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Blog
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Inc. 5000 Agency Founder Ric Militi Launches Leadership Series Inspired by InnoVision’s Internal Success Framework
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Bio-Fertilisers Could Help India Achieve Up to 40 percent Lower Farm Emissions, Says FAI Director General
Chandigarh, May, 13: Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Director General, The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), said that bio–fertilisers hold an immense and largely untapped potential to reduce India‘s dependence on imported mineral fertilisers. Speaking at FAI‘s four-day Training Programme on Bio–fertilisers for Agricultural Sustainability in Port Blair, he stated that even a realistic 20% nutrient supplementation target through bio–fertilisers could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farmland by up to 40%. He attributed this to the high global warming potential of nitrous oxide and described it as bio-fertilizers’ hidden potential.
Dr. Chaudhari further emphasised that Integrated Nutrient Management combining mineral fertilisers, bio–fertilisers, and organic inputs in the right proportion, is the only scientifically validated pathway to sustaining soil health and long-term agricultural productivity. He said this conclusion has been firmly established through six decades of long-term fertiliser experimentation in the country.
FAI DG called on industry to step up on three fronts: scaling up production capacity through greater private and cooperative investment; maintaining rigorous quality from manufacturing to the farmer’s doorstep; and developing innovative, location-specific microbial formulations — since unlike mineral fertilisers, bio-fertiliser efficacy is inherently soil and ecosystem-specific, and cannot be applied as a one-size-fits-all solution.
The four-day residential Training Programme on Bio–fertilisers for Agricultural Sustainability is currently underway at Peerless Resort, Corbyn’s Cove, Port Blair from 11 to 14 May 2026. The programme has drawn participants from 15 companies and institutions, including scientists from the ICAR system, fertiliser industry representatives, and government officials.
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Kalyan Jewellers Launches Gold4India Initiative
Chandigarh, May 13 : Kalyan Jewellers India Limited today announced the launch of the ‘Nation First – Gold4India Initiative’, a strategic framework to activate dormant household reserves of the precious metal, formalise trust in gold liquidity, and encouraging more responsible consumption patterns.
The initiative is in direct response to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s appeal to all Indians to exercise restraint to help conserve the country’s foreign exchange reserves. It is expected that the ‘Nation First – Gold4India Initiative’ will target to reduce imports by 5 tonnes of gold over the financial year.
India has one of the largest privately owned gold reserves in the world, much of it lying idle in bank lockers, household vaults, inherited collections, and unused jewellery accumulated over decades.
T S Kalyanaraman, Managing Director, Kalyan Jewellers India Limited said,
“A stronger domestic recirculation ecosystem can sustain employment in the jewellery sector and help states preserve GST revenues linked to organised trade. The ‘Nation First – Gold4India Initiative’ is far beyond just a promotional campaign. The initiative will strive to spark a behavioural shift in consumers, from viewing gold solely as a static asset preserved indefinitely, to recognising it as a renewable domestic resource capable of continuously generating economic value within the country. If even a fraction of this inactive gold can be responsibly brought back into circulation, India can potentially reduce incremental dependence on imported gold without disrupting consumer aspirations or cultural traditions.”
The four pillars of the ‘Nation First – Gold4India Initiative’ will include
1. Old Gold Exchange Promotion: Across Kalyan Jewellers showrooms nationwide, customers will be encouraged to exchange old, unused, broken, or outdated jewellery through attractive exchange programmes and value-led incentives. Gold exchanged through the programme can be refined, redesigned, and reused within the domestic jewellery ecosystem, reducing the need for equivalent quantities of newly imported gold. The programme allows consumers to unlock value from idle jewellery while preserving the emotional and cultural continuity of family-owned gold.
2. Encash Gold: Kalyan Jewellers will open dedicated “Encash Gold” counters across its showrooms to provide consumers with a professionally managed and transparent gold monetisation experience. Gold backed lending and monetisation services through NBFCs and local unorganised financiers had grown largely because organised jewellery players offering transparent gold monetisation solutions were not readily available. The new initiative will formalise this activity and offer customers a credible alternative for unlocking liquidity from idle gold during moments of financial need. The “Encash Gold” counters will offer scientifically calibrated purity assessment, transparent valuation, and prompt cash disbursal within a trusted retail environment.
3. My Kalyan Gold Recirculation Drive: Kalyan Jewellers intends to leverage the strength of its extensive My Kalyan network; comprising over 1100 centres and 4300 associates spread across diverse geographies, to build awareness around responsible gold recirculation at the grassroots level. A majority of these associates belong to the very regions and communities they serve, enabling them to build deep local trust, strong personal rapport, and meaningful community connections that extend far beyond conventional retail outreach.
In much of India, behavioural change is driven less by institutional messaging alone and more through trusted interpersonal relationships within communities. My Kalyan associates often function as local connectors who understand regional customs, cultural sensitivities, household decision making patterns, and long-standing community dynamics. The initiative therefore aims to create not merely a corporate campaign, but a broad based community movement around gold recirculation.
4. Wider Adoption of 18K Gold Jewellery: The fourth pillar of the initiative focuses on promoting more efficient and responsible patterns of gold consumption through the wider adoption of contemporary 18K jewellery. India’s jewellery market has historically been dominated by higher purity gold formats, particularly 22K jewellery, owing to longstanding cultural preferences and traditional purchasing patterns. While these preferences remain deeply rooted in Indian society, evolving consumer tastes and contemporary design trends are gradually expanding acceptance of alternative jewellery formats across markets.
Kalyan Jewellers believes this transition presents an important opportunity to encourage smarter and more sustainable gold consumption without compromising on aesthetics, craftsmanship, or emotional value. Compared to 22K, 18K jewellery requires a lower quantity of pure gold while still enabling the creation of high quality, intricately crafted, and design led jewellery collections. Wider adoption of such categories can therefore contribute meaningfully towards optimising overall gold consumption volumes over time.
Through the “NATION FIRST – GOLD4INDIA INITIATIVE,” Kalyan Jewellers envisions becoming a predominantly gold recirculation-led institution aiming to preserve India’s deep cultural relationship with gold while strengthening economic resilience, reducing dependence on fresh imports, and advancing the larger national interest.
“The recirculation of gold cannot remain confined to policy discussions or urban consumption patterns,” Mr. Kalyanaraman said.
“Its long-term success depends on participation from the very households and communities where India’s gold ownership is most deeply rooted. Responsible consumption and cultural continuity can, and must, coexist.”
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Mantle8 raises Euro 31M in Series A funding to prove commercial viability of natural hydrogen production
Grenoble, May 13: Mantle8, the Grenoble France based natural hydrogen exploration company, has raised €31M in Series A funding to leverage its proprietary technology stack across a global exploration and drilling campaign targeting the first commercially exploitable reservoir of high-purity natural hydrogen. The round was led by Sandwater and includes Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecotechnologies 2 fund managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance, IP Group, Wind Capital and Calderion (an Audacia-backed investment platform).
This capital will be deployed during the next two years to fund the world’s most advanced natural hydrogen exploration and drilling campaign. Mantle8’s novel technology platform, which is tailored to identify commercially viable natural hydrogen reservoirs, will be employed across its global development pipeline to identify and rank the most promising opportunities. These sites will then be drilled to confirm natural hydrogen accumulations and to evaluate volume, purity, and reservoir quality in support of commercially viable, large-scale production.
Hydrogen is a crucial part of our future decarbonised industrial system; however, the importance of its role will depend on its price and origin. Mantle8’s novel technology for identifying commercially viable natural hydrogen reserves reduces exploration risk and cost, with economic models projecting production costs as low as €0.80/kg, significantly contributing to a much lower average cost of clean hydrogen supply. This will fundamentally change the hydrogen sector’s economics, unlocking a low-carbon source of sovereign energy supply for Europe as well as other geographies. By cooperating with partners focused on drilling and exploiting target reservoirs, the technology can be rolled out quickly and at scale.
“This raise reflects the growing conviction among leading clean tech investors that natural hydrogen is a resource worth pursuing at scale,” said Emmanuel Masini, Founder and CEO of Mantle8. “The existence of natural hydrogen is a well-established scientific fact; the challenge has been finding free gas accumulations of high-purity hydrogen that are commercially viable. I’m proud that we’ve built and patented an entire technology stack to answer this critical challenge, meeting the expectations of our existing shareholders” he continued. “The next steps are to identify the prospects in our pipeline that meet our commercial hurdles and drill them. I’m excited to welcome investors who have a long history of involvement in subsurface resources, sovereign investments and ecosystem building.”
“We built Sandwater to back exceptional founder teams with the technical depth and operational rigour to solve critical challenges and deliver solutions that lead to a better future”, said Tom Even Mortensen, Founder and Managing Partner of Sandwater. “Mantle8 is exactly that kind of company. Emmanuel and his team have built truly proprietary exploration technology, validated it in the field, and now have a clear plan to move into the commercial phase. Natural hydrogen sits at the intersection of energy transition and resource discovery, two areas where Europe must lead as it seeks energy sovereignty. This is a demanding challenge but with the potential to create a new clean energy source, which is what we need and why we see in Mantle8 the opportunity for outsized impact and return”
“Geologic hydrogen is one of the most surprising energy developments of the past decade, with the potential to play a significant role in the global energy mix,” said Carmichael Roberts of Breakthrough Energy Ventures. “The Mantle8 team has made impressive progress in advancing its rigorous, geology-driven approach to exploration, and the team continues to execute on targeting the first commercially exploitable reservoir of high-purity natural hydrogen.”
“Natural hydrogen represents a strategic opportunity for France and for Europe,” said Alexandre Wagner, Investment Director at Bpifrance Green Venture. “Mantle8 combines a proprietary exploration technology stack with a clear path to commercialization. Backing this company, aligns with our mandate to accelerate the energy transition through sovereign, low-carbon solutions that could be developed before the end of the decade.”
Mantle8’s Series A follows a period of significant momentum for Mantle8. In 2025, the company raised a €3.4M Seed Round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and went on to complete the world’s first 4D imaging of an active underground natural hydrogen system using HOREX® at its Hydrogeco project in the French Pyrenees. Earlier this year, Mantle8 received a €2.06M grant from the EU Just Transition Fund to industrialise its core exploration technologies.
This investment round brings total funding raised by Mantle8 to €37M (US$44M). “With this backing, we will work alongside industrial partners globally to move from exploration through to commercial development”, said Bart Markus, Mantle8’s chairman. “The next two years are about proving that the active hydrogen systems our technology has pinpointed can deliver sustained, commercially viable flow.”
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F1® Authentics Hosts Charity Auction in Unique Sporting Crossover
May 13: F1® Authentics, operated by Mement
o Exclusives, is auctioning a rare collectible this month, combining motorsport and American football, captured at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Brought together by Atlas Air Worldwide, the signed helmets of both Aston Martin Aramco F1® Team driver Lance Stroll and Miami Dolphins NFL player Jordan Phillips, will be available for collectors to purchase as a unique set. This activation was created to help raise money and awareness for Movember and its work supporting men’s health.
A sporting exchange took place ahead of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, celebrating the power of using high-profile platforms to raise money for an important cause. The helmets then went on display over the race-weekend at the track before now being made available for one lucky collector to own.
Moments like this are incredibly rare and made extra special for the way they unite sports such as Formula One® and the NFL, as well as charitable purposes in one distinctive collectible. This exciting set is expected to attract significant interest as it offers collectors the chance to acquire a unique multi-sport collaboration while also contributing to fundraising efforts that support vital conversations and action around men’s health. Atlas Air Worldwide and Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team have both committed up to $25k to match the winning bid. Previews of this listing and exchange are live now, with bidding set to begin on 11th May.
Collectors wishing to find out more and register their interest can do so by visiting F1® Authentics now.
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Oxford International and University of Bradford expand partnership with new routes to market
May 13: Oxford International and the University of Bradford have today announced the expansion of their long-standing international college partnership with the addition of a new 5-year collaboration incorporating direct entry recruitment alongside programme delivery designed and awarded by the university at Oxford International’s higher education institution, Universal Higher Education UK (UHE UK) in Greenwich, London. The triple pronged approach to student recruitment has been designed to support the university’s international growth ambition.
This development marks a significant milestone in the partnership, enabling international students to access a broader range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the University of Bradford via an expanded set of entry routes.
A university on the rise
The University of Bradford continues to strengthen its global standing, recognised for both academic quality and social impact. In the latest QS World University Rankings 2026, the University is ranked 47th in the UK, reflecting continued upward momentum.
Renowned for its commitment to social mobility and student success, the University of Bradford continues to deliver strong graduate outcomes and impactful research aligned with global challenges. According to the most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency figures, the University of Bradford ranked 16th in the UK for graduates entering high-skilled employment, marking a major step towards its strategic ambition of being in the UK top 10 for graduate outcomes. Additionally, the University of Bradford offers careers advice up to five years after graduation.
Expanding access through multiple access routes
The introduction of further routes to higher education with the University of Bradford will provide international students with increased flexibility and choice for higher education study, reinforcing the university’s commitment to broadening access to higher education for international students, while creating new opportunities for students to benefit from a career-focused education in the UK.
This expansion complements the existing international college, which has successfully prepared international students for progression to degree-level study at University of Bradford for many years.
Supporting over 80,000 students each year, Oxford International’s global recruitment team, enhanced by a network of over 2,500 educational consultants, operates across more than 50 international source markets, seamlessly working alongside partners’ recruitment teams and providing local insight and strategic guidance.
Lil Bremmerman-Richard, Group CEO of Oxford International states:
“This expansion represents an important step in the evolution of our partnership with the University of Bradford. By introducing direct entry recruitment along with programme delivery designed and awarded by the university at UHE UK, in addition to our established international college, we are creating a more comprehensive and flexible offering that meets the diverse needs of international students around the world. We are proud to deepen our collaboration with an institution that shares our commitment to access, quality, and student success.”
Nick Braisby, Interim Vice-Chancellor of University of Bradford added:
“Our partnership with Oxford International has helped us to build a vibrant and diverse international student community. In line with the University‘s 10-year Strategy, this partnership will expand the ways international students can study with us. By widening access to our award-winning education, we can help more students to become career-ready and achieve success, wherever they are from. I look forward to welcoming more international students to our global community in the coming academic year.”
More details on programmes to be offered and first intake dates will be available soon.
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AD Ports Group Delivers 41% YoY Net Profit Growth to AED 653 Million in Q1 2026; Best Quarterly Profits on Record
Abu Dhabi, UAE – May 13: AD Ports Group (ADX: ADPORTS), a leading global enabler of integrated trade, industry, and logistics solutions, today reported strong revenue and net profit performance in the first quarter of 2026, demonstrating the resilience of its diversified and integrated trade ecosystem amidst the challenging and complex geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop.
From a service offering and geographic perspective, AD Ports Group’s diversified operations, and vertically integrated business model based on long-term partnerships and contracts, focused strategy, and operational flexibility, have proven once again to be effective in turning risks into differentiated opportunities. Throughout the obvious challenges posed by the geopolitical situation in the Arabian Gulf, the Group has been able to maintain uninterrupted services, operating normally with precautionary business continuity protocols activated.
Continuity measures include the rerouting of cargo operations and feeder services to Fujairah Terminals and Khorfakkan Port, and deployment of new land and air bridges, complemented by additional warehousing and storage facilities. AD Ports Group launched new regional feeder shipping services to maintain supply chain integrity, redeploying and scaling up its container and bulk cargo vessels fleet, with plans to further increase fleet capacity. The new services connect with ports in India, Pakistan and Oman, as well as Red Sea ports, and ports along the Upper Arabian Gulf region.
The Group also established a land bridge to transport cargo from Fujairah and Khorfakkan through bonded customs corridors across the UAE to Khalifa Port, Jebel Ali Port, and Sharjah, using 800 trucks and four new daily rail services by Etihad Rail. These efforts were supported by the Group’s expanded warehousing and storage capacity for essential goods, currently exceeding 76,000 m2, with plans to more than double to 188,000 m2.
Leveraging its award-winning digital trade infrastructure, the Group also launched new freight management platforms that delivered visibility and resilience, enabling the efficient management of trade flows. By unifying and processing data across the Group’s global operations, these platforms have enabled the Group to act on real-time trade lane intelligence to strengthen supply chain integrity, whilst repurposing empty import containers for export along alternative high-volume corridors, which enhanced resilience and reduced time and cost for customers.
In Maritime & Shipping, the strong performance was a combination of volume and price effects, notably in container feeders, Ro-Ro, and tankers, as well as increased drydocking activities. Container feeder shipping volumes rose 20% YoY to 871K TEUs in Q1 2026, driven by increased services and capacity, whilst the bulk, multipurpose, and Ro-Ro vessel fleet reached 63, up from 41 in the same period a year earlier.
In the Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster, growth momentum continued with 843,000 m2 (net) new industrial land leases in KEZAD Abu Dhabi, generating strong demand for warehouses, staff accommodation, and utilities provision. KEZAD also completed the sale of a group of warehouses to MAIR Group for AED 295 million and sold a 1.0 km2 mixed-use land plot to Danube Properties for AED 840 million, as part of the Group’s strategy to actively manage its asset portfolio across all business Clusters, and monetise real estate and non-core assets, when opportune.
In the Ports Cluster, UAE operations remained resilient in the face of challenging regional events, with quarterly container throughput declining 5% YoY and general cargo volumes dropping 23% YoY, which were largely offset by strong growth internationally of 17% YoY and 21% YoY, respectively. In the UAE, container capacity utilisation stood at 54% (57% at Khalifa Port), whilst internationally it reached 65%, up from 58% in Q1 2025.
In Logistics, the global freight environment remains challenging, with rising operational costs, and in the UAE quarterly polymer volumes declined 6% YoY as a result of the regional situation.
In Q1 2026, AD Ports Group continued expanding internationally with a trade corridor and region-focused strategy. The Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan, Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Mediterranean regions remained in focus, as the Group continued to build operational scale and long-term partnerships. A 30-year concession was secured for a brownfield multipurpose port in Aqaba, Jordan, and a 30-year concession was signed for a new greenfield dry bulk terminal at Douala Port in Cameroon. In parallel, the Group has continued to interconnect its 38 port terminals with associated maritime and logistics services, increasing synergies and enhancing asset utilisation.
In its Balance Sheet, AD Ports Group’s debt leverage continued to improve, with a Net Leverage of 3.9x, vs. 4.1x in Q1 2025, and 4.0x in Q4 2025.
Despite a low cash conversion ratio of 62%, Cash Flows from Operations reached AED 943 million in Q1 2026, +30% YoY, on steady growth in operating profit from core operations, and AED 74 million from the asset monetisation programme under a two-year payment plan for the sale of warehouses to MAIR Group.
With quarterly organic CapEx of AED 1.35 billion, the Group generated slightly negative Free Cash Flow to the Firm (FCFF) of AED 348 million but maintains annual guidance of positive FCFF going forward, subject to the evolving regional situation.
Q1 2026 Financial KPIs
AED m
Q1 2025
Q4 2025
Q1 2026
YoY %
Revenue
4,597
5,954
5,750
25%
EBITDA 1)
1,136
1,606
1,516
33%
EBITDA Margin (%)
24.7%
27.0%
26.4%
1.7%
Profit Before Tax (PBT)
515
646
729
42%
Total Net Profit
464
567
653
41%
Net Profit – Owners of the Company
348
454
497
43%
Non-Controlling Interests
116
113
156
34%
Reported EPS (AED) 2)
0.07
0.09
0.10
43%
1)EBITDA is calculated by taking net profit and adding depreciation and amortization, finance costs, income tax expense, impairment of investment properties and subtracting government grants, fair value gain on pre-existing interest in a joint venture and finance income.
2)Based on the weighted average number of shares for the period.
Key Developments in Q1 2026
Ports Cluster
·Joined Africa Ports Development’s (APD) 30-year concession to design, build and operate a new dry bulk terminal at the Port of Douala in the Republic of Cameroon. The agreement establishes an investment structure, under which AD Ports Group together with two other UAE investors own 60% of the operating company, alongside ADP’s 40% ownership, implying an effective economic interest of 51% for AD Ports Group.
·Signed a 30-year concession agreement with Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) to operate the brownfield Aqaba Multipurpose Port, Jordan’s only and exclusive general cargo and multipurpose seaport. The concession was secured through a JV with AD Ports Group holding 70% ownership and ADC 30%.
·Secured a USD 115 million project finance facility led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and National Bank of Kuwait-Egypt (NBK) to support the development of the Noatum Ports Safaga Terminal in Egypt.
Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster
·Signed a 50-year land lease with Galadari Brothers’ heavy equipment division to establish a AED 75 million facility in KEZAD A (Al Ma’mourah). The 150,000 m2 facility will be used for storage and distribution of heavy machinery and industrial equipment in the region.
·Sold a group of warehouses in KEZAD Logistics Park – KLP Free Zone 3 (FZ3) in Abu Dhabi to MAIR Group for AED 295 million.
·Launched the 450,000 m2 Metal Park, the world’s first pay-as-you-grow metals ecosystem in Abu Dhabi.
·Signed an AED 840 million land sale agreement with Danube Properties for a 1.0 km2 plot located within the 16 km2 KEZAD Town Centre for the development of a residential and mixed-use project.
·Signed a 50-year land lease with Jotun Abu Dhabi to establish a new 83,177 m2 manufacturing facility in ICAD – KEZAD Musaffah with an investment value of AED 450 million. Jotun Abu Dhabi is relocating from its existing 22,000 m2 facility.
Maritime & Shipping Cluster
- Safeen Drydocks, part of Noatum Maritime, acquired 100% ownership of Balenciaga Astilleros Shipyard, one of Spain’s most established and technologically advanced shipbuilding and repair facilities, for a total consideration of EUR 11.2 million.
Others
- Refinanced a USD 2.5 billion syndicated loan with two UAE banks, extending maturity to March 2029, and reducing future borrowing costs.
Key Developments Post Q1 2026
·Signed new land leases for five new projects in KEZAD Al Ain and KEZAD A (Al Ma’mourah), covering a total footprint of over 84,000 m2 and representing a total investment of AED 147 million. The projects are in the automotive (car cleaning products), metal, and logistics industries.
·Sold three warehouses in KEZAD Logistics Park (KLP) in Abu Dhabi to Aldar for AED 650 million.
·Signed a strategic partnership with Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement to develop Al Selmiyyah Defence Industrial Free Zone in Abu Dhabi. Al Selmiyyah will be developed as a zone dedicated to advancing defence manufacturing in the UAE. AD Ports Group will serve as a strategic partner and advisor for the zone, leading the master planning process, shaping land use and infrastructure planning, and providing industrial zone development expertise to support phased delivery, ecosystem integration, and connectivity to regional and global trade networks, in line with international best practices.
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HDFC Bank’s WhatsApp Chat Banking Hits 1 Crore Monthly Active Users
Mumbai, May 13 : HDFC Bank’s WhatsApp Chat Banking platform has crossed significant adoption milestones, with over 1 crore 30‑day active users and 2 crore 90‑day active users as on March 31, 2026. The platform now serves more than 4 crore registered customers, almost 40% of the Bank’s customer base. Alongside user growth, transactions have increased by 20%, demonstrating deeper engagement.
Today, HDFC Bank offers one of the most comprehensive suites of services on WhatsApp. With over 225 services across 19 product lines, the platform covers everyday banking needs, transactional journeys and proactive service alerts. It has rapidly evolved into one of the industry’s most advanced conversational banking ecosystems.
HDFC Bank identified early that conversational interfaces were evolving beyond simple interactions into powerful platforms for commerce—spanning shopping, food ordering and everyday engagement. Recognising this shift, the Bank launched Chat Banking in 2022, positioning it as a convenient service channel for basic banking requirements and bringing banking directly into customers’ daily digital habits.
To drive adoption, the Bank has consistently focused on innovative product design. It has introduced several first‑in‑industry capabilities, including voice note‑based inputs that allow customers to interact seamlessly in Hindi, English or Hinglish. It is also among the first globally to enable integrated service alerts from core banking systems, along with the co-existence of AI‑powered bots and human agents for more complex queries.
Further enhancing convenience, the Bank pioneered the Connect to RM feature, enabling users to view their Relationship Manager’s details and request a callback instantly. More recently, it introduced fully native journeys such as Quick FD booking and Convert to EMI, which can be completed end‑to‑end in just three steps, significantly reducing drop-offs.
Speaking about the milestone, Rajanish Parmanand Prabhu, Head – Payments and Digital Banking Channels, HDFC Bank, said
“Crossing the 1 crore unique monthly active users milestone is a significant moment in our digital journey. What began as a simple service interface has now evolved into a full-scale conversational banking ecosystem. Customers are increasingly choosing chat for both routine services and high-value transactions. Our focus remains on making banking more customer‑centric, intuitive and accessible within the platforms customers use every day.”
This scale has been enabled by a focused 360‑degree strategy that includes leveraging customer insights to deliver targeted service nudges, promoting Chat Banking through cross‑channel calls to action across digital touchpoints such as Mobile Banking and PayZapp, optimising communication through improved frequency and engaging creatives, and continuously refining journeys based on real‑time NPS tracking and customer feedback.
Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta in India, said
“WhatsApp is transforming how businesses and customers interact with each other and get things done, and milestones such as this demonstrate how messaging can truly drive meaningful value and build better experiences. We are delighted to see that HDFC Bank is truly leveraging the power of WhatsApp to deliver convenient and secure banking experiences at scale.”
HDFC Bank plans to further expand its Chat Banking capabilities with new product lines, strengthening its aim to make Chat Banking one of the preferred self‑service channels for customers.
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MTAR Reports Rs. 306.1 Cr Revenue, 67.2 Percent YoY Growth; EBITDA Up 80.9 Percent
Hyderabad, May 13: MTAR Technologies Ltd a manufacturer engaged in manufacturing and development of mission critical precision engineered systems catering to Clean Energy – Civil Nuclear Power, Fuel Cells, Hydel & Others, Aerospace and Defence sectors has announced its audited consolidated financial results for the Fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2026.
YoY FY 26 vs FY 25
- Revenue from Operations stood at Rs.876.2 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs.676.0 Cr. in FY 25, 29.6% increase YoY
- EBITDA reported at Rs. 171.2 Cr. in FY 26 as compared to Rs. 120.9 Cr. in FY 25, 41.7% increase YoY
- Profit Before Tax stands at Rs. 126.1 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs. 72.1 Cr. in FY 25, 75.1% increase YoY
- Profit After Tax was at Rs. 94.0 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs. 53.4 Cr. in FY 25, 76.2% increase YoY
YoY Q4 FY 26 vs Q 4 FY 25- Revenue from Operations stood at Rs. 306.1 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs. 183.1 Cr. in FY 25, 67.2% increase YoY
- EBITDA reported at Rs. 61.8 Cr. in FY 26 as compared to Rs. 34.2 Cr. in FY 25, 80.9% increase YoY
- Profit Before Tax stands at Rs. 59.5 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs. 18.6 Cr. in FY 25, 219.4% increase YoY
- Profit After Tax was at Rs. 44.3 Cr. in FY 26 as against Rs. 13.7 Cr. in FY 25, 222.3% increase YoY
Q0Q Q4 FY 26 vs Q3 FY 26- Revenue from Operations stood at Rs. 306.1 Cr. in Q4 FY 26 as against Rs.278.0 Cr. in Q3 FY 26, 10.1% increase QoQ
- EBITDA reported at Rs. 61.8 Cr. in Q4 FY 26 as compared to Rs. 64.0 Cr. in Q3 FY 26, 3.5% decrease QoQ
- Profit Before Tax stands at Rs. 59.5 Cr. in Q4 FY 26 as against Rs. 46.1 Cr. in Q3 FY 26, 29.1% increase QoQ
- Profit After Tax was at Rs. 44.3 Cr. in Q4 FY 26 as against Rs. 34.7 Cr. in Q3 FY 26, 27.7% increase QoQ
Commenting on the results, Mr. Parvat Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director & Promoter, MTAR Technologies Limited said,“The Company witnessed a phenomenal year marked by robust revenue growth and the highest ever inflow of orders, reflecting our continued pursuit of delivering technology intensive and differentiated precision engineered products.The Company continues to focus on high growth sectors and expects a strong inflow of orders in FY27 across its key business verticals. Backed by strong execution capabilities, expanding capacities, and favourable industry trends, we remain confident of sustaining our growth momentum in the years ahead.In addition, the Company expects a sequential improvement in margins over the coming quarters due to higher operating leverage and a favourable transition in the product mix towards volume-based production.” -
Scality launches Autonomous Data Infrastructure: A new operating model for enterprise AI, cyber resilience, and sovereign control
Building on the proven foundations of RING and ARTESCA, Scality ADI introduces autonomous operations, cross-media flexibility, and extreme AI-scale performance for organizations operating at multi-petabyte to exabyte scale
SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 — Scality, a global leader in data infrastructure software for the AI era, today announced Scality ADI (Autonomous Data Infrastructure), a sustainable data infrastructure platform designed for organizations that must simultaneously power diverse AI workloads, defend against escalating cyber threats, and maintain sovereign control over their data.
Scality ADI combines Scality’s proven distributed object storage foundation with Guardian, an AI-powered autonomous operations engine that dramatically reduces administrative burden while keeping humans in the loop for every decision. The platform spans multiple storage media classes within a single namespace, with policy-driven lifecycle management that lets organizations align the right performance and economics to each workload.
RING and ARTESCA, Scality’s trusted solutions for large-scale distributed storage and immutable backup storage, continue as core products in the portfolio.
AI has broken the old storage model
The demands on enterprise data infrastructure have fundamentally changed. AI is no longer a single workload. It spans training, inference, multimodal agentic workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), video search and summarization (VSS), and KV cache for distributed inference. Each has radically different requirements for throughput, latency, and data governance. At the same time, cyber threats have grown more sophisticated, regulators demand provable resilience, and power constraints have become hard design limits in modern data centers.
Traditional storage architectures, designed for predictable growth and isolated tiers, force painful tradeoffs between performance, resilience, cost, and control. Organizations do not need another storage product with yet increased complexity. They need sustainable data infrastructure built for the decades ahead.
Building on the success of Scality ARTESCA and Scality RING
Scality ADI builds on more than 15 years of innovation. Scality RING, deployed by the world’s most demanding organizations for large-scale distributed storage, has proven its resilience and scalability at multi-petabyte to exabyte scale for over a decade. ARTESCA, Scality’s backup-first object storage solution with CORE5 end-to-end cyber resilience and a $100,000 cyber guarantee, has become a trusted foundation for immutable data protection. Both products continue and remain central to Scality’s portfolio.
Scality ADI represents the next chapter: a product purpose-built for the new realities that AI, sovereign data requirements, and sustainability constraints impose on enterprise infrastructure.
A platform built for what comes next
Scality ADI introduces capabilities that go beyond what any single storage product can deliver. Scality Guardian, its autonomous operations engine, uses AI-powered agents to handle expansion, healing, rebalancing, upgrades, and lifecycle workflows, dramatically reducing the administrative burden on infrastructure teams.
Every operation follows a human-in-the-loop principle: Scality Guardian surfaces insights and recommends actions, but humans approve and control every decision. Beyond built-in Guardian intelligence, MCP-enabled extensibility allows organizations to integrate their own AI tools and automation workflows directly into ADI operations, so the platform can be driven by a customer’s own AI stack, not just Scality’s.
Its software-defined, disaggregated architecture spans NVMe SSD (TLC/QLC), HDD, tape and cloud storage within a single namespace, while policy-driven lifecycle management, defined and approved by operators, aligns the right media, performance, and economics to each workload:
- It can deliver the extreme performance requirements of GPUs at multi-TB/s and ultra-low latency thanks to our new RDMA-accelerated KV cache connector.
- QLC, HDD and future NL-flash deliver balanced performance at an attractive cost of ownership.
- Long-term archives achieve near-zero power consumption on tape or cloud ice cold storage.
CORE5 cyber resilience ensures data remains immutable, recoverable, and auditable at every level. Real-time power telemetry gives infrastructure teams visibility into consumption at system, node, and workload levels, connecting performance decisions to actual data center constraints.
Open-code and outcome-based customer experience
Scality ADI is delivered as open-code software with the source code available for inspection and governed contributions to support both longevity and transparency in mission-critical environments. It is also backed by outcome-based SLAs spanning availability, performance, protection posture, power consumption, and operational efficiency. It is designed for large enterprises, government organizations, and sovereign environments where trust, longevity, and inspectability are as important as technical performance.
“The AI era hasn’t just changed how enterprises use data, it has exposed how badly the old storage model was broken. Scality ADI isn’t just a faster object store. It’s a new operating model that autonomously aligns the right performance, protection, and economics to every workload, at every stage of the data lifecycle. That’s what it takes to keep GPUs productive, satisfy regulators and insurers, and maintain sovereign control, all at the same time, and at exabyte scale. We are not replacing what works. We are building what comes next.”
— Jérôme Lecat, CEO, Scality
“We have relied on Scality RING as a core storage platform of our private cloud since 2021, and it has consistently delivered the scale, resilience, and performance our operations require. Scality ADI and its Guardian autonomous operations represent exactly the evolution we need — AI-enabled infrastructure management that will allow our teams to operate more efficiently while maintaining the security and control standards our business demands.”
— Manuel Paviotti, Manager Backup & Storage, Groupama G2S
“Our research underscores that building the right data infrastructure is critical in evolving enterprise AI from PoC to operational scale that meets the realities and responsibilities of complex, modern organisations. Yet, the conversation around autonomous infrastructure has too often defaulted to marketing language without addressing the governance question enterprises care about. Scality ADI takes a more credible approach, with operational intelligence through policy-governed execution, where agents surface recommendations and actions occur within auditable bounds, on an architecture ideally suited to the regulated, sovereign, and mission-critical environments where trust in the platform is as important as its technical performance.”
— Simon Robinson, Principal Analyst, Omdia
Availability
Scality ADI is available now through Scality’s global network of channel partners and strategic alliance partners.