According to a joint announcement, 360 One WAM will purchase Swiss financial services titan UBS’s domestic wealth management division for INR 307 crore. By purchasing 20.5 million warrants at a price of INR 1,030 each, which must be converted within 18 months of the allotment date, the company will also acquire a 4.95% ownership stake in 360 One WAM.
According to the statement, 360 One will also purchase UBS’s residual loan portfolio, discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management services, and local stock broking and distribution company. As of December 21, 2024, UBS has INR 26,000 crore in active assets under management.
Additionally, 360 One WAM and UBS have formed an exclusive partnership that will enable their clients to access each other’s wealth management services.
More Details of the Deal
Clients of both companies will have access to both onshore and offshore wealth management products as part of the UBS-360 ONE agreement, according to 360 ONE. According to the statement, the businesses would also look into possible joint ventures on investment banking and asset management services.
360 ONE manages $68 billion in assets and offers investment and financial guidance to over 7,500 affluent and ultra-wealthy families in India. In addition to the Credit Suisse division, UBS operates trading, international banking, and asset management operations in India, as well as a number of sizable service centres throughout the nation.
Co-head of UBS global wealth management APAC Jin Yee Young told an international media outlet that the agreement combines “complementary” aspects of the two companies. Mickey Doshi, the head of UBS India and a former employee of Credit Suisse, informed a media source that the company’s operations would be concentrated on investment banking and equities capital markets in the future.
Whether UBS will relinquish the local banking licence needed for the fixed-income business was not mentioned by Doshi. In 2013, UBS surrendered its Indian banking licence, but after acquiring Credit Suisse, it obtained a new one.
UBS Business Strategy in Asia
In contrast to its recent efforts to expand in other Asian wealth markets, UBS has adopted a wealth partnership approach in India. To develop services for its wealthy and ultra-wealthy clientele, it inked an agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust in Japan in 2019 to establish a partnership that would be majority held by UBS.
UBS, which caters to wealthy customers in China, fully owned a securities joint venture in March of this year. Despite the growing number of affluent individuals in India, one of the fastest-growing economies, foreign private banks have encountered significant challenges in generating revenue in the country.
This struggle is primarily due to the fierce competition from deeply entrenched local actors and regulatory constraints, which have resulted in a significant number of banks exiting the market.
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Offering a unique twist on beloved games like Ludo and Snakes & Ladders, Zupee delivers easy-to-learn, quick gameplay while ensuring a delightful user experience. With a focus on responsible gaming, safe transactions, and cutting-edge partnerships, Zupee has grown exponentially, becoming a leading name in the Indian gaming market.
In this article, let’s explore the world of Zupee—its founders, History, Startup story, business and revenue model, funding, growth, and all the information about the company.
Zupee is a rapidly expanding online gaming platform from India. It focuses on skill-based games that add fun to your daily routine.
Whether you’re in the mood for a free game or looking to try your luck in a pay-to-play option, Zupee has something for everyone. Their standout offering is Ludo, a favorite among users. As one of the leading players in India’s casual and board games space, Zupee combines entertainment with challenge, making each gaming experience engaging and enjoyable.
Plus, all their games are certified by the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), ensuring they meet the criteria for skill-based play.
Zupee – Industry
The gaming industry in India is on an upward trajectory, emerging as a powerhouse in the global market. Here’s a closer look at what makes this sector so exhilarating:
Leading Mobile Gaming Market: India ranks as the world’s largest mobile gaming market, showcasing impressive app download statistics that reflect the growing interest among gamers.
Booming Revenues: In 2022, transaction-based game revenues surged by 21% compared to the previous year. Projections suggest a continued growth rate of 20% by FY25, with the market poised to reach INR 231 billion.
Fantasy Sports Leader: With a user base of 180 million, India boasts the largest fantasy sports market globally. This segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33%, aiming for INR 25,300 crore by FY27.
Investment Surge: Over the last five years, the Indian gaming industry attracted a remarkable $2.8 billion from domestic and international investors. Notably, funding escalated by 380% since 2019, with a 23% increase from 2020 alone.
Government Initiatives to Boost Growth
The Indian government is actively investing in the future of gaming:
Establishing a National Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) Centre of Excellence in partnership with IIT Bombay.
Karnataka and Telangana are implementing dedicated AVGC policies at the state level.
An AVGC Task Force will be formed to unlock the sector’s full potential.
Rising Unicorns: India has already produced three gaming unicorns: Game 24X7, Dream11, and Mobile Premier League, reflecting the industry’s growing economic impact.
Despite the recent implementation of a 28% goods and services tax (GST) on gaming, the industry remains optimistic. Current estimates value the sector at approximately $3.1 billion, with projections indicating it could reach $8.92 billion within the next five years.
Real Money Gaming (RMG) Dominance: The RMG sector is a major revenue generator, accounting for 83-84% of total revenue. With around 100 million online gamers, including 90 million who are willing to pay, this segment continues to thrive.
However, the introduction of a blanket tax without distinguishing between skill and chance games has added pressure on the industry, as skill gaming platforms previously operated under an 18% GST on platform fees, known as Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
Zupee – Founders and Team
Dilsher Singh Malhi
Dilsher Singh Malhi – Founder and CEO, Zupee
As the founder and CEO of Zupee, Dilsher Singh Malhi has a remarkable journey that began with his graduation from IIT Kanpur in 2017, where he earned a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering. During his time at IIT, he led the Simutech Club, offering students a platform to explore projects in chemical engineering. Dilsher also discovered his true passion—psychology. He realized that understanding human behavior is incredibly complex, requiring knowledge from multiple fields of science to gain a deeper insight into the human mind. This complexity and the intricate nature of human behavior have fascinated him ever since. If that’s not enough, Dilsher’s academic pursuits also took him to Switzerland, where he worked as a Research Associate at EPFL.
When he’s not innovating in the gaming world, Dilsher enjoys gaming, delving into books, and exploring human behavior psychology. An avid NBA fan, he dreams of catching a game at Madison Square Garden soon!
Siddhant Saurabh
Siddhant Saurabh – Co-founder and CTO, Zupee
Siddhant Saurabh, the co-founder and CTO of Zupee, completed his B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 2016.
A true tech guru, Siddhant is a music enthusiast and can often be found at work sporting a pair of headphones, immersed in his favorite tunes. His passion for technology and music blends perfectly to fuel the innovative spirit at Zupee!
Zupee – Startup Story
Launched in 2018 by the dynamic duo Dilsher Singh and Siddhant Saurabh, Zupee is a cutting-edge gaming platform that aims to transform the real money gaming landscape. Zupee initially gained significant success as a quizzing game. It was highly engaging and people loved it, leading to impressive top-line growth. While they were still figuring out the best ways to monetize and scale that model, they made a bold decision to pivot by shifting focus to more casual, culturally familiar games like Ludo, which marked a major turning point. This move laid the foundation for the platform’s evolution.
Driven by the iconic Bollywood adage, “Zindagi lambi nahi, badi honi chahiye,” Dilsher launched Zupee with a mission to create a product that brings joy and enhances the quality of life. On the other hand, Siddhant is the mastermind behind the sleek, user-friendly app that has captivated a growing audience. He designed a tech stack architecture that is both elegant and robust, ensuring seamless service for Zupee’s expanding user base.
Today, Zupee offers a variety of games, many of which have performed exceptionally well, establishing it as a versatile platform in the gaming space.
At Zupee, their mission is to provide easy-to-learn and entertaining games that bring joy to players of all ages. They strive to create a unique gaming experience by adding innovative twists to beloved classics like Ludo and Snakes & Ladders, ensuring that fun and entertainment are accessible to everyone. Their goal is to cultivate a welcoming environment where gaming transcends barriers, allowing all users to connect, play, and enjoy.
Vision of Zupee
The vision at Zupee is to be the leading platform for casual gaming, where familiar games are reimagined for a modern audience. They aspire to be a one-stop destination for fun and entertainment through our super app, providing a seamless experience that engages and delights users. By continuously enhancing our offerings and staying true to their brand values, they aim to redefine the gaming landscape and foster a vibrant community of gamers.
Zupee – Name, Tagline and Logo
Zupee Old Logo and Zupee New Logo
Zupee introduced its new brand identity, marking a significant step in its journey to deliver a positive, unique, and engaging experience for all its users with a refreshed logo and a bold, energetic color palette that embodies the vibrant gaming spirit.
Zupee’s new logo perfectly captures the essence of joyful moments, featuring a vibrant spark integrated into a bold “Z” letterform. This playful design exudes energy and enthusiasm, reflecting the brand’s commitment to fun and engaging experiences. The accompanying logotype is dynamic and approachable, showcasing friendly quirks that echo the lively spark in the symbol. Together, these elements create a logo that is bright, delightful, and distinctly representative of Zupee.
Zupee – Business Model
Here’s a closer look at the key components of Zupee’s business model:
Skill-Based Gaming: Zupee revolutionizes classic board games by introducing skill elements. As the first online gaming platform to do so, Zupee enhances the traditional Ludo experience with strategic elements from the get-go, making gameplay more engaging and competitive.
Responsible Gaming: Player safety is a top priority at Zupee. To promote responsible gaming, all games are designed to be short, typically lasting between 8 to 10 minutes. This encourages players to take regular breaks, fostering a healthier gaming environment.
Strategic Partnerships: Zupee has formed partnerships with major players in the industry, including Reliance Jio Platforms, to distribute its content to Jio phone users, expanding its reach and accessibility.
Safe Money Transactions: Zupee ensures secure financial transactions for its players. With partnerships in place, users can conveniently add funds to their game wallet using various methods, including UPI, bank accounts, e-wallets, and debit/credit cards, guaranteeing a smooth and secure gaming experience.
With this robust business model, Zupee not only enhances the online gaming landscape but also prioritizes player engagement and safety, ensuring an enjoyable experience for all users.
Zupee – Revenue Model
Zupee’s Super App
Zupee has erased the hassle of downloading individual games. With their new super app, a player can now access all their favorite games—and any exciting new launches—all in one place.
The super app is designed to give you seamless access to a delightful gaming experience, reinforcing our commitment to keeping fun and entertainment at your fingertips.
Popular Games on Zupee
Popular Games on Zupee
With just one app available on both Android and iOS, a player can dive into a variety of thrilling games. Here are six popular titles they can enjoy through Zupee’s super app:
Ludo Supreme: A time-based game featuring dice (iOS & Android)
Ludo Ninja: A limited move-based game without dice (Android)
Ludo Turbo: A limited move-based game with dice (Android)
Snakes and Ladders Plus: A unique multi-token format for a limited move-based game (Android)
Trump Card Mania: A round-based game with an exciting IPL twist (Android)
Zupee games can be played for free or with an entry fee, allowing an individual to win up to INR 10 lakh! Plus, they can easily withdraw their winnings via net banking or UPI, making their gaming experience smooth and rewarding.
Zupee – Challenges Faced
Zupee, while thriving in the online gaming space, has encountered several challenges that impact user experience and growth.
Fraud Detection: Zupee faced stagnant organic traffic growth, making it challenging to pinpoint the sources of their user engagement. The team noticed that multiple ad networks were distorting organic traffic numbers through click flooding and spamming, leading to confusion about the true origins of their traffic. Many ad networks exhibited rejected install rates as high as 30%. To combat this, Zupee collaborated with Adjust to detect and eliminate fraudulent activities in real time, ensuring that their datasets remained clean. They began optimizing campaigns at a sub-publisher level, which enabled them to identify the most effective channels for their marketing spend. As a result, Zupee improved and scaled user acquisition by 25% with Adjust’s attribution capabilities.
Login Issues: Users have also encountered login challenges, such as delays in receiving One-Time Passwords (OTPs), entering incorrect OTPs, server downtime, or using outdated app versions. Adding a new game to the platform adds a layer of complexity to this process. Integrating a new game feels similar to plugging a USB device into a computer — it’s designed to be a plug-and-play experience. The process involves developing the game, which includes creating a game sub-APK and backend services.
Cost Control: As Zupee expanded its reach, operational costs began to rise sharply. To manage these costs, the company turned to Liftoff’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP) to run programmatic campaigns for one of its games. This strategy resulted in improved installation rates while optimizing advertising expenditures.
Network Issues: Users of Zupee have reported experiencing various network-related problems, including slow loading times, connection errors, frequent disconnections, and other network-related disruptions. These issues can detract from the overall gaming experience, making it essential for Zupee to continually enhance its infrastructure.
Zupee – Funding and Investors
Zupee has raised a total of $121 million through 5 funding rounds, with the most recent round completed on January 5, 2022. The funding details of Zupee are as below:
Date of Funding
Funding Amount
Round Name
Investors
August 5, 2022
$72 million
Series B
Nepean Capital, AJ Capital Partners
August 17, 2021
$31 million
Series B
WestCap, Tomales Bay Capital
January 11, 2021
$10 million
Series A
WestCap, Z47
March 10, 2020
$8 million
Series A
Z47, Alpha Wave Global
April 10, 2019
$1 million
Seed Funding
Smile
Zupee – Financials
Zupee turned profitable in FY24, marking its first full year of profitability since inception in 2018. It posted a profit after tax (PAT) of INR 146 Cr in FY24 as against a loss of INR 36 Cr in the previous fiscal year, as revenue zoomed. Its top line surged 36.5% to INR 1,123 Cr from INR 823 Cr in FY23.
It is pertinent to mention that the GST Council imposed a 28% GST on the full face value of bets, effective from October 1, 2023. As such, the FY24 financials only reflect the impact of this change for six months. The full-year impact of the new GST framework will be seen in FY25 numbers.
Zupee’s total expenses grew 11.7% to INR 1,019 Cr during the year under review from INR 911.9 Cr in FY23. The gaming platform’s employee benefit expenses rose to INR 107 Cr from INR 96 Cr in FY23. It is pertinent to mention that MPL also achieved breakeven in FY24, reporting an adjusted EBITDA of $0.2 Mn (around INR 1.7 Cr). Its revenue from operations grew 22.2% to INR 1,068 Cr in FY24 against INR 873.7 Cr in FY23.
Zupee – Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns
Sadiyon Se India Ka Apna Game – Zupee Campaign
Featuring Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Grover, Mouni Roy, Vijay Raaz, and Abhay Deol, the campaign titled “Sadiyon Se India Ka Apna Game” aims to generate widespread excitement by taking viewers on a captivating journey from the Stone Age to the digital era, uniting everyone in their shared love for Ludo. With vibrant visuals and clever storytelling, it cleverly chronicles the evolution of Ludo through the ages, blending engaging narratives with humor, and ultimately showcasing its contemporary skill-based version of Zupee.
To enhance campaign performance, Zupee utilized Taboola SmartBid, an automated bidding technology that analyzes campaign and conversion data within Taboola’s network. This technology predicts the likelihood of user conversion for every impression, allowing for more efficient and effective advertising strategies.
Zupee leveraged Taboola’s 15-second motion ad format and sponsored content to effectively scale its user acquisition efforts on premium publisher sites throughout the open web. The quality of users gained through Taboola was noteworthy, characterized by high retention rates and a low incidence of fraud.
Zupee – Awards and Achievements
Zupee’s ‘India Ka Apna Game’ campaign has garnered two prestigious accolades!
They proudly secured the Marketing Award from Business World and the PR Award from IPRCCA, further highlighting the success of their campaign.
Zupee has achieved outstanding recognition at the esteemed IMAGEXX2023 Awards by ADGULLY for their campaign, ’10 minute me Game ho jaega’.
Zupee’s future plans include diversifying its game offerings by adding fantasy games and card games like poker and rummy. They also plan to focus on innovation, compliance, and responsible gaming. Additionally, Zupee is working on building a more equitable workplace by prioritizing diversity, fair compensation, and equal access to growth opportunities
FAQs
What is Zupee?
Zupee is a rapidly expanding online gaming platform from India. It focuses on skill-based games that add fun to your daily routine.
Who is Zupee owner?
Dilsher Singh Malhi and Siddhant Saurabh are the founders of Zupee.
When was Zupee founded?
Zupee was founded in 2018.
Who are the main competitors of Zupee?
The main competitors of Zupee include Dream11, MPL, Gameloft, LOCO, and others.
Whether cricket or football, sports have continued to entertain every generation. Over the years, the sport has become an industry generating billions of dollars in revenue each year. The global sports market has experienced rapid expansion, growing from $486.61 billion in 2021 to an estimated $512.14 billion in 2023, and is projected to exceed $700 billion by 2026.
Lodging at the forefront of innovation and adaptation, sports leagues are a significant part of the global market, with showbiz glamor and attract fans widely.
Here’s the list of the 10 Biggest Sports Leagues in the world.
Top 10 Richest League in the World – National Football League
Formed in 1920, the National Football League, or NFL, being the most valuable and expensive sports league, tops the chart with a total revenue of $18 billion in 2024, with the Dallas Cowboys having the highest value of $10.32 billion. Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers was set to take $59.465 million in 2023, but he restructured his contract and now will make $75 million for two years.
With the NFL’s 32 franchises receiving the lion’s share of the revenue, the league also houses 29 of the world’s 50 most expensive stadiums. The NFL is known for its intense competition and high-stakes games. It is the highest level of professional American football, making it one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, and is one of the top sports leagues in the world.
Most of its revenue comes through broadcasting rights, sponsorship, and ticket sales, and the league’s long-term contracts with telecom companies like ESPN, Fox, NBC, and others, which fetch billions of dollars annually. The NFL has also partnered with several MNCs as PepsiCo, Nike, and Visa, to name a few. During the 2020 COVID-affected season, the league experienced pandemic-related shortfalls that decreased revenue, causing the NFL to reduce the salary cap. But after two great seasons, the NFL is back on track with an ambition to reach $25 billion in revenue by 2027.
Indian Premier League
League
Indian Premier League
Sport
Cricket
Formed
2008
Sponsors
Vivo, Dream 11, Byju’s
Top 10 Richest League in the World – Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League, better known as IPL, is second to the NFL as the second richest sports league and one of the most valuable sports leagues, after hitting the $9 billion mark. With Mumbai Indians (MI) as the most valuable IPL team with a brand worth $86.4 million, IPL is also second in cutting big fat cheques, with players earning an average of $5.3 million annually. It is second in the top 5 richest league in the world.
The Indian T20 league, which commenced in 2008 as India’s first unicorn with a $1.1 billion valuation, has seen a 16-fold jump since its inception. Played each year during the Indian summer with ten teams in a 70-match tournament, followed by playoffs and the IPL Trophy for the past 15 seasons, the second-most lucrative league in world sports is now rubbing shoulders with the NFL, NBA, EPL, etc.
With uncontrollable popularity, the IPL has brought lucrative media and sponsorship deals, thus emerging as a premier sporting event with global viewership and popularity. IPL has partnerships with several major companies like VIVO, Paytm, TATA, and Dream11, to name a few. And this year, at $6.2 billion for the 2023–2027 cycle, IPL recorded a three-fold jump in media deals, breaking Walt Disney Star’s monotony, which had continued for the previous 5-year cycle in 2017. This media rights deal made IPL the second biggest sporting event after the NFL on a per-match basis.
Top 10 Richest League in the World – Major League Baseball
The third richest league by revenue we have is America’s Major League Baseball, or MLB, with $11.5 billion in revenue in 2024, with the Los Angeles Dodgers earning the most remuneration of $5 million, and is one of the top 5 richest league in the world.
With an average player salary of $4.9 million, the salary cap jumped 11.1% to record the largest since 2001. In the history of MLB, Aaron Judge became the highest-paid position player with a $360 million nine-year contract with the New York Yankees. With 1992 as the starting point, the baseball league houses 30 teams that play 162 games each year, followed by playoffs and the World Series, attracting millions of viewers. It is one of the most profitable sports leagues.
After being adversely impacted by the pandemic, America’s baseball league rebounded and hit a home run in 2022, propelling itself to record a spike in revenue and becoming one of the top ten leagues in the world. The MLB generates most of its revenue through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales, and has a long-standing deal with television networks that brings in billions of dollars each year. The league is in partnership with several major companies– Chevrolet, Mastercard, and Nike, to name a few.
Global Sports Market Size
National Basketball Association
League
National Basketball Association
Sport
Basketball
Formed
1946
Sponsors
Nike, Pepsi, Ste Farm
Top 10 Richest League in the World – National Basketball Association
With just over $10 billion as its revenue in 2024, the NBA, or National Basketball Association comes fourth in the top 5 sports leagues in the world. North America’s NBA is the world’s most prestigious and affluent basketball league, with the average team worth around $3 billion and the Golden State Warriors being the most valuable, worth $7.56 billion. It is in the list of top 5 richest league in the world.
After being adversely affected by the pandemic for two consecutive years and posting $6.4 billion in revenue for the COVID-impacted 2020/21 season, the NBA jumped to record a $10 billion revenue last year. This implies that the NBA’s annual income has nearly tripled over the past decade, going from $3.7 billion in 2012 to $10 billion in 2024.
In addition to the world’s wealthiest players playing in this league, it has secured national television broadcasting contracts worth $500 million in international media revenue. But the main driver of this increase is the NBA’s jersey deal with Nike and their jersey patch program with individual teams, which reportedly fetched above $200 million in revenue last year alone.
Nike x NBA JERSEY UNVEILING | Partnership Launch Event
English Premier League
League
English Premier League
Sport
Football
Formed
1992
Sponsors
Barclays, Nike, EA Sports
Top 10 Richest Leagues in the World – English Premier League
The English Premier League is the fifth richest and biggest sports league, which generates an annual income of nearly £6 billion in 2024. With the average Premier League club worth $1.51 billion, the collective value of the league’s 20 clubs comes to a whopping $30.3 billion. It is one of the most valuable leagues in the world.
Excluding the COVID-impacted 2020/21 season, the revenue generation of EPL teams has increased significantly, mainly due to the successful acquisition of high-profile players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku by Manchester United. Television broadcasting licenses, business operations, and sponsorship deals have leveraged EPL’s revenue, and this increase in media attention, global fan engagement, and lucrative sponsorship deals has boosted the financial prospects of EPL clubs. For the first time in 30 years, EPL witnessed more revenue generated from overseas broadcasters than domestic stations. With £5.1 billion generated for domestic rights after the pandemic, the league signed agreements to roll over the existing deals with Sky, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video through 2025.
National Hockey League
League
National Hockey League
Sport
Hockey
Formed
1917
Sponsors
Geico, Honda, Budweiser
Biggest Sports Leagues in the World – National Hockey League
North America’s National Hockey League, or NHL is the sixth richest sports league — one of the top sports leagues in the world, with an estimated value of $5.5 billion, with the New York Rangers being the most valuable team, worth $2.2 billion.
The ice hockey league is home to 32 teams that play an 82-game season each year, followed by playoffs and the Stanley Cup Finals. NHL generates most of its revenue through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, ticket sales, and lucrative deals with television networks that bring in billions of dollars each season. With the new ESPN TV contract and the addition of the Seattle Kraken, the NHL is projected to cross the $5 billion mark. It has also partnered with MNCs like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Discover, to name a few.
La Liga Santander
League
La Liga Santander
Sport
Football
Formed
1929
Sponsors
Santander, Nike, Puma
Biggest Sports Leagues in the World – LaLiga Santander
Spain’s La Liga Santander is one of the most popular and one of the most valuable sports leagues in the world, with an estimated value of €4.5 billion in 2024. It houses Real Madrid, the richest football club in the world in 2024, with a net worth of $6.6 billion.
The La Liga Santander, one of the biggest leagues in the world, is home to 20 teams that play a 38-game season each year, attracting millions of viewers annually. Comprising some of the top European clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal, etc., the football league generates most of its revenue through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales.
With lucrative deals with television networks, the league has also partnered with several major companies, such as Santander, Nike, and Coca-Cola, to name a few. According to estimates, the La Liga club sponsorship revenue is $930.95 million.
Bundesliga
League
Bundesliga
Sport
Football
Formed
1962
Sponsors
Adidas, Deutsche Telekom
Top 10 Sports Leagues in the World – Bundesliga
Home to 18 teams that play a 34-game each year, Germany’s Bundesliga generates about €4.3 billion to rank eighth richest sports league in the list of top 10 sports leagues in the world and is one of the top sports leagues in the world, with FC Bayern Munich having a value of about €3.8 billion in 2023. The German football league that draws large crowds to its stadiums— on an average of 42,738 tickets sold per game– has reported a 5.4% increase in combined revenues for the country’s professional teams.
Generating most of its revenue through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales, the league has a lucrative deal with television networks. Earning €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) yearly from national television rights, the Bundesliga, one of the biggest leagues in the world, has partnered with several major companies such as Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Puma.
Serie A
League
Serie A
Sport
Football
Formed
1898
Sponsors
TIM, Puma, Coca-Cola
Biggest Sports Leagues in the World – Serie A
Italy’s top-tier football league Serie A is the ninth wealthiest sports league generating a revenue of €2.8 billion and is at the bottom of the list. With its rich and storied history, Serie A’s AC Milan franchise has the highest market value of €1 billion in 2023.
Home to 20 teams that play 38 games, Serie A is known for its strategic play style over high-speed thrills. The Italian football league is gearing up to increase the revenue flow. It currently holds a domestic deal with sports streaming service DAZN for €2.5 billion (US$2.7 billion) that will run till 2024 along with Pay-TV broadcaster Sky Italia Serie A has reported a €262.5 million (US$280.9 million) deal over three years.
UEFA Champions League
League
UEFA Champions League
Sport
Football
Formed
1955
Sponsors
Gazprom, Nissan, Heineken
Most Valuable Sports Leagues – UEFA Champions League
Sitting at the bottommost, we have the UEFA Champions League as the tenth richest sports league with an estimated revenue of €3.5 billion, with Manchester City squad having the highest value squad worth €4.1 billion in 2024.
Featuring the top club teams from across Europe— the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League is one of the top 10 leagues in the world. For the 2021-22 season, UEFA, one of the top sports leagues in the world, suffered a drop in revenue of almost €2 billion after setting a record mark in the previous year— notably boosted by the delayed European Championship.
Despite the downfall, UEFA still recorded its second-best financial year since 2016-17, with most of the media revenue coming from UEFA’s four-year deal with global streaming service DAZN signing in June 2021. The hike figures come after UEFA adopted a new competition structure for the UWCL that included a group stage and a centralized commercial and broadcast rights model for the 2021-22 to 2024-25 cycle.
FAQs
Which are the top 10 richest leagues currently in the world?
Here’s the list of the 10 richest Sports Leagues in the world:
National Football League
Indian Premier League
Major League Baseball
National Basketball Association
English Premier League
National Hockey League
LaLiga Santander
Bundesliga
Serie A
UEFA Champions League
What is the revenue of the Indian Premier League?
The revenue of the Indian Premier League as of 2023 is $9.5 billion.
Which sports league makes the most money?
The National Football League or NFL makes the most money with a total revenue of $13 billion in 2023, with the Dallas Cowboys having the highest value of $10.32 billion.
Which are the top 5 richest leagues in the world?
The top 5 richest leagues in the world are as below:
Ola Electric, a premier name in India’s electric vehicle sector, is facing a severe regulatory setback. The Maharashtra Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) took a hard look at the company’s outlets, a total of 146 spread across the state. What they found was alarming: 121 of these outlets were supposedly running without the most basic legal documents, a trade certificate, that every outfit in this sector is required to have under the Central Motor Vehicles Act. 75 of these outlets have been put on notice, told to close up, with a total of 192 scooters impounded as part of the revenue recovery effort.
The inspections began in early March 2025, in response to reports of growing numbers of vehicle dealerships operating without trade certificates or using a single certificate among several stores, notably in Mumbai and Pune. Under the law, an authorized trade certificate must be displayed at each location where a dealership sells or services vehicles. Pratap Sarnaik, the Maharashtra Transport Minister who led this crackdown, has made clear that not complying with this law will no longer be tolerated.
Regulatory Lapses Spark Government Action
The matter peaked on April 16 when the joint transport commissioner of Maharashtra told all RTOs to shut down Ola Electric showrooms and service centres that were operating in violation of trade certification norms. The move came after a show cause notice and was meant to take immediate effect, with RTOs reporting back within 24 hours that they had closed any offending centre. The commissioner also indicated that any such centres found to be using their trade certificates in a manner that was not intended should have their trade certificates cancelled.
This action has brought the overarching matter of regulatory compliance into the spotlight; we now see it very clearly, indeed, and the electric two-wheeler market must take note. Ola Electric attained meteoric upward movement in not too long a time, but this swift success may have outpaced the setting and meeting of internal compliance standards that ensure, above all, customers working in the marketplace are safe, also ensuring that the company functions in accordance with the law.
Ola’s Response and Market Resilience
Ola Electric is facing increasing pressure, but it has attempted to remain steady. The company has responded to the media reports by saying that the allegations are speculative and misplaced. A company spokesperson reiterated Ola’s commitment to working with the state’s transport authorities to address what has been reported. The EV maker also stated that it is in the process of obtaining trade certificates for all its operational centres within the state, a procedure they claim was already underway before the enforcement operation.
Even in the middle of this controversy, Ola is charging ahead with its innovation-driven strategy. The brand recently unveiled the Roadster X, its first all-electric motorcycle lineup. With such features as brake-by-wire technology, cruise control, and even reverse mode, the Roadster X positions Ola pretty squarely as a tech-savvy disruptor in the motorcycle market. And at prices between INR 84,999 and INR 184,999, the lineup is pitched at a broad spectrum of consumers.
IndusInd Bank stocks tumbled, down 6.3% to INR 776.15 on the Bombay Stock Exchange, after the lender decided to call in EY to look into a shortfall of INR 600 crore in its microfinance portfolio. The forensic audit was prompted by the revelation from the bank’s statutory auditors that there was a serious question to be raised about the bank’s financials for the fiscal year that ended March 2025. This event, the most recent of several in a very short timeline, is adding to the apparent unraveling of the bank’s governance and accounting practices.
As of the time of reporting, the stock had slightly regained some ground, but it was still down 4.33%, trading at INR 792.20. Its steep one-year drop of 46% spotlights the combined impact of continuous operational warning signs and uncertainties over its audits. Investors are keeping a close watch on it, especially since the stock’s price persistently hovers beneath some important technical levels, specifically, the 50-day, 100-day, 150-day, and 200-day simple moving averages.
EY Brought in Amid Mounting Pressure
The bank has enlisted EY, renowned for housing the country’s heftiest forensic accounting outfit, to get to the bottom of the identified irregularities. Were they fraudulent? If so, who is accountable? The investigation concerns transactions that apparently took place in the second and third quarters of FY2025. Insiders say the discrepancy doesn’t cover multiple fiscal years, but the opacity of what is happening, have turned up the heat on investors.
This fresh inquiry is separate from the ongoing audit by Grant Thornton Bharat, which is examining irregularities in IndusInd’s operations involving foreign exchange derivatives. The fact that EY has now been appointed indicates some level of urgency on the part of the board. Further, in light of this audit by Grant Thornton Bharat, it is a positive sign that the board is taking additional steps in conjunction with the appointment of EY.
Past Incidents Compound Investor Concerns
IndusInd’s financial issues have now led to a forensic audit, but that’s not the bank’s first brush with scrutiny. In mid-April, an audit report was released to the investing public, detailing PwC’s review of IndusInd’s portfolio. Derivative securities, while serving useful purposes in hedging and other financial strategies, can also be risky. And how risky was IndusInd’s portfolio, according to PwC? The accounting firm estimated that potential post-tax losses might hit INR 1,979 crore (around $275 million).
The bank has recognized that the accounting effect of these losses amounts to 2.27% of its net worth as of December 2024, calculated using June 2024 P&L data. Adding to the concern, these cumulative issues have harmed sentiment and kept the stock under pressure, even though it had a brief rise of 16.6% in March.
Despite some small technical recoveries, the long-term prognosis for the bank is seen as cautious. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits at 62.2, an area that tends to signal a neutral trend, but participants are anything but confident and in a hurry to forge ahead. With EY’s findings still pending and the Grant Thornton audit ongoing, a clearer path forward seems anything but imminent. Confidence in the dusky outlook for risk-and-compliance nether-lights has encouraged would-be investors to keep their checkbooks closed.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its global growth forecasts. It now sees a distinctly threatened world economy as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent trade policy decisions and the uncertainty they are creating around the globe. In its latest World Economic Outlook published in April 2025, the IMF projected that world growth would be 2.8% in 2025, down 0.5 percentage points from the same organization’s estimate made just three months earlier. The growth forecast for 2026 has also been lowered a bit, now set at 3.0%.
This downward revision follows a broad tariff policy introduced by the United States on April 2, which effectively slaps universal duties on imports. In the wake of this, the global financial world has grown even more anxious, with not a few policymakers and analysts now fretting over the apparent disintegration of the post-World War II economic order.
India’s Resilience Tested but Growth Outlook Dips
India is still on track for relatively notable growth compared to other countries, but it was not immune to the IMF’s latest round of downgrades. The country’s gross domestic product growth is now projected at 6.2% for the fiscal year that ends in March 2026, which is down by 0.3 percentage points from where the IMF had previously pegged it in January. And the IMF sees this moderation basically flowing from two areas: trade disruptions and overarching global uncertainty.
As India moves forward, it is expected that the growth rate will nudge up slightly to 6.3% in the next fiscal year. Also, inflation is likely to remain in comfortable territory, with the Consumer Price Index projected to be up 4.2% in FY26 and 4.1% in FY27. These are the sort of stable fundamentals that should underpin investor confidence. But even so, the unfolding global situation may continue to exert some pressure on India’s external sector.
Global Economic Risks Climb Sharply
The IMF has some alarming news: the chances of a global downturn are rising. The Fund isn’t formally calling for a recession, but it’s now estimating a 30% chance that the world will experience something similar in 2025. That’s nearly double the 17% risk it assessed earlier this year. What seems to be driving this increase is a combination of the sheer size of the policy shifts and how uncertain we’re all now feeling about what will happen next.
The IMF stressed that although growth is still above levels that would ordinarily result in a recession, the current path we’re on is fraught with risks. Inflation, which had seemed to be heading decisively downward, is now being marked up, and across the world, the process of getting inflation to settle down in a more normal range seems to be stalling.
Tariffs Trigger Retaliation and Broader Disruptions
The trade conflict has already pushed retaliation to a blistering pace. China, contending with U.S. tariffs that are hitting some goods at levels as high as 245%, has struck back, levying its own steep counter-tariffs that hit 125% on a number of American goods. And it’s not just China that’s getting squeezed; other parts of the world, including the Euro area, are caught in the crossfire. Multiple European companies are watching their business hit walls that are only going to get higher as trade relations deteriorate.
The IMF is cautioning that the recalibration of the capital markets and the shifting around of the flows of capital have the potential to create some very choppy waters for several countries, especially those that have a high level of debt and are designated as emerging economies. In the Fund’s concluding remarks, it urged countries around the globe to work together in a renewed spirit of international cooperation to avoid those types of reforms that retreat from the global trading system.
In India, gold has crossed the INR 1 lakh per 10 gram threshold for the first time in history, marking a key moment for the precious metal. The recent price move was very much an international one, with gold climbing past USD 3,400 an ounce. Instability in worldwide financial markets, which U.S. President Donald Trump has worsened with his controversial economic policies, has sent many investors scurrying to the largely forsaken yellow metal as a safe haven. Gold is now establishing itself as a hedge against whatever the President might throw at the nation and the world.
As of Tuesday, 24-karat gold was trading at INR 101,350 per 10 grams in the Mumbai bullion market. The variant of 22 karats was standing at INR 92,900. The broader flight to safety among investors, who are turning away from riskier assets, is emblematic of a potential period of prolonged inflation and unpredictable monetary policy. It also makes a curious case for gold’s rising demand.
Trump’s Fed Overhaul and Dollar Slide Drive Momentum
An increasing contributor to the gold rally is the friction that is growing between President Trump and the U.S. Federal Reserve. His public criticism of Jerome Powell, the current Fed Chair, and his demands for aggressive interest rate cuts have unmoored investor confidence. The U.S. dollar has since been set adrift, falling to its lowest level since 2022. The dip has rendered the once-mighty dollar much less appealing to global investors, which has in turn made gold much more appealing by comparison, yielding a less-than-flattering chart for the greenback.
India’s Enduring Love for Gold Remains Strong
India, the world’s second-largest consumer of gold after China, keeps showing resolute demand. In 2024, the country used up 802.8 metric tonnes of gold, an uptick from the 761 tonnes tallied the prior year. The overall worth of this demand shot up to INR 5.15 lakh crore, per numbers from the World Gold Council.
The cultural importance of gold in India runs very deep. Gold is often seen as a store of value that can be passed down through the generations. When families experience times of financial distress, say, to fund a medical emergency or to pay an educational expense, they often try to use gold as a means to secure a loan. And because prices have been going up, gold-backed loans have only become more appealing since the opportunity is there to use easy digital platforms to access them and, of course, because gold is always said to be good for securing a loan.
As costs rise, the need for gold loans is gathering speed. With the economy taking a hit and inflation not expected to go away anytime soon, people are using gold as an asset they can both depend on and lend against. This trend only seems likely to increase, especially if instability in the geopolitical realm and devalued currencies stay in play.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell needn’t worry about losing his job anytime soon, President Donald Trump made clear Thursday evening. That’s because Trump, despite previous public criticisms of Powell, has no current plans to put someone else in charge of the U.S. central bank. From the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he has “absolutely no plans” to replace Powell, who has come under fire from Trump for not cutting interest rates more rapidly.
Trump’s recent sharp comments, including calling Powell a “major loser,” had spooked markets last week, triggering a rapid selloff in US stocks, bonds, and the dollar. But with the President’s latest assurance, financial markets seemed to find their footing again, with Asian and US indices nicely rebounding on Wednesday. Analysts think Trump is trying to influence monetary policy via his remarks, rather than trying to pull Powell out of his role. But they also voice concern that all this is undermining the appearance of central bank independence.
Markets Breathe Easier as Powell Keeps Seat
Following Trump’s toned-down remarks, investor feeling shifted to the upbeat. Asia’s key stock markets surged in morning trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index shot up 1.9%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged 2.4%. Even the Shanghai Composite, which had been struggling, inched up 0.1%. In the U.S., stocks continued to rise sharply with the S&P 500 closing 2.5% higher on Tuesday and the Nasdaq rising 2.7%. Futures markets suggested that this optimism would carry into midweek.
The bounce reflects the relief that leadership at the Federal Reserve is likely to remain stable, at least in the short term. Many investors feared a leadership shakeup could trigger even more policy confusion at an already confusing time when global economic signals are decidedly mixed.
Trade Tensions Still Cast Long Shadow
Although Powell’s position looks secure for the time being, the bigger issue of trade seems to be going unresolved. Trump gave a hint during the week that he might take a softer line with China, specifically, he suggested that he might lower tariffs if that country comes to the negotiating table. He didn’t, however, suggest that he might eliminate them. Perhaps more telling was what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during the week. He called the current trade environment “unsustainable” and expressed the view that a de-escalation of tensions was necessary.
Even if markets are reacting well at the moment, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the prospects for free trade. The friction between the U.S. and China, not to mention other global partners, is continuing to cloud the outlook. Policymakers are obviously concerned about inflationary pressure arising from tariffs, especially when the bullish factors for the stock market today are tied to fears that we are heading for a recession.
AI recruiting tools are a boon for hiring managers as they expedite the process by automating mundane tasks like candidate screening, sourcing, and interview scheduling. As a result, recruiters can spend more time building relationships with hiring managers. These tools analyze most resumes for the key skills, while AI-powered matching algorithms narrow the needs of the recruiters and source qualified talent in multiple channels.
AI even assesses them through artificial intelligence video technology. In most cases, the tools have been integrated with ATS, which shapes hiring flow management, while their analytics serve as a tool for hiring metrics. Chatbots are incorporated into talent management to eliminate those pre-screening manual processes. The technology also uses optimized job descriptions and automated schedules to communicate feedback to stakeholders during the hiring process.
Enterprises seeking an AI-powered talent intelligence platform for recruitment, retention, and workforce planning.
Eightfold AI – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Eightfold AI is a Talent Intelligence Platform built to improve talent acquisition, retention, and upskilling with the help of deep learning AI. The platform uses skills, potential, and learnability analysis for matching candidates with opportunities, thus converting talent management into a competitive advantage. In May 2024, Eightfold introduced Eightfold Talent Tracking, an AI-driven applicant tracking software that makes hiring more efficient. It provides AI-powered career matching, a seamless experience across recruiting events, screening, and performance tracking, and integrates with HR data. In addition, real-time reporting and AI Co-pilots help recruiters with compensation intelligence for optimizing job postings and offers. Eightfold would help smarter hiring decisions through AI capabilities and enable comprehensive workforce management in organizations.
Pros
Makes a perfect correlation between candidates for jobs based on their skills and experience
Diversity is further enhanced by anonymizing profiles
It connects with ATS and CRM systems.
Cons
Advanced AI features may be complex to use
Requires large datasets and may face integration issues with existing HR systems.
Pricing
Eightfold AI offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
HireVue
WEBSITE
www.hirevue.com
Rating
4.4
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
HR teams and recruitment professionals seeking an AI-powered platform to streamline hiring processes through video interviewing, skill assessments, and automated candidate engagement.
HireVue – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
HireVue is an enterprise hiring platform that uses video interviews combined with AI assessments to make recruitment more efficient and the candidate experience better. Recruiters can avail live or recorded video interviews available across desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets to screen applicants. AI in HireVue analyzes indicators up to 25,000 per interview to predict the most successful candidates. It also boasts a sophisticated hiring assistant that matches job seekers to specific job roles by conversing through text or WhatsApp. The system also schedules interviews, ensuring less time on hire. By providing assessments with validation of skills via interviews, the platform reduces hiring bias.
Pros
Automated Screening and Anytime Engagement
Hiring at a Global Scale
Bias-free and Evidence-based Selection
Cons
Tech Privacy Issues.
Setup and Integration Obstacles
Pricing
HireVue offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Fetcher
WEBSITE
www.fetcher.ai
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Recruitment teams seeking an AI-driven platform for automated candidate sourcing, outreach, and analytics to streamline hiring processes.
Fetcher – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Fetcher is an AI-based recruitment solution that automates candidate sourcing, outreach, and engagement, so recruiters are freed from such tasks to focus on creating relationships. With the help of natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and big data, Fetcher identifies top talent from different platforms, including LinkedIn, and collates candidate profiles from various sources, summarizing the key details. By combining AI and human insights, Fetcher boosts diversity sourcing to create more inclusive talent pipelines. Fetcher would allow recruiters to have automated personalized emails and outreach. This includes an analytics dashboard for tracking recruitment activities, sourcing efficiency, and email campaign effectiveness.
Recruitment teams looking to leverage AI for predictive candidate sourcing, automated engagement, and diversity-focused hiring.
Entelo – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Entelo is best described as a talent acquisition tool with Artificial Intelligence that employs big data in streamlining the recruiting process and quality of hires. With the extensive use of machine learning, the analysis of resumes, social media, and public data makes it possible to identify candidates by matching them to different skills, experiences, and interests. Its diversity sourcing engine helps companies to include diverse employees by sourcing underrepresented candidates and providing resources to minimize unconscious bias. Entelo streamlines email outreach with tailored templates and follow-up messages, freeing up recruiter time while improving their efficiency. Advanced predictive analytics assess potential success against candidate background variables. Entelo is part of Rival HR.
Pros
Through its diversity recruiting tools promotes inclusion in the hiring process.
Helps reduce human bias in recruitment practices.
Recruitment workflow optimization.
Cons
Searching for candidate contact details beyond the US region is mostly inaccurate.
High Pricing may be based on features and users.
Pricing
Entelo offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Humanly
WEBSITE
www.humanly.io
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Recruitment teams and HR departments seeking an AI-powered platform to streamline high-volume hiring through automated screening, scheduling, and candidate engagement.
Humanly – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Humanly is an automated AI recruitment platform that caters to candidate interaction and streamlines hiring. It helps so many candidates through personal chat, replies to their questions, facilitates scheduling, and does even more using conversational AI. This frees recruiters from routine tasks like resume screening, interview scheduling, and follow-up so that they can further strategic hiring. Offers real-time insights into the recruitment funnel and candidate engagement for data-driven decisions. Its interview assistant generates AI-powered notes, follow-up emails, and analytics to enhance the experience of virtual interviews. Offers seamless incorporation with Applicant Tracking Systems and HRIS. Additionally, diversity hiring is enabled through improved strategies for candidate sourcing and engagement.
Pros
Reduces recruiters’ workload by up to 75%.
Enhances candidate experience with personalized interactions.
Automates sourcing, screening, and onboarding.
Cons
Issues regarding data collection, compliance, and security.
Misunderstanding, NLP errors, and exposure to bias.
Pricing
Humanly offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Skillate
WEBSITE
www.skillate.com
Rating
4.8
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Enterprises seeking an AI-powered recruitment platform to streamline hiring processes, enhance candidate experience, and leverage data-driven insights for informed decision-making.
Skillate – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Skillate is an artificial intelligence-backed recruitment platform utilized to boost associated efficiencies in hiring, screen candidates, improve their experience, access greater diversity, and reduce bias. It defines requirements via customizable parameters to rank the profile according to the requirements of a job. The other pre-screening chatbot eventually gathers extra data about candidates’ relocation intentions and salary expectations, which eliminates the first initial injury calls. The other feature of the application enables the selection of data from varied sources, namely, ATS, emails, referrals, job boards, etc. It also provides interview scheduling through which the availability of candidates and the recruiter are matched so that there are no conflicting schedules.
Pros
Speedy Screening of identifying candidates.
Skill-based focuses redefine talent diversity.
Cons
Overlooks qualified talent.
Integration Challenge with existing systems.
Pricing
Skillate offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Holly
WEBSITE
www.hollyhires.ai
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Recruitment and staffing agencies, corporate HR teams, and startups seeking an AI-powered virtual recruiter to automate candidate sourcing, screening, and engagement.
Holly – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Holly AI-powered virtual recruiter is indeed all about automating some “key” recruitment tasks to enable efficiency in finding, vetting, and getting into contact with candidates. Holly sources its talent from a range of sources, including LinkedIn, making it accessible for discovering candidates much more easily. Holly then judges whether candidates meet the job descriptions and places all fully vetted profiles before a recruiter for approval. It automates interaction with candidates, such as their sending of personalized messages, interviewing, and keeping the relationship intact afterward. Holly continues learning and improving matching as well as outreach based on recruiter feedback on the profiles. The tool is integrated into various Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Pros
Automation of time
Candidates are curated for quality
Usage of simple, user-friendly, and scalable tool
Cons
Limited candidate engagement
Concerns around AI Assessment
Pricing
Holly offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Businesses of all sizes seeking an all-in-one recruitment and HR platform with AI-powered applicant tracking, job board syndication, and customizable workflows.
Workable – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Having been built for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), Workable is an artificial intelligence-infused recruitment platform used in the HR Domain. It works along with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) with tools that improve candidate outreach, applications, and the processes attached to managing talent overall. Among its cutting-edge features are AI-enhanced candidate sourcing, in which an AI Recruiter creates compelling profiles and proposes ideal candidates for the job description, and an exemplary AI screening assistant that rates personality and summarizes candidate compatibility. Other benefits include automated outreach, job description generation, resume parsing, and candidate summary creation. More than 290 integrations and a mobile app will automate direct access to all these features through video interviewing, employee referral programs, salary estimates, and so on.
Pros
Efficient Job posting.
Simplified workflows
Cons
Not recommended for small organizations or staffing agencies.
Add on costs for texting, video interviews, and transcription.
Pricing
Plans
Pricing
Starter
$169/month
Standard
$360/month
Premier
$599/month
Qureos (Iris)
WEBSITE
www.qureos.com
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Recruiters and HR teams seeking an AI-powered recruitment platform that automates sourcing, shortlisting, and candidate engagement. Iris offers features like an adaptive AI engine, AI video interviews, multilingual support, and integration with over 100 job boards.
Qureos – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
Iris is an AI-enhanced recruitment platform from Qureos that enhances the sourcing, shortlisting, and outreach of candidates. Using advanced AI technology, Iris matches profiles instantly with corresponding candidates from a database of over 10 million individuals. The platform creates tailored job listings for very personalized recruitment, reaches out by sending unique messages automated to shortlisted individuals, and has an integrated Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for effective management of candidates and applications. The language diversity has more than twenty languages in addition to over a hundred job boards. Moreover, it provides AI-enabled video interviewing for improved recruitment via candidates’ evaluations.
Pros
Quick Candidate Sources
Redefined Talent Pool
Candidate-Targeted Outreach
Cons
Difficulty in integrating into existing systems
Not suited for smaller organizations
Pricing
Subscription starts from $300/month.
Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit – Best AI Recruiting Tools for Smarter Hiring
WEBSITE
www.zoho.com
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Staffing agencies and corporate HR teams seeking an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) with features like resume parsing, automated workflows, candidate sourcing, and advanced analytics.
Zoho Recruit is a recruitment software that provides a platform to improve the efficiency of hiring through automating and integrating artificial intelligence in various fronts of the hiring process. It offers different features for hire, such as AI-powered candidate matching that matches candidates to the job openings based on skills and experiences. The platform has a very smart search feature designed to enable quick and easy discovery of the loaded records of a recruit; the skill score tool measures actual versus required skills for candidates. Zoho Recruit also has a resume parser, which standardizes resumes and improves the efficiency of flow.
Pros
Seamless Candidate Matching
Accuracy in Search Results
Automated Task Management
Cons
Steep Learning Curve
High Pricing for startups
Pricing
Plans
Pricing
Standard
$17.27/recruiter
Professional
$34.54/recruiter
Enterprise
$51.81/recruiter
Conclusion
Data science and analytics provide actionable insights for decisions, and bias-correct features level the playing field during hiring. Highly customizable and integrative, a majority of the tools work well with current HR systems. While choosing an AI tool, your decision should take into account organizational needs, budget, ease of use, scalability, and support. AI might give you hiring efficiency, but successful recruitment always relies on judicious human application alongside automation. Keeping oneself updated with the trends in AI will be essential in attracting top talents in a very competitive marketplace.
CRED, founded in 2018 by Kunal Shah, is a fintech startup that has revolutionized credit card payments in India. Operating in the personal finance world, CRED has been growing like wildfire, with a monthly active user base of approximately 13 million.
So, what’s its secret sauce?
It’s all about making bill-paying feel exclusive and, dare we say, fun. From quirky ads that’ll make you chuckle to teaming up with big-name brands, CRED’s marketing game is strong. Stick around as we unpack how this company’s unique approach is shaking things up in the crowded fintech scene.
CRED’s target audience primarily consists of affluent, creditworthy individuals in India. Specifically, CRED focuses on people with high credit scores, typically those with scores above 750. These are often urban professionals, high-income earners, and financially savvy individuals looking for exclusive benefits and a premium experience managing their credit card payments and personal finances.
CRED has disrupted India’s credit card payment landscape with its unique approach to the marketing mix and made a name for itself among credit-savvy urban Indians. It’s done this by mixing a few key ingredients: coming up with innovative products, pricing them cleverly, making everything easily accessible online, and promoting to just the right audience. It’s all added up to position them as a go-to premium brand in the market. Let’s delve into the key components of CRED’s marketing strategy.
Product
At its core, CRED’s product is a mobile application that revolutionizes credit card payments by gamifying the experience. The app offers not just bill payment services, but also rewards for timely payments, exclusive deals, credit score monitoring, and additional financial services like rent payments and personal loans.
Price
CRED uses a freemium model. The basic app is free to use, which lowers the entry barrier for potential users. The startup generates revenue via commissions from partner brands, fees from financial products, and a premium subscription tier. This model allows CRED to offer high perceived value to users while maintaining a steady income stream.
Place
CRED’s place strategy is predominantly digital, with the app available on major mobile platforms and the web. Interestingly, CRED creates exclusivity by limiting access to users with credit scores above 750, focusing primarily on affluent, urban customers in India’s major cities.
Promotion
The promotion strategy is where CRED truly shines. The company runs humorous advertising campaigns that feature celebrities, sponsors major events like the IPL cricket tournament, and partners with influencers.
Referral programs, content marketing, and exclusive member events further drive engagement and acquisition. This approach helps create buzz, reinforces the brand’s premium positioning, and fosters a sense of community among users.
CRED’s distinctive marketing strategies have helped it stand out in a competitive market.
Exclusive membership
CRED positions itself as an exclusive club for individuals with high credit scores – it typically requires a credit score of 750 or above for membership. This creates a sense of prestige and aspiration.The brand started out as this super exclusive club where you needed an invite just to join. Pretty fancy, right? But it didn’t stop there. It’s now rolled out something called “CRED Select” for the crème de la crème members. It’s like VIP treatment for the VIPs, offering extra perks and goodies. So even within this already exclusive group, there’s now a special inner circle. Talk about taking exclusivity to the next level!
Quirky, high-production value advertisements
CRED’s ads often feature celebrity cameos and absurdist humor, making them highly memorable and shareable.
One of CRED’s most notable and widely discussed advertising campaigns was the “CRED: Great for the Good” series launched during the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket season in 2020. The ad features legendary Indian cricketer, Rahul Dravid, known for his calm and composed demeanor, in a completely unexpected light, experiencing “road rage”.
The ad escalates quickly. Dravid is shown smashing his rearview mirror with a coffee cup, standing through his car’s sunroof shouting “Indiranagar ka gunda hoon main!” (I’m the goon of Indiranagar), and even destroying vehicles around him with a cricket bat. The ad ends with the tagline “Not everyone gets it,” implying that CRED, like Dravid’s bizarre behavior, is not for everyone.
Rewards-driven model
CREDincentivizes credit card bill payments by offering rewards and cashbacks, essentially gamifying financial responsibility.
CRED incentivizes timely credit card payments through its app by awarding users with CRED coins. These coins serve multiple purposes, including redemption for various rewards or discounts. The platform often provides cashback on bill payments, sometimes offering a percentage of the total bill amount.
Within the app, users can access the CRED Store, where they can utilize their accumulated coins to purchase products at discounted rates. To add an element of engagement, CRED periodically introduces “mystery boxes” that users can unlock using their coins. These boxes contain surprise rewards, effectively transforming the routine bill payment process into a more engaging experience.
Partnerships with premium brands
To reinforce the app’s premium positioning, CRED collaborates with luxury brands like The Taj Group of Hotels, offering CRED members exclusive discounts, upgrades, or special packages at Taj properties. Members might receive complimentary room upgrades, special booking rates, or access to exclusive Taj experiences.
The brand’s partnership with Cure.fit provides CRED users with special offers on Cure.fit’s services. This could include discounted subscriptions to Cure.fit’s digital fitness classes, meal plans, or access to their offline gyms and fitness centers.
CRED also partners with other luxury and premium brands across various categories. For example, access to exclusive Jimmy Choo collections, premium test drives or chef’s table experiences at high-end restaurants.
Experiential marketing
Experiential marketing by CRED
While other fintechs showcased their technology using AI/ML, CRED distributed free beer at the recent Global Fintech Fest 2024 to engage attendees in a fun, interactive activity. Attendees needed 50,000 CRED coins to scan the code, access the CRED bar and redeem the coins for beer.
The disruptive idea reinforced their image as a fintech company that is different, enjoyable, and lifestyle-oriented, rather than just focused on financial transactions.
Word-of-mouth referral program
The company encourages member referrals, leveraging word-of-mouth marketing, social proof and network effects. As more users join through referrals, the value of the platform potentially increases for all users. This could lead to more partnerships, better deals, or enhanced features as the user base grows. While encouraging referrals, CRED maintains its focus on creditworthy individuals by applying its credit score criteria to all new sign-ups.
CRED – Marketing Campaigns
Not Everyone Gets It (2020-2021)
Not Everyone Gets It (2020-2021)
CRED’s IPL campaigns have been particularly noteworthy. The “Not Everyone Gets It” series, launched during IPL 2020 and continued in 2021, featured celebrities like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit in unexpected avatars.
The most viral ad from this campaign showed the normally calm Rahul Dravid in an uncharacteristic “angry” persona stuck in Bangalore traffic. Playing on CRED’s exclusivity, it implied that not everyone would understand the app’s benefits.
CRED Jackpot (2021)
During IPL 2021, CRED launched the “CRED Jackpot” campaign. This initiative offered members a chance to win prizes by paying their credit card bills through the app. The campaign featured cricketer Neeraj Chopra and actor Jim Sarbh in quirky advertisements.
The Jackpot campaign was successful in driving user activity on the app. CRED reported a significant increase in credit card bill payments during the IPL season.
CRED Mega Jackpot (2022)
CRED Mega Jackpot (2022)
Building on the success of the previous year, CRED introduced the “Mega Jackpot” campaign during IPL 2022. This campaign featured a star-studded cast including Kamal Haasan, Vijay Deverakonda, and Kapil Dev in a series of eccentric commercials.
The Mega Jackpot offered even larger prizes, including luxury cars and all-expenses-paid trips. This further incentivized users to engage with the app during the cricket season.
CRED Pay (2023)
To promote its new payment feature, CRED launched the CRED Pay campaign in 2023. The ads featured Ayushmann Khurrana and were designed to showcase how CRED Pay simplifies online transactions. The campaign emphasized how CRED makes payments seamless and encouraged users to adopt the feature.
CRED – The Road Ahead
CRED’s innovative approach to marketing has undeniably disrupted India’s digital finance sector. The company has not only carved out a significant market share but also redefined customer engagement in fintech. As the company continues to evolve, its impact on the industry is likely to deepen. Competitors will need to adapt as part of an evolving creative and customer-centric fintech landscape. While challenges lie ahead, including maintaining growth and navigating regulatory changes, CRED’s success story offers valuable lessons for startups and established players to follow.
CRED allows credit card users to pay their bills through its platform and extends rewards for each transaction.The fintech platform also lets the users make their house rent payments, and also avail all the benefits of the short-term credit lines that the app now offers.
