Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Regional language content startups which typically cater to gig economy workers, daily wage earners, housewives and students, are amplifying their outreach about the Covid-19 virus pandemic in a bid to control misinformation. Josh Talks, Vokal, Lokal, NoticeBoard, Youth Ki Awaaz, DailyHunt, and Trell among others are making and sourcing content from authentic, […]

Google, Facebook and Amazon are using their size, reach and technology prowess to help Americans cope with the coronavirus crisis, an opportunity for Big Tech to counter a drumbeat of criticism in Washington. The three companies have a chance to burnish their images amid intense U.S. regulatory scrutiny by the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, […]

Fox Corporation has agreed to acquire ad-supported streaming service Tubi for $440 million in cash. The acquisition of Tubi is in line with the company’s long-term strategic initiatives to broaden and enhance its direct-to-consumer digital reach and engagement, Fox said on Tuesday. After the sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney for $73 billion in […]

All non-bank payment aggregators will have to apply for fresh licences. The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new set of application criteria and operational guidelines to strengthen the governance and functioning of these entities and bring them under its direct supervision. These entities, including fintech startups such as PayU, Instamojo, Paytm, CCAvenue, Razorpay […]

Paytm Payments Bank, the largest issuer of RuPay debit cards, said that it will now issue Visa cards and is targeting one crore of these next year. The move comes in the wake of the government barring banks from recovering any fees from merchants accepting RuPay cards. According to bankers, the government’s decision to have […]

SoftBank Group is considering pulling out of a $3 billion bid to buy additional shares in WeWork, because it feels the office-space sharing firm has not met the conditions for the deal, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. SoftBank’s U-turn would be the latest blow for WeWork’s investors, which last year saw the […]

Top banks, ecommerce players, regulatory authorities and fintech companies are urging Indian consumers to abandon cash and adopt digital payments and internet banking services as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of Covid-19 epidemic in the country. Leading banks such as HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank and RBL […]

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs issued a circular on Tuesday directing e-commerce companies to maintain proper hygiene of all last-mile delivery processes in order to safeguard employees and consumers from the Covid-19 virus. The guidelines follow a March 13 notification from the ministry ordering that surgical masks and hand sanitizers be designated as essential commodities […]

Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Sales of smartphones, electronics, apparel, home appliances and furnishing have taken a beating due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, as Indian consumers stay at home and cut back on discretionary spending in an already sluggish market. Several consumer brands, retailers and sector analysts told ET that demand has dropped palpably, except food […]

Oravel Stays, the parent company of hospitality chainOyo Hotels & Homes, has received a capital infusion of about $807 million (around Rs 5,976 crore) from two of its backers, SVF India Holdings and RA Hospitality, the Ritesh Agarwal-controlled investment entity, as part of its ongoing $1.5 billion funding round. In regulatory filings with the Registrar […]