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Walmart-backed PhonePe is closing on becoming the global leader in fintech companies as it achieves the Total Payment Value (TPV) of $1.3 trillion (around ₹10.8 lakh crore).

Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey believes PhonePe will now be one of the leading payment companies in the world.   

Now that PhonePe is considering launching an IPO, the rise in its TPV could be a crucial step on the way.

The race to be the lion of the AI world is picking up pace yet again as Google launches its most capable and largest AI model, Gemini. Tech giant Google claims Gemini to be its most flexible Large Language Model, aka LLM, as of now.

This was demonstrated by Gemini telling apart a real-life blue rubber duck from a drawing of the same.

Meanwhile, in India, parent Alphabet Inc. was allowed to retract its appeal against CCI on its billing system.

Read everything about this order and the case against Google led by a startup community in India here.

Banks in India have written off ₹10.57 lakh crore in the last five years, with ₹5.52 lakh crore related to large industries. 

Minister Bhagwat Karad revealed that scheduled commercial banks also recovered ₹7.15 lakh crore in non-performing assets during this period. Fraud-related write-offs accounted for ₹93,874 crore. 

Banks' substantial write-offs raise questions about the efficacy of current strategies in tackling non-performing assets.

Market regulator SEBI faced rejections on multiple fronts as SAT quashed its appeal against Reliance Industries Ltd., and SC did the same for Apollo Tyres.

SEBI accused RIL and Mukesh Ambani of influencing the trade price of Reliance Petroleum stock in 2007. As for Apollo Tyres, SAT rejected SEBI’s appeal for violating norms in the buyback of shares in 2003. SEBI took it to the Supreme Court, which upheld SAT’s rejection. 

I guess it’s a "Moye Moye" day for SEBI!😂

Meanwhile, read how SEBI regulating unlisted companies might be better for the investors.

Due to US interest rate cuts and increasing investor enthusiasm, Bitcoin finally surpassed the $40,000 level (around ₹33 lakh) for the first time since the 2022 crypto crash. This hike makes Bitcoin’s jump in 2023 to 143%.

A good contribution to this rise can also be given to Blackrock Inc.’s decision to bring forth the first Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) in the US.

This rise is still a far cry from where Bitcoin used to be after the so-called “crypto winter” is going on.

What are your views about this rise in cryptos? Read about everything Bitcoin by clicking here to make a decision.

New rules designated for SIM cards in India revealed in August would be applicable from 1 December. The following rules are updated:

• No more bulk selling of SIM cards.

• Registration process involving PoS agents tightened, keeping security in mind.

• KYC rules would lean towards demography and be denoted from applicants' Aadhaar cards.

• A new SIM card would be active after 90 days of disconnection by the previous user.  

SIM card sellers have 12 months from today to adopt the new rules.

Meanwhile, read who can benefit from the Instagram subscriptions feature by clicking here.

HCL is closing on to fulfil its project of establishing an Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Karnataka. Around $400 million is reportedly invested in this chip packaging unit. 

HCLTech is in talks with the state government of Karnataka and has been offered lands near Bangalore and Mysuru's international airports.

With this establishment, HCL Group will be able to reinforce its might in the IT sector in India.

Learn about HCL’s business model and other financial essentials by clicking here.

After rumours of India’s GDP becoming a $4 trillion economy, the nation's equity market has touched the mark. The market capitalisation of all BSE-listed stocks hit the ₹333 lakh crore target.

Now, the Indian stock market is ranked fifth in the world after the USA, China, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Is India’s GDP going to achieve the admired milestone soon?

Air India has been in an 'updating' mode ever since Tata Group acquired it. Now, the group plans to replace outdated technologies with Generative AI.

After adopting OpenAI in the early stages of the software, Air India’s virtual assistant Maharaja has addressed over half a million queries in 4 languages. The plan is to further revamp it by trying on 160 technology modules.

Tata Group’s acquisition of Air India looks like a good decision as of now. Read here about how the deal between Air India and Tata came to be.

Bengaluru-based AI generative startup Rephrase.ai was acquired by global computer software giant Adobe.

Rephrase.ai is an AI-powered video creation platform whose investors will receive a cash exit along with Adobe stocks with the transfer of power.

This deal is essential from both ends as Rephrase.ai is the first firm to be acquired by Adobe. In a similar fashion, Adobe is now expanding in the generative AI and video tooling sector.

Meanwhile, read how Adobe reached its dominating position in the world by clicking here.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) applied for an appeal for the $140 million (around ₹116.63 crore) in a trade secret lawsuit by Epic Systems. Now, TCS will keep $125 million aside from its Q3 earnings to pay the penalty.

In 2014, TCS was stamped with a lawsuit for stealing 6,000 crucial data pieces with a fraudulent user account.   

The US Supreme Court dismissed TCS from filing for an appeal, giving a big backstep to the tech firm.

A new difficulty seems to be arising for the troubled Byju’s. The Electorate Directorate (ED) might send a show-cause notice to EdTech Byju’s over a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation.

A fine of ₹9,000 crore is expected to be applied on Byju’s for breaking regulations. Byju’s rejected the media's obligations of receiving any notice or communication from ED.

Could this new addition to the mountain of troubles Byju’s is dealing with be its downfall?

Till then, read about how Byju’s came to be in its present desolate state by clicking here.

One of the most awaited IPOs of 2023, Tata Technologies IPO, is finally open under pre-apply mode. The 3-day subscription issue will open on 22 November 2023.

The issue price of ₹450-500 per equity share is seeing a 70% uptick in the grey market with a premium demand of ₹340-345.

This upcoming IPO is the first from Tata Group after 20 years, raising the expectations bar for investors pretty high.

Read about the Tata Technologies IPO details and what to expect by clicking here.

The face of OpenAI, ChatGPT maker, has now changed with the firing of CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI's board fired Altman over communication issues as he has been accused of hiding truths from them.

Altman was replaced by OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Mira Murati, as interim CEO.

Board's no-confidence move towards Altman has given the tech community a big shock and gossip material for the time being.

Read here to learn what role Sam Altman played in making OpenAI what it is today.

After entering the unicorn sector, Zepto has raised $31 million (around ₹2,54.82 crore) in an extended funding round. Mumbai-based quick commerce platform raised funds from existing investors StepStone Group and Quickwater Capital.

Zepto’s valuation of $1.4 billion (₹11,620 crore) remains the same as the last funding round in August.

Looks like India's new unicorn is seeing a smooth sail in the challenging startup sector. Click here to learn more about Zepto and its business model. 

Reliance Industries Ltd. is planning to raise the largest ever domestic bond sale worth ₹20,000 crore. This issuance is the biggest ever by a non-entity BFSI firm.

The issue will have a base size and a green shoe option of ₹10,000 crore each and will take place on 9 November from 10:30–11:30 AM through the electronic book mechanism on the BSE's bond platform. 

Rated “AAA” the bonds will have a 10-year maturity as per CRISIL and Care ratings. Learn about RIL’s future plans by clicking here.

Flipkart’s Founder, Binny Bansal, is all set to launch a startup that would provide AI-as-a-service to global customers. The startup is reportedly headquartered in Singapore, with its primary operations being handled from Bangalore, India.

As of now, the startup is in stealth mode and will target the Indian e-commerce market first.

According to the Economics Times, this startup might offer its services in the second half of 2024.

Bansal sold Flipkart to Walmart Inc. along with many other investors. What's the sore spot in Flipkart that investors don't like? Read here to know more.

With the brewing controversy around Mahadev App Online, MeitY and ED established a ban on 22 illegal betting apps and websites.

Assets worth ₹417 crore were seized a few weeks earlier related to the Mahadev betting app in Chhattisgarh. This ban follows the previous decision to close down over 400 gaming and betting apps nationwide on privacy and corruption grounds.

MeitY is showing no mercy to rule breakers when it comes to citizen’s privacy. Read this article to learn of other astounding initiatives by them.

Managing Director and CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Punit Goenka, can finally take a breath of relief after months of regulatory ban being overturned.

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) imposed a ban on Goenka, stopping him from holding a key managerial position in the firm. This caused the most awaited merger, the Zee-Sony Merger, to be delayed yet again.

Looks like the merger might finally be finalised by the end of the year.

Click here to learn how the Zee-Sony merger came out to be and what the consequences are.

Providing exposure to Indian game developers, Nazara Technologies launched a game publishing platform. The company plans to capitalise on the “Make in India” project.

As part of this initiative, Nazara Technologies will be launching 20 games from developers all over the nation and partnering with global developers to create a flowing system. 

This plan will likely give Indian gaming developers a big opportunity to snatch customers from around the world.

Alongside, read how the gaming industry is faring after applying 24% GST by clicking here.