in bringing integrated, insight-led solutions to market that address real business challenges and drive long-term value”.

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June 27, 2025
Adarsh Mishra signs on as content lead at Viewtrade to steer strategic storytelling

MUMBAI: Adarsh Mishra has joined Viewtrade Holding Corporation as lead, content, signalling a potential pivot in how the financial infrastructure company approaches brand engagement. With nearly a decade of experience building strategic content ecosystems for new-age platforms, Mishra’s appointment suggests Viewtrade is tightening its focus on narrative-led outreach, both client-facing and public-facing.

Viewtrade, headquartered in Jersey City and founded in 2000, has long operated at the backend of fintech enablement. The company provides brokerage and technology infrastructure to financial institutions, fintech ventures and wealth managers, covering everything from APIs and white-label platforms to onboarding tools and post-trade services.

Now, with Mishra’s entry, content may no longer play a background role. Best known for his work with creators and brands like WTF by Nikhil Kamath, BeerBiceps, Figuring Out, and Josh Talks, Mishra brings deep experience in creating content IPs that align creativity with business intent.

While the specifics of his remit at Viewtrade remain under wraps, industry observers suggest he may help build a structured content strategy—spanning educational assets, thought leadership and platform-led storytelling to support scale, customer enablement, and global reach.

The move also underlines Viewtrade’s ongoing ambition to remain competitive in a cluttered fintech stack where differentiation increasingly lies in narrative. With financial literacy, onboarding UX, and retention becoming as much about trust as tools, Mishra’s presence could prove instrumental.

June 27, 2025
Squid Game goes live in Mumbai as Netflix turns finale into fan-fuelled frenzy

MUMBAI: Netflix India turned Mumbai into a battleground of brawns, brains and buzz as Squid Game Season 3 dropped with a live spectacle that felt straight out of the show’s playbook. In a first-of-its-kind activation, 19 of India’s top digital creators and one lucky fan faced off in real-life recreations of Squid Game’s infamous challenges – all cheered on by a screaming crowd of 900+ die-hard fans.

It was “Red Light, Green Light” meets influencer culture as names like Awez Darbar, The Rebel Kid, Gurleen Pannu, Aakash Gupta, Urooj Ashfaq, GamerFleet, and Ashish Solanki went full-throttle in a live taping that played out like the season’s highlight reel — complete with chaos, cliffhangers and meme-worthy moments.

The creators battled it out in iconic games from past seasons — including a laugh-out-loud six-legged sprint and a sneak peek of Jump Rope, a brand-new challenge from the final season — all while being broadcast to a sea of fans whose energy matched the stakes.

The grand finale? A live-action celebration of one of the most-watched thrillers on Netflix, amped up with raw fandom, creator energy, and IRL drama. This wasn’t your usual game night. This was Squid Game unplugged, unscripted, and unmissable.

June 27, 2025
Asian Paints goes prime time with Tamil TV-inspired colour guide

MUMBAI: What do Tamil prime-time serials and your next wall colour have in common? Quite a lot, if Asian Paints has anything to say about it.

The paint and décor giant has launched Tractor Emulsion Varnamaalai, a first-of-its-kind shade guide for Tamil Nadu inspired by the vivid sets and characters of popular Tamil TV serials like Kayal, Moondru Mudichu and Singapenne. With the visual flair of leading ladies such as Chaitra Reddy, Swathi Konde and Maneesha Mahesh fronting the guide in full character, Asian Paints brings 65 curated colour combos straight from the screen to your home.

Cleverly titled Varnamaalai—Tamil for “garland of colours”—the guide features palettes lifted from living rooms, staircases and bedrooms of beloved serials that collectively reach over 41 million viewers a month. It’s smart, striking, and steeped in local flavour.

Speaking on the launch, Asian Paints Ltd. MD & CEO, Amit Syngle shared, “At Asian Paints, we understand that colour is both a deeply emotional and cultural choice. With Tractor Emulsion Varna Maalai, we’ve transformed that understanding into a truly local and meaningful offering. This shade guide gives consumers in Tamil Nadu a relatable tool to imagine their homes through the familiar lens of characters and settings they see every day. It makes colour selection more intuitive, personal, and inspiring — and reflects our ongoing effort to democratise décor through innovations rooted in culture.”

Designed around its bestselling Tractor Emulsion, known for anti-fade performance and a four-year warranty, Varnamaalai includes room-wise stencils, styling tips and finish options to help home-owners visualise real spaces with star-approved flair.

Speaking at the launch, actors Reddy, Konde, and Mahesh shared their thoughts on the shade guide, “Varnamaalai is a beautiful and brilliant offering. Choosing the right colours for your home is often overwhelming, but seeing combinations brought to life through TV serials we watch every day makes the process simple and real. We can’t think of a better brand than Asian Paints to lead and guide this journey.”

The guide is available at Asian Paints dealer outlets, online, or via SMS. Send “Tractor” to 56161 and have the shades of Tamil Nadu’s biggest blockbusters delivered to your doorstep.

It’s colour with character—and a little bit of daily soap drama.

June 27, 2025
One last split to rule them all as Valorant Split 3 kicks off today

MUMBAI: The battle lines are drawn, and the bullets are digital but the stakes? Very real. South Asia’s most prestigious Valorant showdown OMEN VCSA 2025 Split 3 blasts off today, 27 June, in what promises to be the most high-pressure sprint of the season. With Rs 53 lakh up for grabs and only four golden tickets available to the VCT Ascension Pacific Qualifiers, the eight teams in the fray aren’t just aiming to win, they’re fighting to represent the region on the global stage.

Running online until 3 July, the final split in this year’s three-part saga will determine which top four teams move to the Ascension Qualifiers (online: 7–8 July, LAN in Gurugram: 12–13 July), where just one squad will earn the honour of donning South Asia’s colours at the VCT Ascension Pacific 2025.

Who’s in the arena?

Revenant X Spark (155 points), Velocity Gaming (130), and Reckoning Esports (120) currently top the Challenger Points leaderboard. They return alongside S8ul, Dot Exe Esports, and GE Academy from earlier splits. New challengers XO Ind and Asterisk enter through the Promotion and Relegation bracket, and every match now could shift the leaderboard entirely.

Velocity Gaming stole Split 1 in a stunning undefeated run. Revenant X Spark bounced back with a LAN-finale victory in Split 2, defeating Reckoning Esports, whose player Kirill ‘moner’ Matsanov bagged the MVP title with a jaw-dropping 258 kills and a flurry of clutch plays.

This final split isn’t just about glory, it’s about survival. With a cumulative prize pool of Rs 1.13 crore, VCSA 2025 introduced a points-based system to reward consistency across all three splits. Now, with Challenger Points accumulated so far, Split 3 becomes the final checkpoint before Ascension.

The winner of the upcoming Ascension Qualifiers won’t just hoist a trophy, they’ll enter the VCT Ascension Pacific tournament, facing off against elite teams from across the Asia-Pacific region. The dream? Securing a slot in next year’s prestigious VCT International League.

“Split 3 is where pressure peaks,” said Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee. “This is South Asia’s final shot at international glory and fans can expect the fiercest Valorant action yet.”

Riot Games’ South Asia Esports Lead Sukamal Pegu echoed the sentiment: “Every match is make-or-break. It’s a chance to witness the best of our regional talent rise.”

Tournament Timeline:

. Split 3 (Online): 27 June – 3 July

. Ascension Qualifiers (Online): 7 – 8 July

. Ascension Qualifiers (LAN – Gurugram): 12 – 13 July

. Watch Live: Nodwin Gaming YouTube (Hindi & English), Facebook (Hindi)

With the battlefield heating up and a shot at global domination on the line, Split 3 isn’t just the final leg, it’s the ultimate proving ground. Ready. Aim. Ascend.

June 27, 2025
APOS 2025: How JioStar turns sports into co-creation, not just consumption

BALI: JioStar is no longer content with just broadcasting sport—it’s rewriting the production storybook altogether. Speaking at APOS 2025 in Bali, JioStar head of sports production services & technology Prashant Khanna laid out a bold vision: India as the epicentre of global sports innovation.

“We don’t just see ourselves as broadcasters or production partners,” Khanna said during a high-energy fireside chat. “We’re in the business of helping India create iconic sporting memories.”

Khanna spotlighted JioStar’s end-to-end reimagining of the sports viewing experience—infused with tech, empathy, and staggering interactivity. Think sign-language feeds, descriptive audio for the visually impaired, vertical videos, motion-capture-powered kids’ streams, and multi-cam toggles.

“The modern fan doesn’t want to just watch—they want to co-create,” Khanna stressed. “Millions are producing their own version of the game in real time. That’s the expectation.”

A major catalyst behind this transformation? Starlab, JioStar’s in-house innovation unit that’s quietly building a cloud-native production stack in collaboration with AWS, creators, and start-ups. The result: hyper-personalised, scalable, and immersive experiences beamed across devices in formats fans choose.

Khanna also highlighted JioStar’s deep investment in talent pipelines through its partnership with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies—a government-led effort to skill the next generation in sports and live production.

“It’s not just about what audiences see today. It’s about who shapes that experience tomorrow,” he said.
Citing the recently concluded 18th season of the IPL as a “turning point,” Khanna revealed the company’s key takeaway: audiences don’t want passive content anymore.

““It’s been an eye-opener every single time, but this year, our biggest learning was how deeply involved the consumer is. They no longer want to passively consume what you’re serving them—they want to be part of shaping how the game unfolds over those 4–5 hours.”

“We saw this play out every day for 2.5 months, through a variety of formats and platforms. Whether it was widescreen or vertical video, Sunday cohort feeds, or kids’ IPs brought to life through motion capture, the engagement was constant. It reinforced that delivering the game in a way fans understand and love is no longer optional-it’s essential,” he said.

With India firmly on the front foot, JioStar’s playbook proves one thing: the future of sport is no longer just played. It’s produced, personalised, and powered by fans.

June 27, 2025