Telugu super news,India, 2022: HDFC Bank, India’s leading private sector bank will hold a nation-wide ‘Blood Donation Drive’ on Friday, December 9, 2022. The annual campaign is HDFC Bank’sleading healthcare initiative under its flagship CSR program #Parivartan. In its 14thyear, blood donation camps will be organized at over 5,500 centers in 1,150 cities across India. This includes large corporates, colleges and bank branches.
Those who wish to donate blood can locate the center nearest to them by checking the bank website at the following link:
Over 4.5 lakh donors are expected to participate in this year’s drive. The Bank has tied up with local hospitals, blood banks and, colleges across these cities for technicaland functional assistance. Over 1,200 colleges across the countryhave been assigned as donation centers.
“It is the 14th year of our All-India Blood Donation campaign – an initiative that we have been
proud to support since 2007,”said Mr. Bhavesh Zaveri, Group Head – Operations, HDFC Bank. “Medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from donors, as one in seven people entering the hospital needs blood. Medical professionals have confirmed that it is safe to donate blood if Covid and other general precautions are in place. Let us do our small part to make a genuine difference in the lives of the communities around us by donating blood this Friday, December 9, at a blood donation camp near you.”
“HDFC Bank #Parivartan is committed to bringingabout a positive change in society.The all-India Blood Donation Drive is our sincere effort in this direction and is aimed atcreating awareness about the importance of Blood Donation. A single unit of blood can save up to 3 lives. Blood Donation can save millions of lives, and it is the next generation that needs to drive this message in the years to come. I would like to extend my deepest regards to all people involved with this initiative over the yearsin making this initiative such a huge success,” said Ms. Ashima Bhat, Group Head – Business Finance & Strategy, Administration, Infrastructure, ESG & CSR.
The initiative has been recognized and certified by Guinness World RecordsTM as the ‘Largest (single-day, multiple venue) Blood Donation Drive’ in 2013.The initiative was started in the year 2007 with just 88 centres and 4000 donors.
Telugu super news,India, 2022: Airtel Payments Bank has taken yet another step towards digital inclusion and announced the launch of Face Authentication-based savings bank account opening for customers. The facility will further ease the account opening process making it seamless & convenient for customers.Airtel Payments Bank is the first Payments Bank in the country to offer this facility.
The new facility will help Business Correspondents (BCs) of the bank to open an account just byundertakingfaceauthentication e-KYC. The authentication is processed using a newly developed mobile application by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as a result, the business correspondent will now only need a smartphone to open an account. The bank will make this facility available across all its 500,000 banking points by end of this year.
Speaking about the launch, Anubrata Biswas, MD & CEO of Airtel Payments Bank said, “We at Airtel Payments Bank believe in strengthening our bouquet of digital services with the latest technology and provide our customers access to improved digital banking solutions which are user-friendly. This safe and secure authentication process has been made possible by the efforts of the UIDAI, which is a huge step in furthering the cause of inclusive banking in the country.”
“This KYC facility uses AI/ML based Face Authentication RD Application, which helps in the prevention of fraudulent activities by cross-checking individual’s photo with the image captured in Aadhaar and allows secure customer onboarding,”added Anubrata Biswas.
Till now, if a customer wished to open an account with Airtel Payments Bank, the Aadhaar based OTP or fingerprint biometric authentication was carried out.
This is Airtel Payments Bank’s one more initiative after it recently integrated with the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) – National Financial Switch (NFS) to facilitate Micro ATM transactions for debit card users residing beyond the metro and tier 1 cities in India.
HDFC Bank is set to make this festive season bigger, better and brighter with Festive Treats 4.0 – the fourth edition of its annual campaign of attractive offers on all its banking and lending products as well as discounts on shopping. After three highly successful campaigns, the theme for this year is “Go BIG this festive season”. The Bank will enable customers to fulfill all their festive wishes through a host of offers across accounts, loans, cards and EMIs, ensuring that money is easily accessible and not a constraint.
To make the experience even more seamless the Bank has leveraged its digital channels to make several customer journeys available completely online. For instance, customers can avail of a new credit card instantly and allowing them to enjoy HDFC Bank’sexclusive tie-up with Apple which offers Rs 5,000 CashBackon Cards & EasyEMI plus Extra Savings via SmartBuy. Customers can also avail of a Personal Loan in 10 seconds, Xpress Car Loan in just 30 minutes, Loan on Cards or open an Insta Account completely online.
The theme “Go BIG this festive season”marks the time to celebrate and make big purchases. The Bank has tied up with pan-India merchants to provide over 10,000 omni-channel offers across customer segments. It aims to reach out to every Indian through its network of 6,500+ branches and 16,500+ ATMs.
Festive Treats offers will be available across online, offline, national, regional, and at hyperlocal merchants covering the widest range of categories including electronics, jewelry, travel, home décor, apparels, grocery, loans to fulfil personal & business needs and commercial vehicles.
Some of the key national partners include Reliance Digital, Croma, Apple, Samsung, LG, Sony, HP, IFB, Haier ,Xiaomi, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Westside, Star Bazaar etc. Renowned regional players like Senco Gold, VMart, JKJ Jewellers, Vijay Sales, Kohinoor, Bhima Jewellers, GRT Jewellers, LULU Hypermarket and many others are also part of Festive Treats this year. Marquee digital brands like Flipkart, TataCliq, Ajio, Apparel group (ALDO, Bath & Body Works, Charles & Keith, Jack& Jones, Veromoda, Only etc), MakeMyTrip, ClearTrip, EaseMyTrip, Ixigo amongst others have also come on board to offer a range of offers for online and offline transactions.
“At HDFC Bank, customer needs lie at the heart of all our decisions.Festive Treats have played an important role in creating customer delight during the season of celebrations. With an environment of positive customer sentiment, we expect a robust response to our wide array of offers for the season. The enhanced, digital experience will allow customers to avail of several banking services online, making festive shopping easier than ever,” said, Mr. Ravi Santhanam, Chief Marketing Officer, HDFC Bank.
The Festive Treats franchise will reach out to newer customer segments this year. Festive Treats 4.0 has an offer for everyone who wants to ‘Go Big’. Whether it is someone aspiring to buy the latest high-end smartphone or an entrepreneur in need of working capital loan or a farmer looking to purchase a new tractor.
Here are some key offers on banking products:
Personal Loan
Avail of a Personal Loan of up to ₹40 Lakh in just 10 seconds Interest rate @10.50% onwards
Business Loan
Avail of Collateral Free Loan with 50% Off on Processing Fee
Xpress Car Loan
Car loan disbursal in 30 minutes, with Interest rate @7.90% onwards and Zero Foreclosure Charges
Used Car Loan
Interest Rate @10.75%* onwards. Zero Foreclosure after 24 months*
Two Wheeler Loan
EMI @ ₹37/Rs.1,000 onwards, Down payment starting at ₹999
Credit Cards & EASYEMI
Avail EASYEMI up to 24 months and saving upto 20% with Selected Brands upon using HDFC Bank Credit Cards & EasyEMI
Gold Loan
50% off on Processing Fee and Quick Disbursal
Loan Against Property
Flat Processing Fee of Rs. 9999* and Special Processing Fee for Balance Transfer
Home Loan
Lower Rate of Interest Top-Up loan of upto Rs. 50 Lac*
As more people across India seek to buy their dream homes, digital technology is facilitating faster loan disbursals through seamless verification processes. PNB Housing Finance’s unique digital platform Ace 2.5 – an upgrade of its existing platform Ace 2.0 – offers an entirely automated, end-to-end home loan on-boarding process. This includes data collection, verification and lead generation via various digital channels. Customers can upload their documents online with backward integration of the verification processes such as PAN, Aadhaar, digital signature and video-based KYC, including geo-tagging. These are integrated into the company’s underwriting platform for digital transmission of the application, validation, verification of property and loan details leading to final sanction and loan disbursal in the shortest time possible.
Ace 2.5 has expedited PNB Housing Finance’s digital journey, vastly improving customer engagement and experience. Available in web and mobile versions, the API interface allows customers (D2C), sales teams, partners, agents and others to use this platform and complete the loan process within minutes.
PNB Housing Finance has built a customised solution using .NET core as the framework, enabled for mobile formats, including iOS and Android. The framework facilitates superfast on-boarding, automated back-office processes, digital identity verification, quick account opening, DIY journey for new customers, smart workflows, status management, rule-based routing, backend core system integration, SMS, audit trail, reporting, analytical views and more.
Elaborating on Ace 2.5, Mr Hardayal Prasad, MD & CEO, PNB Housing Finance, said, “At PNB Housing Finance, we believe in staying close to our customers. Since the Company’s inception, we have helped millions realise their dream of owning a home. As we embark on the journey of becoming future-ready in terms of technology, features and functionalities, our digital on-boarding platform Ace 2.5 assists customers in fulfilling their dream with ease, speed, personalisation and transparency. Technology will continue to be a front-runner in PNB Housing’s business and digital transformation journey. From ensuring frictionless operations to providing a digital thrust for business acceleration, the Company is leveraging several new-age digital tools, platforms and fintech integrations to augment our digital and mobile-first strategy for customers.”
Spread across 64 cities and towns, PNB Housing Finance has formed strategic alliances with multiple affordable and prime housing developers for timely loan disbursals. Ace 2.5 is now poised to boost the company’s loan disbursal process.
Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics company, and Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, have partnered to launch an exclusive co- branded credit card, powered by Visa. With the Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card, consumers will get 10% cashback across all Samsung products and services round the year. As an additional point of delight for consumers, the 10% cashback offer through Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card will be over and above existing Samsung offers, on both EMI and non-EMI transactions.
“At Samsung, we believe in transforming the lives of our consumers through the power of innovation. The Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card, powered by Visa, is our next big India-specific innovation that will change the way our customers buy Samsung products and spend on services through a series of industry-leading features. We’re excited to be able to put the control into our consumers’ hands,” said Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung South-West Asia.
“Axis Bank is a full suite cards and payments player, and we continue to build on innovation led
partnership models. Our focus is to offer product propositions that cater to our customers’ ever evolving needs and give them a seamless experience. Through this co-branded credit card, in partnership with Samsung India and Visa, we are reiterating our commitment to drive access to formal credit in India, tapping the wide reach of Samsung India that extends beyond top 10 cities and aids our objective of card penetration into tier 2 & 3 cities,” said Amitabh Chaudhry, MD and CEO, Axis Bank.
“Consumers today seek the best value from all type of purchases. Our research shows that 3 out of 4 Indian consumers buy at least one electronic appliance or device every year and spend around INR 40000 on electronics annually1. We are delighted to partner with Samsung and Axis Bank to introduce a credit card with a strong proposition and great value on home appliances as well as lifestyle goods,” said Sandeep Ghosh, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa.
As an industry-leading initiative, the Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card is designed to reward consumers every time they use their card to buy Samsung products and services. Consumers will get 10% cashback when they purchase products such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, refrigerators, ACs, washing machines or Samsung services such as Service Center payments, Samsung Care+ mobile protection plans and extended warranties.
The 10% cashback on Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card will be over and above ongoing offers on both EMI/Non-EMI purchases. The 10% cashback will be applicable across offline channels selling Samsung products through Pine Labs and Benow payment interfaces, as well as online on Samsung.com, Samsung Shop App and Flipkart, and at authorized Samsung Service Centers. To add to the excitement, the 10% cashback benefit on Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card will be available all year round.
Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card Variants and Product Proposition
Consumers can choose between two variants – Visa Signature and Visa Infinite. On the Signature variant, cardholders can avail up to INR 10000 cashback annually, with a monthly cashback limit of INR 2500. On
1All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Singapore Pte Ltd. Total sample size was 1,009 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken online between 6 September 2022 – 9 September 2022. The figures have been weighted and are representative of Indian adults online (aged 18+).
the Infinite variant, cardholders can avail up to INR 20000 cashback annually, with a monthly cashback limit of INR 5000. There is no minimum transaction value, which means cardholders can get 10% cashback on the smallest of Samsung purchases. Additionally, cardholders will earn Edge Reward Points on spends made outside the Samsung Ecosystem.
With consumer trends and preferences in mind, Samsung India and Axis Bank have partnered with the best in the industry to bring accelerated rewards to cardholders on everyday spends with key partner merchants: bigbasket, Myntra, Tata 1mg, Urban Company and Zomato .
The Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card also comes with complimentary airport lounge access, fuel surcharge waiver, dining offers, and access to a bouquet of offers from Axis Bank and Visa.
Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card Fee, Welcome Benefits and Application Process
The annual fee for the Signature variant is INR 500 + taxes and for the Infinite variant is INR 5000 + taxes. Both variants come with a Welcome benefit of Edge Reward points, which the cardholders will earn on completing the first 3 transactions on their card. Signature variant cardholders will get 2500 points worth INR 500, while Infinite variant cardholders will get 30000 points worth INR 6000 as a one-time welcome benefit. Customers can apply for the card through Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card website: www.samsung.com/in/samsung-card Samsung’s ecosystem of apps (Samsung Shop, Samsung Pay, Samsung Members) and Axis Bank channels.
Customers can register their interest for the Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card on the dedicated microsite: samsung.com/in/samsung-card. Applications will open soon.
HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, on September 4th, 2022, became the first bank in the country to issue an Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL). Paper based, time-consuming process has been eliminated with the new electronic bank guarantees that can be processed, stamped, verified and delivered instantly with enhanced security. This is a transformational change, and the Bank will migrate to eBG to benefit all its customers.
Paper-based bank guarantees takes 3-5 days to complete the process of physical pick up from the bank, courier to the beneficiary, stamp it and re-verify it. Besides there was no central repository for bank guarantees until now. Bringing in efficiency of time, eBG offers enhanced security. Physical stamping has been eliminated and replaced with eStamping and with eBG, the applicant and beneficiary can instantly view a bank guarantee on the NeSL portal.
Mr Bhavesh Zaveri, Group Head – Operations, HDFC Bank said on this occasion, “Digitisation is an important enabler for our vision, to be recognised as a Bank which offers a distinctive customer experience. We remain committed to designing products that make digital banking simple, contextual, and highly secure. Digitisation of issuance of BG is a transformational step towards increasing the ease of doing business for MSMEs who are major applicants for bank guarantees. HDFC Bank will migrate to eBG platform completely in order to expedite the issuance of BGs for our customers.”
e-BG has been developed in consultation with NeSL, CVC-CBI committee and IBA to simplify the process and eliminate the possibility of fraud and manipulation. e-BG will be issued on the NeSL portal through an API-based digital workflow.
Mr Debajyoti Ray Chaudhuri, MD & CEO of NeSL said, “An Electronic Bank Guarantee or eBG eliminates the physical documentation usually associated with a bank guarantee, and the eBG becomes available in a digital form to the beneficiary. It was a pleasure to be associated with HDFC Bank in implementing eBG and we are extremely happy that HDFC Bank became the first bank to issue such an eBG using the NeSL paperless eStamping DDE platform.”
HDFC Bank has been building new competencies through Digital Factory, Enterprise Factory and Enterprise IT to both run and build the Bank. Building new competencies is a key pillar for the bank’s digital strategy.
World Physiotherapy Day is annually observed on September 8 to raise awareness about the contribution physiotherapists make to society. To make this day more meaningful, HDB Financial Services (HDBFS) is organizing exclusive physiotherapy camps for the trucker community under its CSR initiative Transport Aarogyam Kendra (TAK). Truck drivers often drive long-haul routes in confined spaces. Other factors like rough terrain, ergonomic dysfunctioning, vibrations during driving, urgency of deliveries, etc. add to their physical and emotional woes.
With an aim to focus on the truck driver’s health and wellbeing, HDBFS is conducting physiotherapy camps from 8th September to 12th September across the states of Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and Madhya Pradesh, in thirty cities. The locations have been strategically planned in and around transport hubs to benefit maximum number of truck drivers. The camps have been organized in collaboration with local medical practitioners, transporters and industry associations. Experienced therapists and state-of- the-art medical equipment are used at the camps to provide quality healthcare services to truck drivers. Commenting on the camp organization, Ajay Thakur – National Head, Commercial Vehicle Business said, “Over time, truck drivers can develop serious muscular imbalances which leads to bone and nerve problems leading to various aches. With an objective to focus on their overall health, HDB Financial Services has set up physiotherapy camps as across India to reach out to more number of drivers and mitigate the health challenges they experience through expert counselling sessions.”
The Muthoot Group supports rural development programme, The Shantigram Project which aims at the qualitative development of the lifestyle of about 20,000 poor and underprivileged inhabitants of 10 villages in and around Mandawar, in Sohna Tehsil of Haryana. As part of this integrated rural development programme, The Muthoot Group donated a Mahindra Scorpio Car in the presence of His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan. The event took place on Saturday, 27 August, 2022 at the Delhi Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church situated in Mandawar, in Sohna Tehsil of Haryana.
The Shantigram Project is a community development project of the Delhi Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church functioning under the aegis of the Sophia Society. The main objective behind donating a new Mahindra Scorpio Car to the Malankara Orthodox Church was to enable for the easy execution of their day-to-day noble and welfare activities.The Muthoot Group has always been at the forefront in performing social and community service for the well-being of the underprivileged and needy sections of the society.
Speaking on The Shantigram Project, Mr. Alexander George Muthoot, Joint Managing Director, The Muthoot Group said, “In alignment of the vision of our former Chairman Late Shri M. G. George Muthoot, The Muthoot Group has strived to be a responsible corporate citizen which has always believed in giving back to the society. While the last 2 years have been very challenging for everyone owing to the pandemic, however it is the marginalized sections of our society that have been the most impacted section. In a bid to improve the lives the financially weaker sections of the society, we are supporting The Shantigram Programme which primarily focuses on community services helping the needy and underprivileged sections of the society. “
The Muthoot Group has also been carrying out various welfare initiatives for the underserved section of the society under its CSR banner. Some of the notable activities are as follows:
· Healthcare: Supported 94,000 people during COVID-19 and set up a 16-bed COVID hospital for Kanpur Police, and helped 15 other hospitals with medical equipment.
· Food & ration distribution: Provided more than 2.67 lakh underprivileged people with cooked food and dry ration.
· Environment: Under the green initiatives, the Group has donated 24KW Solar Panel to National Association of Blind, New Delhi. The Group also donated 500 fruit saplings to 50 Tribal Farmers at Palgar District of Maharashtra.
· Education: To promote education among slum children in Kurla suburb of Mumbai, 500 School bags were distributed. The Group also donated a SMART Classroom in the Geography Department of Allahabad University in Prayagraj, U.P. which is benefitting 5000+ students every year.
· Support to Differently-abled People: As part of the CSR initiative, 500 differently-abledchildren were distributed education kits. A file making machine was also donated to 40 visually impaired students of Mumbai.
· Supporting Sustainable Livelihood: To promote self-employment practices and sustainable livelihood, The Muthoot Group has recently donated 25 sewing Machines to women beneficiaries in Dehradun and 30 manual tricycle Carts to underprivileged people in Delhi.
India, 2022: Tata Neu and HDFC Bank today announced a partnership to launch one of India’s most rewarding co-branded credit cards. The card will be launched in two variants: Tata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card and Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card. Tata Neu customers can apply for the credit card through the Tata Neu app and access key details of the card through the app while enjoying a simple and even more rewarding experience. Both variants of the card will be available on both RuPay and Visa networks.
The cards leverage the strength of both brands to deliver superior value and an integrated experience to customers, drawing on HDFC Bank’s position as India’s leading card issuer and Tata Neu’s omnichannel presence across key categories. What also sets the card apart is that it will enable customers to earn rewards on all spends, both online and in-store in the form of NeuCoins (1 NeuCoin = INR 1). Customers will earn 2% NeuCoins withTata Neu Plus HDFC Bank Credit Card, and 5% NeuCoins with Tata Neu Infinity HDFC Bank Credit Card on all purchases on partner Tata brands, both online and in-store. For domestic and international purchases outside of partner Tata brands, customers will earn 1% and 1.5% NeuCoins on the respective card variants.
The cards will further boost existing rewards for Tata Neu customers on every purchase made through Tata Neu. Combined with existing Tata Neu benefits of 5% NeuCoins, a customer can now earn a total of 7% or 10% of the value of their spends on the Tata Neu app depending on the card variant.
Commenting on the partnership, Modan Saha, CEO, Financial Services, Tata Digital said, “We are delighted to partner with one of India’s largest financial institutions – HDFC Bank – to offer our customers a credit card that will make their shopping experience even more rewarding. Customers will have a wide range of categories to choose from including grocery, travel, electronics, fashion, health, and wellness. The Tata Neu HDFC Bank Credit Card resonates with the core proposition of Tata Neu – simplifying the lives of Indian consumers. We expect the card to further enhance the Tata Neu experience and have a wide appeal among our target audiences across the country.”
Parag Rao, Group Head- Payment Business, Consumer Finance Technology and Digital Banking, HDFC Bank said, “As India’s leading card issuer, it is our endeavour to create a customised offering for every customer segment. We therefore work with multiple players in our ecosystem from travel, healthcare, fintech and retail to provide best-in-class payment solutions. We are delighted to partner with Tata Digital on this exciting proposition that has brought together so many of their leading brands under the ambit of the Tata Neu app. Our range of cards will further enhance the shopping experience for customers, allowing them to redeem extraordinary rewards against a host of products ranging from groceries to flights.”
The Tata Neu HDFC Bank Credit Card is expected to delight customers with its simple yet powerful rewards program. Customers would be able to use NeuCoins earned to make purchases across categories ranging from electronics, fashion, travel, hospitality, groceries, and pharmacy on Tata Neu and across all partner brands (online and in-store), giving them the flexibility and incentive to transact on Tata Neu ecosystem. Cardholders can also avail complimentary lounge access across airports in India and overseas.