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Navi Surpasses Cred to Become Fourth Largest UPI App in India!

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Navi Surpasses Cred to Become Fourth Largest UPI App in India!

Sachin Bansal’s fintech platform Navi has emerged as the fourth largest UPI app in India, overtaking Kunal Shah-led Cred. According to data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Navi witnessed a significant 31% month-on-month growth in October, registering 158 million transactions compared to 120 million in September.

Market Dynamics

Despite Navi’s impressive growth, Cred also saw an increase in transactions, growing from 140 million in September to 152 million in October. However, Navi’s expansion came even as it scaled back its cashback and incentive programs, demonstrating its ability to attract users through its core offerings.

UPI Market Leaders

The UPI market continues to be dominated by:

  • PhonePe: 48% market share
  • Google Pay: 37% market share
  • Paytm: 7% market share

Both Navi and Cred now account for approximately 1% of the UPI market each. Additionally, Flipkart Group’s super.money app has shown rapid growth, doubling its transaction count to 50 million in October and achieving a 0.3% market share.

Impact of Festive Sales

The festive season contributed to an overall 11% increase in UPI transaction volumes and a 14% rise in transaction value during October. This surge highlights the seasonal boost that often accompanies major shopping events in India.

Navi’s Unique Offerings

Unlike many UPI and fintech apps, Navi operates as a manufacturer of financial products. It offers a range of services including:

  • Personal loans
  • Home loans
  • Mutual funds
  • Insurance
  • Digital gold

This approach distinguishes Navi from competitors who typically act as third-party distributors of financial products.

Resilience Amid Regulatory Challenges

In October, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed Navi Finserv and three other non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) to halt lending practices due to concerns over high interest rates and hidden charges. Notably, this directive did not impact Navi’s UPI operations, allowing it to continue expanding its user base.

Challenges in Market Regulation

The NPCI has faced challenges in implementing a proposed 30% market share cap for UPI apps, aimed at preventing concentration risk within the ecosystem. Currently, PhonePe and Google Pay collectively account for about 85% of UPI transactions, highlighting the dominance of these two players.

NPCI’s Strategic Moves

To foster competition, NPCI has spun off its BHIM app into a separate entity and appointed veteran banker Lalitha Nataraj as its CEO. However, despite these efforts, BHIM has not seen significant growth in transaction volumes this financial year.

Future Prospects

As tier-two UPI apps like Navi and super.money gain traction, competition in India’s UPI ecosystem is intensifying. With plans to introduce innovative credit products—such as RuPay credit cards on UPI—emerging players are poised to disrupt the market further. Meanwhile, the dominance of leading apps remains a challenge for regulators aiming to promote a more balanced ecosystem.

Conclusion

Navi’s rise to become the fourth-largest UPI app marks a significant milestone in India’s digital payment landscape. By leveraging its unique business model and navigating regulatory challenges effectively, Navi is positioned for continued growth. As competition heats up among fintech players, the evolution of the UPI ecosystem will be crucial for enhancing financial inclusion across India.

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  1. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

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ZILO Raises $4.5M to Boost Quick Fashion Delivery

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Zilo - StartupStories

Mumbai-based fashion tech startup ZILO has raised $4.5 million in seed funding, with Info Edge Ventures and Chiratae Ventures co-leading the round. Founded in 2025 by ex-Flipkart and Myntra executive Padmakumar Pal and entrepreneur Bhavik Jhaveri, ZILO aims to transform urban fashion retail by delivering products from over 250 brands—including Levi’s, Louis Philippe, and Puma—within 60 minutes of order placement. The new capital will be used to strengthen ZILO’s hybrid supply chain, deepen brand partnerships, and expand operations beyond Mumbai into other major metro cities by year-end.

ZILO’s quick commerce model stands out by combining the convenience of online shopping with the efficiency of offline retail. The platform operates through a network of dark stores and brand outlets to ensure fast delivery of fresh, in-season fashion items. Customers benefit from scheduled home trials, allowing them to try multiple sizes upon delivery with the option for instant returns, and receive AI-powered style recommendations for a more personalized shopping experience.

The funding comes amid surging investor interest in ultra-fast fashion delivery startups, as rapid fulfillment becomes a key differentiator in India’s competitive ecommerce landscape. With plans to expand its product range to include footwear, bags, and accessories by the festive season and scale up to nearly 100,000 styles, ZILO is positioning itself to meet the growing demand for speed, personalization, and reliability in fashion retail.

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Meta in Advanced Talks to Acquire Voice Cloning Startup PlayAI to Boost AI Capabilities

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Meta Ai

Meta Platform is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire PlayAI, a Palo Alto-based startup renowned for its cutting-edge voice cloning technology powered by artificial intelligence. While the deal is not yet finalized, sources indicate that Meta aims to acquire both PlayAI’s proprietary technology and a significant portion of its staff. Though financial details remain confidential, industry insiders estimate the acquisition could be worth between $300 million and $500 million.

PlayAI has made a name for itself by developing tools that generate highly realistic voice clones, with applications spanning customer service, virtual assistants, and conversational AI agents. A key differentiator for PlayAI is its low-latency, edge-computing architecture, allowing for near-instant, natural-sounding voice responses. The startup has attracted over $23 million in funding from notable investors such as 500 Startups and Kindred Ventures, positioning itself as a leader in the rapidly growing field of voice AI.

For Meta, this potential acquisition fits squarely within CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s broader strategy to make artificial intelligence central to the company’s future. Integrating PlayAI’s advanced voice technology could significantly enhance Meta’s AI assistant, smartglasses, and other hands-free devices, helping the company keep pace with competitors like Google and OpenAI. The move also follows Meta’s recent multi-billion dollar investment in Scale AI and its aggressive recruitment of top AI talent, signaling Zuckerberg’s commitment to leading in the next wave of AI innovation. Both Meta and PlayAI have declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.

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Elon Musk Bans Hashtags from X Ads, Ushering in a New Era of AI-Driven Marketing

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Hashtag on X

Elon Musk has announced that, starting June 27, 2025, hashtags will be banned from all promoted posts on X (formerly Twitter). This policy applies exclusively to paid advertisements, meaning regular users can still include hashtags in their personal posts. Musk described hashtags in ads as an “esthetic nightmare,” emphasizing that the change is intended to create a cleaner, less cluttered feed where advertisements blend more seamlessly with organic content. 

The ban reflects Musk’s long-standing criticism of hashtags, which he has called “ugly” and unnecessary. He argues that with the platform’s advanced AI tools, such as the Grok chatbot, hashtags are no longer essential for content discovery or categorization. Instead, X’s algorithms can now surface and organize relevant content and ads without relying on manual tags, signaling a broader industry shift toward AI-driven content curation.

For advertisers, this marks a significant departure from traditional social media marketing strategies, where hashtags have been key for engagement and campaign tracking. Brands will now need to adapt by focusing on compelling visuals, concise copy, and leveraging X’s AI-powered targeting. The move has sparked debate among marketers and users, with some supporting the cleaner look and others lamenting the loss of a familiar engagement tool.

 

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