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Tag: Santosh Agarwal

  • Credit where it’s due as festive shoppers swipe big this Diwali

    Credit where it’s due as festive shoppers swipe big this Diwali

    MUMBAI: Looks like this Diwali, Indians didn’t just light up their homes, they swiped their way to sparkle too. A new survey by Paisabazaar reveals that over 42 per cent of credit card users spent upwards of Rs 50,000 on festive shopping this year, signalling that big-ticket buying is firmly back in fashion.

    The festive cheer wasn’t limited to diyas and discounts, it spread right across credit limits. About 22 per cent of respondents spent between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh, while one in five splurged over Rs 1 lakh on their cards during Diwali. The survey, which covered over 2,300 users, paints a clear picture of India’s growing comfort with credit as a strategic spending tool.

    When it came to what they bought, home appliances topped the wishlist at 25 per cent, followed by mobiles, gadgets and accessories at 23 per cent, and apparel at 22 per cent. Furniture and décor made up 18 per cent of spends, while gold and jewellery accounted for 12 per cent proof that both sparkle and substance drove shopping choices this season.

    But it wasn’t all impulse. The study revealed that 91 per cent of shoppers planned their purchases around card-specific offers and festive deals. Less than 10 per cent relied solely on their card’s standard cashback or reward structure. Clearly, today’s consumers are not just shopping, they’re strategising.

    “Consumers are using credit cards more intelligently, timing their high-value purchases with festive offers and card-linked deals,” said Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal. “This growing financial awareness shows how value and convenience are driving credit card use.”

    The benefits are paying off too. Nearly 71 per cent of respondents owned shopping-specific credit cards that offered cashback or festive rewards, while 15 per cent received seasonal deals even without such cards. For many, cashback remained the biggest draw chosen by 20 per cent of users followed closely by co-branded offers (19 per cent) and accelerated reward points (18 per cent).

    Among those opting for EMIs, No-Cost EMI emerged as the clear winner, attracting 56 per cent of users, while 29 per cent chose EMIs to unlock extra discounts and 10 per cent used them simply to spread payments more comfortably.

    Interestingly, shoppers were equally at home online and offline 48 per cent said they preferred a mix of both. The hunt for better deals drove most of them to e-commerce giants, with 83 per cent claiming they found the best discounts on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. Together, the two dominated with a 43 per cent preference rate, followed by Myntra (15 per cent), Meesho (10 per cent), and other platforms such as Ajio, Nykaa, Zepto and Tata Cliq accounting for 32 per cent collectively.

    Paisabazaar, head of credit cards Rohit Chhibbar summed it up aptly: “This festive season marked the rise of the value-savvy shopper, one who plans, compares, and capitalises on every offer. Cashback, rewards, and no-cost EMIs have made credit cards indispensable for festive spending.”

    In short, this Diwali, shoppers didn’t just chase lights, they chased the right swipes.

     

  • Paisabazaar banks on bonds & FDs with new wealth management foray

    Paisabazaar banks on bonds & FDs with new wealth management foray

    MUMBAI: Paisabazaar, one of India’s largest consumer credit marketplace, has taken a bold step into wealth management by launching fixed deposits (FDs) and corporate bonds on its platform.

    Best known as the go-to hub for free credit scores and loans, the fintech giant now wants to be the one-stop shop for all things money. “Our vision is to be a lifelong financial partner by offering a full suite of borrowing, saving and investment options,” said Paisabazaar, ceo, Santosh Agarwal.

    The move comes on the heels of PB Money, Paisabazaar’s personal finance management tool built on the account aggregator framework. With the latest launch, the platform promises retail investors a digital-first, transparent experience to compare, choose and book investment products, all from the comfort of their phones.

    FDs from players like Bajaj Finance, Suryoday Bank, Shivalik SF Bank, Slice SF Bank, Utkarsh SF Bank, Shriram Finance and South Indian Bank are now live on the app. Meanwhile, corporate bonds, powered by SEBI-regulated Grip Invest are being pitched as a high-yield alternative, with potential returns of up to 13.25 per cent, and investments starting as low as Rs 1,000.

    Investors can filter bonds by yield, credit rating and ticket size, and even access SEBI-registered analysts’ curated advice on theme-based portfolios. The aim: to make fixed income appealing again.

    Long term, Paisabazaar plans to balance its credit engine with savings and investment offerings, while targeting underserved and ‘new-to-credit’ segments. The company believes its data-led approach will deepen customer engagement and build a resilient, diversified model.
     

  • Paisabazaar opens doors to credit with first retail store in Gurugram

    Paisabazaar opens doors to credit with first retail store in Gurugram

    MUMBAI: Credit just got a shopfront makeover. Paisabazaar, India’s largest credit marketplace and free credit score platform, has stepped off the screen and onto the street with the launch of its first-ever retail store in Gurugram. This brick-and-mortar debut marks the fintech’s bold push to blend face-to-face financial advice with its tech-driven backbone.

    Over the next few weeks, the lender will expand with two more stores in Delhi and Noida before rolling out an ambitious 100 outlets across Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and other metros. These hubs won’t just sell loans but will serve as financial pitstops for every kind of borrower from first-time credit seekers to small business owners offering guidance on personal loans, home loans, business loans and credit cards. For those less comfortable navigating apps, Paisabazaar’s physical presence promises hand-holding, personalised solutions and a friendlier gateway into the world of credit.

    “The retail store is a new business model for us, one that combines the comfort of a physical interaction and a technology-led seamless experience,” said Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal. “Our physical presence will help us both scale our business and deepen consumer trust.” The initiative aligns with the fintech’s larger goal of bridging the digital–physical divide and building a hybrid model that caters to millions of Indians who want the reassurance of a handshake alongside a loan approval. In a country where credit literacy still has miles to go, Paisabazaar’s retail foray may well prove to be credit where it’s due.

  • Credit where it’s due Delhi tops Paisabazaar’s most credit healthy cities

    Credit where it’s due Delhi tops Paisabazaar’s most credit healthy cities

    MUMBAI: Looks like Delhiites aren’t just keeping up with the Joneses, they’re paying them back on time too. According to Paisabazaar’s insights report “How India Checked Credit Score”, the capital has emerged as India’s most credit-healthy city, with 46 per cent of its consumers scoring well and an average score of 746.

    Close on its heels is Pune, where 44 per cent of participants posted an average of 744, while Kerala (43 per cent at 745) and Chandigarh (43 per cent at 744) round off the top credit-conscious quartet. The findings were drawn from the Credit Premier League (CPL), a gamified contest that saw a whopping 4.7 million participants from 710 cities track and test their financial fitness over 30 days.

    The competition wasn’t just about averages, it also produced some standout high scores. Five participants from Bangalore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kerala and Pune touched 861 out of 900, the highest in the country, while a Chennai contestant followed closely with 859.

    Interestingly, the most active cities weren’t the healthiest ones Mumbai, Hyderabad and Lucknow together clocked nearly 1.5 million participants. More than half of all players came from the millennial bracket (29–44 years), highlighting just how deeply younger Indians are engaging with financial health.

    Women may have been fewer in number, making up just 8 per cent of participants, but they left a mark too, one-third hailed from southern cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Adding to the fun was a quirky Ghibli-style selfie feature that allowed participants to generate animated selfies showcasing their credit scores, sparking a social media wave of “score-sharing”.

    “Consumers are engaging with their credit health like never before,” said Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal adding that CPL has helped make conversations around financial fitness truly mainstream.

    From quirky selfies to sky-high scores, the Credit Premier League has proved one thing, when it comes to money matters, India is ready to play the long game.

  • Santosh Agarwal takes charge as CEO of Paisabazaar amid strategic shift

    Santosh Agarwal takes charge as CEO of Paisabazaar amid strategic shift

    MUMBAI: Paisabazaar has appointed Santosh Agarwal as its chief executive officer, stepping up to head PB Fintech’s credit distribution platform. She succeeds Naveen Kukreja, who has moved to PB Fintech Limited as group president while retaining a non-executive director role at Paisabazaar.

    Agarwal, a seasoned financial expert with over a decade at the company, previously headed the life insurance segment at Policybazaar as chief business officer. Her guidance is expected to drive the platform’s next phase of growth as it diversifies beyond credit products into savings and pension services. This strategic expansion follows a slowdown in the unsecured lending sector, prompting Paisabazaar to explore new opportunities.

    Further strengthening its management, PB Fintech has appointed Neeraj Tripathi as chief financial officer, succeeding Vivek Audichya, who has transitioned to Policybazaar. These changes reflect the group’s focus on innovation and resilience in a shifting financial landscape.

  • PolicyBazaar empowers women in new term insurance campaign

    PolicyBazaar empowers women in new term insurance campaign

    Mumbai: Capturing on film a much-needed shift in gender notions, Policybazaar unveils a poignant three-part brand campaign, which brings out the critical need for every Indian woman to buy Term Life Insurance independent of her spouse. Traditionally, a family’s financial security is associated solely with men. This dangerously overlooks the emotional and financial void a family faces if the wife or mother figure passes away. Policybazaar’s campaign touchingly portrays this gap, urging women to own their role in their family’s financial well-being and secure their loved one’s future with Term Insurance.

    Agar mujhe kuch ho jaata toh…?

    The ads showcase the quintessential motherly instinct of wanting to protect your child even if you are not around. The first ad opens with a cancer survivor tending to her daughter’s needs, simultaneously fretting how much the child’s life would have had to change had she not survived. She adds that this sobering realization has made her choose some semblance of certainty for her daughter – as she has invested in her own Term insurance, just like her husband.

    Zimmedari hum dono ki hai…

    Another ad brings out the pangs of responsibility a mother feels even when her child is in the womb. A pregnant woman, sitting in a hospital, says that making sure her yet-to-be-born child gets the best opportunities in life is the couple’s shared responsibility. She adds that she, too, has bought Term Insurance so that both can do justice to their kid’s dreams even in the worst circumstances.

    Sirf ek salary pe ghar nahin chalta…

    The campaign aptly depicts the ground reality of a modern household, in which a woman’s financial contribution is no less than a man’s. All three ads are connected by the common thread of women actively buying insurance, embracing the responsibility that comes with the changing dynamics.

    Policybazaar chief marketing officer Sai Narayan said, “Our brand’s tagline is “Har Family Hogi Insured,” and that can only happen when women are factored in as equals. Term insurance tailored for women is a critical yet underexplored segment; we believe it holds immense potential. The storytelling in these ad films mirrors the evolving societal dynamics where an increasing number of women are taking charge of financial matters, particularly concerning their children. Our in-house research further affirms that women are increasingly becoming the primary decision-makers when it comes to purchasing term insurance. Through this campaign, Policybazaar drives home the message and encourages more women to invest in a financially secure future for their loved ones.”

    The brand has also in the past collaborated with its insurer partners in making women-centric term plans easily accessible, like the independent homemaker term plan.

    Policybazaar CBO Life Insurance Santosh Agarwal echoes the sentiment, “Policybazaar advocates the philosophy of women being equal contributors to a household, irrespective of their employment status or tangible income. The industry coming up with products like the independent homemaker term plan is a huge testament to women’s invaluable contribution to family and society. There are plans available that cater specifically to women’s health concerns. The campaign takes our message far and wide that women must make the best of these plans and secure their dependents’ future in this uncertain world.”