National, 15th April, 2025: Navi UPI, the Official Payments Partner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has announced the second exclusive ticket window for Navi UPI users. Starting 11 AM on April 16, Navi UPI users will get 24-hour priority access to book tickets for RCB’s final three home matches of the season—RCB vs Chennai on 3rd May, RCB vs Hyderabad on 13th May, and RCB vs Kolkata  on 17th May—before ticket sales open to the general public.

This follows the successful first ticket window launched in March, where Navi UPI users received early access to the first four RCB home matches, giving fans a head start to book their seats before the rush of general sales.

Fans can avail this early access by simply tapping on the RCB ticket banner within the Navi app and making a secure payment using Navi UPI. This initiative is part of Navi’s continued efforts to enhance fan experiences by integrating digital convenience with the energy of live sports.

How to Book Tickets via Navi UPI:

1. Download the Navi app from the Play Store or App Store.
2. Open the app and tap on the RCB ticket booking banner for exclusive early access.
3. Choose your match and preferred ticket category.
4. Pay securely using Navi UPI and confirm your booking.

Navi’s First-Ever User Contest Now Live

Navi has launched Powerplay this season—a cricket-themed contest on the Navi app where users stand a chance to collect a digital player card with each UPI payment. Users who collect a complete team of 11 unique player cards stand a chance to win exciting rewards like 2,000 Navi coins or official RCB merchandise signed by players. Additionally, collecting five of the same player card earns 100 bonus coins. Designed to be simple and engaging, Powerplay adds a layer of cricket-inspired interaction to everyday UPI transactions. This contest is currently available for Android users.

Rajiv Naresh, CEO, Navi Technologies, said, “We wanted to create something that makes everyday payments feel like a win. Navi Powerplay lets users have fun while they pay—collecting player cards, earning rewards, and standing a chance to win RCB-signed memorabilia. We are excited to launch our first ever contest and look forward to enhancing contest-led strategies on Navi UPI in days to come.”

 

National, India | 15th April 2025: In a world reckoning with climate urgency, India’s own Skoodle—flagship brand of Stone Sapphire India Pvt. Ltd. (SSIPL)—is turning everyday tools into powerful agents of change. With its large-scale shift to pencils made from 100% recycled paper, Skoodle is not just building a greener product, but redefining what responsible manufacturing in the stationery sector should look like.

In doing so, the brand is saving approximately 3000 trees each year and preserving over 13 acres of forest land annually—a silent green revolution that has been growing since 2018.

“Pencils are something millions of students and professionals use every day. We saw an opportunity to change the source material, without changing the functionality—and that’s where transformation began,” said Shobhit Singh, Managing Director & CEO of Stone Sapphire India Pvt. Ltd. “With recycled paper pencils, we’ve created a viable and scalable alternative that doesn’t compromise on quality but saves nature in the process. It’s not just innovation—it’s a responsibility.”

The environmental cost of traditional pencils is staggering: roughly one tree is cut down for every 9500 wooden pencils made. With Skoodle producing over 720 million recycled-paper pencils each year, the brand is presenting a credible and scalable alternative to wood-intensive production models.

But Skoodle’s not basking in the glory of product breakthroughs—its creating a movement. It’s challenging schools, companies, and retailers to go greener in stationery choices and play an active role in preventing deforestation, carbon emission cuts, and reducing waste. It hopes to live in a world where environmentally friendly alternatives become the norm rather than the exception.

It’s not about pencils,” said Shobhit Singh. “It’s about questioning the way we think about daily consumption. If we can rethink something so basic and common as a pencil, it allows us to rethink everything else we consume. Small steps can make big differences. And as we countdown to Earth Day, it’s a good reminder that true change starts with careful decisions—and those decisions are well within reach.”.

Skoodle’s tale points to a fundamental reality: sustainable transformation does not necessarily arise from revolutionary upheaval—it may begin with the reimagining of what we already have. One pencil at a time.

Delhi, India – April 15, 2025: Gallant Sports, India’s leading name in sports infrastructure, today announced the launch of an advanced new line of smart sports flooring and modular field systems. This strategic product rollout is a key pillar of Gallant Sports’ Vision 2036 roadmap and supports the company’s momentum toward its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this year. These offerings aim to make global-standard sports infrastructure more accessible across India and beyond.

“At Gallant Sports, we’re committed to shaping the future of sports in India,” said Nasir Ali, Founder & CEO of Gallant Sports. “This new product line reflects our mission to deliver innovative, safe, and sustainable solutions that elevate athletic performance and community well-being.”

He added, “We’re not just building sports fields—we’re building ecosystems that empower athletes and institutions alike.”

Product Innovation Highlights

Sports Tiles: Engineered for performance, safety, and durability, Gallant’s next-gen sports tiles are ideal for basketball, volleyball, futsal, and multi-sport courts. Available in models like Titan, Hexagonal 2.0, and Rubber Elastomer Tiles, they’re made from high-quality TPE—the same material approved by FIBA 3×3. These tiles offer excellent impact absorption, energy return, and weather adaptability—reducing the risk of injuries while ensuring all-weather play.

Pre-Fabricated Sports Rubber Flooring: Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, these versatile and eco-friendly flooring options come in three thicknesses (5 mm, 8 mm, and 13 mm) to support everything from general recreation to professional-level track and field. Fully recyclable and non-toxic, these floors meet World Athletics standards and promote a safer, odor-free sports experience.

FIFA-Tested Non-Infill Turf: Gallant’s new synthetic turf eliminates the need for traditional rubber infill, offering a cooler, cleaner, and more sustainable playing surface. Certified under the FIFA Quality Programme, this turf is ideal for football, hockey, and multi-sport fields. It’s also easier to install—paired with shock pads for peak performance and durability. As SBR infill faces global phase-out by 2031, non-infill turf positions Gallant at the forefront of future-ready turf technology.

High-Performance Shockpads with Geo-Textile: Critical for injury prevention and playfield longevity, Gallant’s advanced shock pads feature a geo-textile base layer and GSM rating of 70+. Available in 10 mm to 20 mm thicknesses, they ensure superior shock absorption and drainage. Ideal for football fields, playgrounds, and multi-sport surfaces, these shock pads meet international safety benchmarks and significantly reduce the impact of falls—especially important in children’s play zones and high-impact areas.

Prime Video’s Chhorii 2 has been making waves since its launch, earning love from horror fans and viewers alike. But as the film continues to terrify audiences on screen, something even more unsettling has crept into real life – Daasi Ma has stepped out of the shadows, and into the city. Over the weekend, several people across different locations in the city were left bewildered after spotting a mysterious woman dressed in black and her face veiled. Silent, still, and chillingly composed— her sudden appearances have left some intrigued and others truly spooked.

Fueling the mystery further, Soha Ali Khan, who plays the eerie role of ‘Daasi Ma’ in the film, shared an Instagram post. For those who encountered the haunting figure in real life, her post sent a shiver down their spine, adding another layer of suspense.

Adding to the buzz is a striking hoarding that’s gone up in different parts of the city, showcasing Soha’s character in full Daasi Ma form— her expression intense, her face shrouded by a dark veil. Lit against the night sky, the visual has been turning heads and stopping passersby in their tracks.

Produced by T-Series, Abundantia Entertainment, Psych, and Tamarisk Lane Production, the horror thriller film is directed by Vishal Furia, featuring the stellar Nushrratt Bharuccha and Soha Ali Khan in lead roles. The film is now streaming on Prime Video and over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Bengaluru, 15th April 2025: Arya Health Plans, a pioneering initiative that brings together the world of healthcare and health insurance in a single plan, has launched a refreshing and innovative take aimed at transforming the way people perceive health insurance. With this initiative, Arya Health Plans aims to redefine health insurance as a proactive partner in a customer’s journey to good health, rather than just a financial safety net in times of sickness.

Offering a seamless blend of OPD visits, savings on diagnostics, medicines and more, comprehensive hospitalization coverage and the first-time-in-India One Health promise, Arya ensures that access to quality healthcare is effortless and stress-free. What’s more, customers can enjoy tracking their health and even medicine deliveries!

Moving away from conventional fear-driven messaging, Arya Health Plans introduces The Troubadour—a charismatic, musical mascot to deliver the brand’s message in an impactful manner that is easily understood by all.

A Campaign That Breaks the Norm

Unlike traditional insurance advertisements that focus on emergencies and financial distress, Arya Health Plans takes a unique approach by blending humour, music and storytelling. The campaign’s protagonist, The Troubadour, delivers crucial messages through an engaging, musical narrative about the insurance initiative that will strive to work for better health for its customers, and make health insurance feel less intimidating and more relatable.

The campaign films showcase everyday healthcare scenarios, with The Troubadour guiding people through the benefits of Arya Health Plans using wit and charm. This strategy ensures high recall value while making the concept of health insurance more accessible to a broader audience.

A Fresh Take on Health Insurance Awareness

The campaign highlights how Arya Health Plans integrates essential healthcare services, ensuring individuals and families can access medical care without worrying about financial constraints. By focusing on proactive healthcare solutions, Arya seeks to encourage more people to see insurance as a valuable and necessary investment in their well-being.

“At Narayana One Health, we believe that health insurance should be a source of reassurance, not fear. This campaign is a step towards making insurance feel approachable, engaging and truly beneficial for everyday healthcare needs. By integrating a range of proactive healthcare benefits, we are ensuring that people no longer see insurance as just an emergency backup, but as an essential part of their well-being,” said Ravi Vishwanath, CEO, Narayana One Health

Transforming Perceptions Through Creativity

Arya Health Plans isn’t just another insurance product—it is a testament to Narayana One Health’s commitment to proactive, lifelong care. The mission is simple: To be there for our customers every step of the way, guiding and supporting them on their journey to better health. Healthcare and Health Insurance have always been two opposite sides of the coin and it was high time to bridge that gap!

“To bring this vision to life in our launch films, we introduced the Troubadour—a charming, ever-present yet playful character who embodies our promise of continuous care. Rather than relying on fear-based messaging, we chose humour to create a fresh, engaging narrative that truly stands out. This film marks a very important step in making Arya Health Plans, a partner in your journey (not limited to a guest appearance like an Insurance plan) to help redefine a customers’ presumption on what they expect from their Insurance partners,” said Gunjan Khaitan Shahabadi, Head Marketing and Category Management.

This campaign plays a crucial role in positioning the brand as an innovative and customer-centric health insurance provider. By challenging industry norms and engaging audiences through storytelling, Arya Health Plans aims to drive greater awareness and adoption of its services. Currently available exclusively in Bengaluru, Arya Health Plans will be extended to different parts of the country in due course of time.

The campaign is expected to generate strong resonance among urban consumers and younger audiences, particularly those who may be hesitant to explore health insurance due to its perceived complexity and because group or corporate coverage is usually not enough to get by. By making the experience informative, Arya Health Plans hopes to encourage more individuals to take proactive steps toward securing their health.

CHARLOTTE, NC / LONDON / HONG KONG / MUMBAI – Bank of America uses innovative technology to meet and anticipate the needs of its clients and 213,000 employees. For many years, this commitment has carried through in its approach to AI and machine learning. The technology is embedded today across the company’s business lines and areas including global technology, operations, and training.

“AI is having a transformative effect on employee efficiency and operational excellence,” said Aditya Bhasin, Chief Technology & Information Officer at Bank of America. “Our use of AI at scale and around the world enables us to further enhance our capabilities, improve employee productivity and client service, and drive business growth.” 

Seven years ago, in 2018, Bank of America launched Erica®, the first widely adopted AI-driven virtual financial assistant, within its mobile app. Since then, clients have interacted with Erica more than 2.5 billion times, with 20 million clients now actively using the virtual assistant.

Bank of America’s approach to AI includes human oversight, transparency, and accountability for all outcomes. In addition to recently shared examples of how AI benefits clients and employees, our employees’ use of AI continues to expand in areas such as:

• Erica for Employees – Building upon Erica’s success, in 2020, Bank of America launched Erica for Employees, an AI-driven internal virtual assistant which was rapidly adopted during the pandemic by employees seeking technology support in areas such as mobile device password reset, device activation, and many others. In 2023, the functionality was expanded to assist with additional topics such as where to review health benefits, locate payroll and tax forms, and more.

Today, over 90% of employees use Erica for Employees, with the virtual assistant having reduced calls into the IT service desk by more than 50%. The capabilities will expand this year to offer enhanced search and assistance across a broader set of topics – including answers to employee questions about Bank of America products and services – with plans to leverage both AI and generative AI (GenAI).

• ask MERRILL® and ask Private Banking® – Leveraging the technology behind Erica, these tools help Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank teams efficiently curate information to deliver superior client experiences. When needed, the chat functionality can also connect teams with experts at the bank for help with more complex requests. In 2024, there were more than 23 million interactions with ask MERRILL and ask Private Banking, an increase of 1 million over 2023, helping employees more proactively connect with clients about timely and relevant opportunities.
• Capturing client feedback – This internally-developed GenAI capability is used by Bank of America call centers to summarize call recordings, which helps increase efficiency and ensure the company remains in tune with clients’ needs and improves their experiences. Previously, teammates would manually generate these summaries. Future enhancements this year will extend to other communication channels.
• The Academy – Bank of America’s onboarding, education, and professional development organization uses AI to provide interactive coaching through conversation simulators that enable teammates to practice different types of client interactions and increase proficiency through real-time feedback. Employees completed over 1 million simulations last year, with many noting that practicing client conversations helps them deliver better and more consistent service.

Additional AI deployments underway helping to increase employee productivity and improve client service include:

• Coding assistance – Bank of America software developers are using a GenAI-based tool to assist with code writing and optimization, through which they have experienced efficiency gains of over 20%.
• Preparing for client meetings – Developing materials in preparation for meetings with current and prospective business clients can take several hours per meeting. AI helps automate and standardize the creation of drafts of materials for meetings with Bank of America Business Banking and Global Commercial Banking clients, with the opportunity for employees to reallocate tens of thousands of hours per year to client engagement and growth.
• Contact center optimization – A modernized desktop tool leveraging AI proactively provides guided assistance to customer service specialists in Bank of America contact centers, enabling them to deliver a more personalized client experience, increase client satisfaction, and reduce call handling times.
• Research summaries – An internally-developed GenAI platform enables the Global Markets sales and trading team to search, summarize, and synthesize our industry-leading research and market commentary more quickly and efficiently.

AI Patent Portfolio

Bank of America holds nearly 7,400 granted patents and pending patent applications, the most U.S. granted patents of any financial services company. More than 1,200 of these patents are AI and machine learning focused – representing 17% of the patent portfolio – and more than half have already been granted.

Other technology categories in which new patents were granted last year include information security, online and mobile banking, payments, data analytics, and augmented and virtual reality. This is thanks to the company’s more than 7,800 talented inventors in 14 countries and 42 U.S. states, and a culture that empowers teammates to explore and develop innovative solutions for individuals and businesses globally.

Bank of America spends $13 billion annually on technology, of which approximately $4 billion will be directed to new technology initiatives in 2025.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with 3,700 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 58 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).