Bloomberg Introduces Real-time GIFT IFSC Derivatives Data for International Investors

Data feeds provided by India International Exchange and National Stock Exchange track equity, commodity and currency derivatives in India's first International Financial Services Centre

National, November 29, 2018 – Bloomberg today announced that real-time Gujarat International Financial Tec-City (GIFT City) feeds have been added to its terminal, giving international investors data for derivatives contracts listed on NSE IFSC Limited and India INX, a subsidiary of Bombay Stock Exchange. Denominated in USD, these contracts allow foreign investors to trade India's derivatives tax-free inside India's first International Financial Services Centre. The instruments can be found on the terminal at CEM BGC <GO> and CEM NGC <GO>.

“Global investors now have access to real-time GIFT IFSC Derivatives Data through the Bloomberg terminal, which will further our goal for GIFT IFSC to become a new hub for international financial services,” said Dipesh Shah, Head of GIFT IFSC. "Bloomberg's ability to reach a large community of influential global investors will help draw significant interest to this region. This is just the start of a long-term partnership that will only help to strengthen GIFT IFSC's international reach."

“We are pleased to work with Bloomberg to publish price feeds of NSE IFSC products including Indian stock derivatives, index derivatives, currency derivatives and non-agriculture commodity derivatives," said Ravi Varanasi, Chief Business Development Officer at National Stock Exchange (NSE), India’s largest stock exchange "This development will enable global investors to track the dollar denominated prices of NIFTY 50 contracts, which is among the world’s largest traded derivatives contracts. We anticipate strong demand from foreign investors for our products, well supported by GIFT IFSC's longer trading hours, ease of access, trading in USD and regulatory support.”

"We are delighted that Bloomberg becomes the first global data feed vendor for India International Exchange at GIFT IFSC," said V. Balasubramaniam, MD and CEO of India International Exchange (India INX). "This is an important milestone in our journey and will enable us to realize the vision set out by Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to become a price setter in financial instruments and a hub for raising capital for corporates across Asia and Africa.  As India INX trades for 22 hours and transact in USD, the live data price feed through Bloomberg will enable global investors to track our markets across all time zones and further their participation in our exchange and GIFT IFSC.”

Launched in 2007, GIFT City is India’s first international financial services center, $12 billion smart city and special economic zone developed in the Ahmedabad metropolitan region as a greenfield development. Currently, over 200 companies are operational with more than 8,500 employed at GIFT City, including India International Exchange, Tata Communications, State Bank of India, Oracle, Reliance Capital and Dubai Multi Commodity Centre. In July 2018, NSE IFSC, NSE's International exchange at GIFT City, crossed the USD 500 million mark in daily trading value while India INX recorded a peak daily trading value of USD 1.7 billion on September 26, 2018.

“As India's financial markets begin to accelerate, we want to ensure international investors have the right data to perform their investments,” said Gary Kotovets, Global Head of Data Acquisition and Data Management at Bloomberg. “Investors are naturally drawn to highly liquid markets and as GIFT IFSC becomes a key liquidity center for international firms, it was important that Bloomberg become the very first international market data vendor to provide investors with real time GIFT IFSC data through all of our products and services.”

OnMobile launches ONMO Videos in India with focus on curated regional content

OnMobile, the global leader in mobile entertainment, has launched ONMO Videos across 5 leading operators in India, Bangladesh and the Middle East. Across the globe, Indians take a deep sense of pride in their local language. They prefer content in their native language as it brings them closer to their culture and community but the challenge has always been that the desired content is available at different destinations and in different formats, across various channels. ONMO Videos is a ‘one-stop-destination’ portal on video entertainment which showcases rich and exclusive regional content in five Indian languages - Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Bengali to start with.

“9 out of every 10 new internet users in India over the next 5 years are likely to be Indian language users. With increased availability & affordability of data network and smartphones, there is a significant market for regional content consumption, digitally. ONMO Videos fulfills that gap with its holistic entertainment platform catering to varied interest needs of a region-specific audience in 12 categories”, says Mr. Sanjay Bhambri, President & Chief Operating Officer - India, Asia, Middle East & Africa, OnMobile Global.

So, whether one is a homemaker, college student, school kid, working professional or a senior citizen, ONMO Videos offers an eclectic mix of entertaining and engaging content curated in 12 categories. The categories include movie scenes, recipes, places of interest, beauty tips, kids’ entertainment, devotional, health, and fitness. With a low subscription fee, ONMO Videos comes packed with features like the recommendations, bookmarks, social sharing, and smart notifications to enrich the user experience. ONMO Videos is optimized for both web and mobile and can run on low bandwidth.

NCR Announces Multi-Year Managed Services Agreement with Punjab National Bank

NCR to deliver IT support services to Punjab National Bank’s network of ATMs

MUMBAI, November 28, 2018 – NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a leader in banking and commerce solutions, today announced a new managed services agreement with Punjab National Bank (PNB), India’s third largest public sector bank. The three-year agreement establishes NCR as Punjab National Bank’s key services support provider for a significant part of its global network of over 3,600 ATMs.

PNB is India’s sixth largest bank in terms of ATMs deployed in the country with 100 million customers, including approximately 40 million debit card holders. It maintains more than 6,692 branches and has a presence in nine countries.

“We are impressed with NCR in terms of innovation, quality of service provided and its commitment to us and our customers to improve availability of our banking services, drive operational efficiency and deliver proactive service,” said a PNB official.  “We are confident in NCR’s services approach and that the company will serve our needs well under this agreement.”

The new services agreement is another signal of NCR’s commitment to growing its services business in India. Specific services provided to PNB include incident management, cash management, electronic journal pulling services, content management & software distribution services, site management & maintenance services and general housekeeping and upkeep services.

“The expectation of an always-on, omni-present business model is now a given, and financial institutions need to ensure that their banking services are available to their customers when they want,” said Navroze Dastur, Managing Director, NCR India. “Our suite of managed services will help PNB to reduce the high costs of multiple service providers, scale support quickly and ultimately, decrease downtime through high-value managed services. We are committed to providing PNB excellent customer service and building on this tremendous relationship for years to come.”

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja takes a walk down memory lane with the Singapore Tourism Board

“Akkarai Seemai Azhaginiley”, his hit composition 40 years ago for the movie “Priya”, serves as background score for Isainyani’s experiences in Singapore

Mumbai, Nov 28, 2018: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) collaborated with legendary Indian musician maestro, Isainyani Ilaiyaraaja for a song video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Nk3uXOpZw, when he visited Singapore in August 2018 to conduct a sell-out concert for his fans from the region. At the concert, he performed with a full orchestra, including members of the Budapest orchestra, one of his iconic songs 'Akkarai Seemai Azhaginey (English translation: “my heart dances in the beauty of an overseas metropolis”) from the movie “Priya”. This song was about and filmed in Singapore and was a hit about 40 years ago. 

The STB and its travel trade partners had the pleasure of hosting Mr Ilaiyaraaja to travel experiences across the city. Some of the city’s iconic precincts, landmarks and attractions featured in the video are Gardens By The Bay, Resorts World Sentosa, Victoria Theatre, Haji Lane, Madame Tussauds, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, Little India, Cable car ride and Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa. The video shows Mr Ilaiyaraaja at various spots in Singapore, at the concert and snippets from an interview he did where he spoke about his experiences and long association with Singapore.

Sharing his thoughts about this unique musical collaboration, Mr. GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board stated “It was a privilege to work with Mr Ilayaraaja to capture on camera his thoughts about Singapore, him visiting well known places here and using his super-hit song composition from the late 1970s’ as a background score for the video. It was indeed a rare pleasure to hear from the legend himself of his admiration for Singapore and our tourism offerings. Raja sir has a huge fan following in India, especially in South India. As the STB continues to reach out to diverse audiences from across India, this collaboration allows us to go regional in our marketing efforts. We are happy to have Isainyani Ilaiyaraaja onboard in this important effort to engage the travellers from South India and welcome them to Singapore, to have their own appreciation of “Akkarai Seemai Azhaginiley”.

Apart from the main music video, audiences will be treated to an interview videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4taxtYofgo, where Mr Ilaiyaraaja talks about his long association with Singapore and how he considers the city as his second home, having ade multiple visits in the past four decades. He reminisces about the time spent in Shangri-la’s Rasa Sentosa Hotel & Spa to compose his iconic orchestration for “Thiruvasagam” and the changes he has seen the Lion city undergo. He also spoke about “Aarvam Niraiverum” (Tamil translation of Singapore’s “Passion Made Possible” brand). Another four thematic videos have been released, showcasing key attractions like Gardens By The Bay and Sentosa, the city’s cultural diversity and changing landscape. The videos were produced in partnership with Mr Ilaiyaraaja’s concert organisers Noise & Grains and Meshana and were directed by a French director Mr David Montfort.

Singapore has observed robust tourist traffic from South India. The short three (3) plus hours’ travel time, increased flight connectivity (nine (9) cities from South India have direct flight connections to Singapore) and quick weekend holidays contribute to the strong visitorship numbers to Singapore. Chennai and Bengaluru were among the top source cities for Visitor Arrivals from India to Singapore in 2017. Cities like Coimbatore, Trichy, Hyderabad and Kochi also registered growth in traveler numbers to Singapore.

In 2018, the STB has undertaken several marketing initiatives in South India. In January, it organised a consumer-centric mall activity in Bengaluru, featuring the various travel offerings one can indulge in while in Singapore. In the middle of the year, it conducted, together with key trade partners from Singapore, an extensive travel trade roadshow series across cities of Trichy, Coimbatore, Kochi and Visakhapatnam. 

Singapore has always been a popular international destination among Indian travelers, witnessing a year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals. Indian travellers, particularly the younger generation, are increasingly defined by their hobbies and interests, which are shaping not only their identities but who they relate to and how they choose to spend their time. These are ‘Passion Tribes’ https://www.visitsingapore.com/en_in/ whose principle motivation for travel is to fulfil such interests.  The STB’s partnership with Mr Ilaiyaraaja helps to connect with the Passion Tribes of Explorers (who love sightseeing and discovering places) and Culture Shapers (who seek experiences in arts and culture)

In 2017, Singapore recorded 1.27 million visitors from India, making India the 3^rd highest contributor of visitor arrivals to Singapore. India also registered the highest growth at 16% in visitors to Singapore and continued to be the leading source market for cruise travel. 

GTDC organizes special boat cruise for young cancer patients from Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai.

Panaji, Nov 18:-Children  undergoing treatment at Tata Cancer Research  Memorial Hospital, Mumbai enjoyed a  Special Cruise on Santa Monica on River Mandovi organized by the  Goa Tourism Development  Corporation.

A total of  28 children suffering from cancer and undergoing treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, arrived along with their parents in Margao on Thursday on a three-day excursion.

As part of their holiday,  they  visited  temples, churches, forts, beaches and enjoyed  a boat cruise on River Mandovi.

The cruise was organized by GTDC  following a special  request  from Union Minister for Ayush, Mr. Shripad Naik

GTDC Sr. Manager & PRO, Mr. Deepak Narvekar extended a warm welcome to the children and their parents on board Santa Monica. The OSD to  Union Minister for Ayush, Mr. Suraj Naik, GTDC Asst. Manager- Cruises, Mr. Surendra Sawant , GTDC officials Ms. Manisha Shiroda and Mr. Nilesh Naik Desai were present  and  helped in co-ordinating the activities on board Santa Monica. Staff and  volunteers from Tata Memorial Hospital were also present.

Ms.Swati Mhatre, Jr.P.R.O and Mr.Santosh Sherwade, Asst adm officer public relations Tata Memorial hospital accompanied along with other officials of the hospital.

The GTDC also extended all hospitality  to the visiting  children.

Chairman  of GTDC, Mr.  Dayanand Sopte also  extended  wholehearted  support  and  ensured that the children were  provided a comfortable and enjoyable stay. `

Singapore Tourism Board launches second wave of Passion Made Possible brand campaign in India with #PartyLikeInSG

Singapore’s noted artiste Yung Raja performiing at the event.

‘This wave throws the spotlight on three tribes; Socialisers, Culture Shapers and Action Seekers’

Chang Chee Pey- Assistant Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board

Mumbai, Nov 16, 2018: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched the second wave of its Passion Made Possible brand campaign in India with an evening of fun and entertainment for the travel trade, media and influencers - focusing on the Socialiser tribe offerings available in Singapore. Held at Verbena Brewpub & Skygarden in Kamala Mills, the event featured performances by Singapore’s noted artistes – Wayne Liu aka DJ KoFlow, the turntablist icon and Yung Raja, popular rapper signed to M03 Records, a division of Kartel Records, who mixes his lyrics in both English and Tamil. The event also showcased the original Singapore Sling mixed by bartender Andy Lim from the Raffles Hotel while culinary expert Ruqxana Vasanwala, founder of Cookery Magic which conducts cooking classes, provided her unique twist on local Singaporean delicacies such as Pisang Goreng (Fried Bananas) and Onde-Onde (Pandan-flavoured Glutinous Rice Balls with Palm Sugar) tapas-style.     

The STB launched the new brand identity ‘Passion Made Possible’ in August 2017 to showcase the destination’s unique attitude and mindset; a passion-driven, never-settling spirit of determination and enterprise that constantly pursues possibilities and reinvention. As part of this, the STB introduced the concept of Passion Tribes and unveiled four specific tribes, namely Foodies, Collectors, Explorers and Progressors. For its second wave, the campaign will shine spotlight on the Socialiser, Action Seeker, and Culture Shaper Passion Tribes to encourage Indian travelers to indulge their passions in Singapore.

GB Srithar, Regional Director (SAMEA), Singapore Tourism Board

Speaking at the launch, Mr GB Srithar, Regional Director, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, highlighted the importance of why the Socialiser tribe would be appealing to Indian consumers, “We are keen to engage the young and fun-loving Indian travellers. Show them a different side of Singapore, in addition to being a great family destination.  From the coolest indie gigs and the biggest international concerts, to eclectic music festivals, raves and jazz nights, Singapore has a diverse and vibrant music and event scene. This will appeal to the lifestyle and entertainment seeking travellers. As we launch Wave 2 of our brand, we invite our Indian visitors to come make new friends or re-connect with old ones through the myriad of nightlife and entertainment offerings in Singapore.”

During their visit to India, Wayne Liu - DJ KoFlow & Yung Raja (Singer-Rapper) jointly commented, “Singapore’s nightlife is multi-faceted, there are all kinds of party spots for many different likings including a diverse thriving music scene. It’s an experience you will not want to miss out on!”

As a pre-buzz to the Wave 2 launch the STB collaborated with Vh1 India for its first-ever music video in India titled ‘Unstoppable’. The music video which has garnered almost 2.6 million views on YouTube. Featuring the GRAMMY Award-nominated Indian-American rapper, singer and songwriter Raja Kumari, the Chemical Brothers of India ‘Midival Punditz’ and popular Singaporean B-Boying crew ‘Radikal Forze’, the music video highlights their unique talents and common passion for creativity, music, sounds, dance and entertaining audiences. The music video was shot against well-known locations in Singapore such as the Marina Bay area, Chinatown precinct including the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Gardens by the Bay as well as Henderson Waves.

The second wave will witness a series of consumer events and industry partnerships rolling out by mid-2019.

In 2017, Singapore recorded 1.27 million visitors from India, making India the 3^rd highest contributor of visitor arrivals to Singapore. India also register the highest growth at 16 % in visitors to Singapore and continued to be the leading source market for cruise travel. 

India’s first electric vehicle tourism initiative at the Paryatan Bhavan, Panjim.

Goa Tourism

launches India’s first Electric Vehicle Tourism Initiative

 Panjim, November 16^th, 2018:  The Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Mr. Manohar Ajgaonkar  and Hon’ble Chairman  of GTDC ,Mr. Dayanand Sopte today launched  India’s first electric vehicle tourism  initiative at the  Paryatan Bhavan, Panjim.  Present  at the event  included Board of Directors of GTDC,  officials  from the Department  of Tourism & GTDC and  other dignitaries.

The ‘Electric Vehicle’ (EV) tourism initiative of Goa Tourism  Development  Corporation through B: Live in partnership with Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd is    a significant step towards sustainable tourism giving tourists an all new medium to explore and experience  Goa in an eco-friendly and   trendy style.

Mr.  Manohar Azgaonkar, the Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Govt.  of Goasaid, “We are proud to announce the launch of India’s first Electric Vehicle tour initiative, B: Live with Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd. Sustainable tourism is the core of our efforts and we are happy to take the lead in creating the EV ecosystem in India, setting an example for the others. We encourage and support technologies and enterprises which bring about a positive environmental change. Goa spearheads several ecotourism initiatives in the country and our association with Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd. is another step towards achieving our sustainability goals. More often than not, you find initiatives that have a strong intent but rarely do they help empower locals and improve community engagement. EV tours offered by B: Live directly involve the local communities, making the association more meaningful for them.”

Mr. Dayanand Sopte, Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Limited (GTDC) said, “We are glad to partner with Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd to launch India’s first Electric Vehicle (EV) tourism initiative, B: Live. Understanding the risks of vehicle emissions and their contribution to air pollution in Goa, the introduction of EV tourism will help reduce our carbon footprint. It’s a revolutionary initiative that provides a clean mode of commute while offering an immersive travel experience. It will help empower our local communities andcreate a greener tomorrow for everyone around us.” 

Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd is the pioneer of ‘Electric Vehicle Tourism’ in India and has partnered with GTDC to build the country’s first EV Tourism ecosystem. B: Live, offers the joy of effortless riding on E-bikes while exploring the local culture, history and heritage of Goa.   These E-bikes are equipped with state-of-the-art features like GPS trackers, battery powered motor for speeds up to 25kmph and electronic disc brakes for enhanced safety.  The tourists and locals can now explore Goa in a clean and non-polluting way. 

 “We are grateful for the support offered by GTDC to launch B: Live. Pollution and congestion caused by tourist vehicles have been a concern in Goa and there is a need to introduce sustainable tourism practices which are easy to emulate. Through B: Live, we aim to encourage people to adopt a cleaner way of commute while helping them discover authentic local experiences. Each experiential tour offered by B: Live engages the local communities and allows tourists to soak in the milieu of authentic Goan culture,” said Samarth Kholkar,CEO & Co-Founder, Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd.

Emphasizing on the technology aspect of the service, Sandeep Mukherjee, COO & Co-Founder, Arcis Tours Pvt Ltd. said, “What makes B: Live unique is the smart use of technology. The http://blive.co.in/platform allows the guests to seamlessly book the tours using digital currency. A web app provides real-time tour related info to the riders. The E-bikes are state of the art delivering 50 km range per charge with digital screens for multi info display and electronic disc brakes for safety. The E-bikes come with an accelerator and pedal assist mode for effortless riding. Our command center monitors the riders through GPS trackers embedded on the bikes. This makes B:Live not only the cleanest but also the smartest tour in the country.

Salient features:

●      E Hubs made of recycled shipping containers serve as charging points and tourist community centers. These are solar powered, eco friendly, smart hubs which offers Free Wi-Fi, tourist services and an insider guide to Goa.

●      Smart & digitally connected electric cycles have been deployed for the tours and rental purpose at major tourist destinations ensuring the safety of the passenger.

●      Curated experiential tours which provide an authentic and immersive experience of Goa with the help of a local tour buddy.

●      Connect with B:LIVE– log on to http://blive.co.in/ Mail atinfo@blive.co.in , call at 8669600373

GODREJ LOCKING SOLUTIONS & SYSTEMS PLEDGES INR 100 CRORE TOWARDS...

# HARGHARSURAKSHIT CAMPAIGN

GODREJ LOCKING SOLUTIONS & SYSTEMS PLEDGES INR 100 CRORE TOWARDS

# HARGHARSURAKSHIT CAMPAIGN

#HarGharSurakshit nationwide campaign aims to drive awareness around home safety

Mumbai, November 15, 2018: To commemorate National Home Safety Day on November 15, Godrej Locking Solutions and Systems (GLSS), launched #HarGharSurakshit, a nationwide campaign to promote home safety across India. GLSS also released ‘Har Ghar Surakshit 2018 Report: India’s Security Paradox – Home Safety Vs Digital Safety’, which focusses on people’s perception of home safety in comparison to digital safety.

Homes in India are not just a place to stay but are also considered as safe abodes for families. An Indian home accounts for one of the highest investments made by citizens. However, it is also a treasure trove for anti-social elements and if unattended or unprotected will invite misfortune. Nuclear families leave their home and valuables behind, whereas, others have their loved ones as well at home. There is a lot to protect, but Indians seem to be lagging behind in adopting the available technologies—even in the primary source of protection of their homes—locks.

#HarGharSurakshit campaign by GLSS aims to drive awareness around home safety and why it needs to be prioritized. Safety begins at home as 98.5% Indians feel the safest in their homes as per a recent joint study with a reputed Indian media company. GLSS #HarGharSurakshit report states 64% Indians are not equipped to handle home safety threats. Surprisingly, 70% of all thefts in India are home thefts while only 30% are digital thefts. This emphasizes that home safety requires equal or more attention that is enjoyed by digital safety as 61% people don’t want to upgrade to high tech safety for homes.

Acknowledging this need and commenting on #HarGharSurakshit initiative, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd, said, “As a responsible player in this space, it has been our responsibility and endeavour to create awareness around home safety. Last year on November 15th, a day we call the ‘Home Safety day’, we unveiled the yearlong #HowSafeAreYou campaign with the objective of changing the way people look at home safety. This campaign witnessed a huge support an reached out to millions via traditional and digital media.  Godrej Locking Solutions and Systems have been at the forefront of providing safe and secure locking solutions for homes across India. With the faith reposed in us by our countrymen, we are embarking on the second year of this campaign with our nationwide initiative called #HarGharSurakshit. We are confident that this initiative will bring about a behavioural change and promote the larger cause of enhancing safety across homes of people in urban and rural India.”

“As a brand that is synonymous with trust and safety, GLSS’ purpose is to make people aware of importance of home safety. Last year, we unveiled a yearlong campaign, #HowSafeAreYou with the objective of changing the way people look at home safety. #HarGharSurakshit, the latest initiative by GLSS, will address a nationwide concern of home safety. We want every Indian to take a conscious note of their home safety, especially in today’s day and age. We, at GLSS, will focus all our efforts towards driving offline and online activities aimed at bridging India’s personal security gap and aspire to make every Indian home safe by 2021. I am happy to share that we will be committing INR 100 crore over the next 3 years towards this endeavour” added Mr. Shyam Motwani, Executive Vice-President and Business Head, Godrej Locking Solutions & Systems.

Discussing the gravitas of the situation was an esteemed panel of Mr. Sachin Patil, DCP (Head Quarter – I) Mumbai Police, Mr. Prakash Borgaonkar, Director, Helpage India, RJ Archana Pania, Mr. Shyam Motwani of GLSS and moderated by Mr. Sujit Patil, Vice President & Head- Corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej Industries.

#HarGharSurakshit campaign reflects the need of the hour. In 2016 alone, 1,20,000 homes were robbed and these were just the reported cases. As per estimates, 90% thefts go unreported. Today, people need to be more conscious of vulnerabilities in their home safety preparedness, and take necessary measures to address them. As it embarks on this journey towards making #HarGharSurakshit, GLSS is confident that this initiative will see collective participation of Indians from across the country.    

BLS International Registers Remarkable PAT Growth of 23% In the Second Quarter

Reports net profit of Rs. 32.99 crore in Q2 FY19

Highlights of the Results For the Quarter ended on 30th September, 2018 (Q2 FY19 viz Q2 FY18): Total Income stood at Rs. 191.2 crore, q-o-q growth of 2.0%  EBITDA of Rs. 45.4 crore; q-o-q growth of 2.8%  Net Profit stood at Rs 32.9 crore; q-o-q growth of 23.1%  EPS for Q2 FY19 stood at Rs 3.22 as compared to Rs. 2.62 in Q2 FY18 for the corresponding period For the half, yearly comparative from April to September FY19 viz FY18: Total Income stood at Rs. 393.4 crore in H1 FY19, up by 2.7% from Rs. 383.2 crore in H1 FY18 EBIDTA of Rs. 95.9 crore in H1 FY19, up by 8.8% from Rs. 88.2 crore in H1 FY18 for the corresponding period PAT of Rs. 67 crore in H1 FY19, up by 20% from Rs. 55.85 crore in H1 FY18 EPS for H1 FY19 stood at Rs 6.54, as compared to Rs. 5.45 for H1 FY18

New Delhi, 14^th November, 2018: BLS International Services Limited (BLS), a specialist services provider of Visa, Passport, Attestation and Citizen Services to the Governments and diplomatic missions globally, declared its financial results today for the second quarter ended 30^th September, 2018.

The company reported Net Profit of Rs 32.9 crore for Q2 FY19, up by 23.1%, as compared to Rs. 26.8 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. The company’s Q2 FY19 PAT margin stood at a robust 17.3%, as compared to 14.3% in Q2 FY18.

Total Income for the quarter ended September 2018 stood at Rs. 191.2 crore, up by 2.0%, as compared to Rs 187.4 crore in the same period last year. The company’s earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) in Q2 FY19 stood at Rs. 45.4 crore, up by 2.8% as compared to Q2 FY18 which stood at Rs 44.2 crore. Its EBITDA margin improved from 23.6% in Q2 FY18 to Rs. 23.8% in Q2 FY19.

Earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter ended Q2 FY19 stood at Rs. 3.22, as compared with Rs. 2.62 for the quarter ended Q2 FY18.

Commenting on the financial performance of the company Mr. Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, BLS International Services Limited said, “We are happy to report another quarter with strong results. The encouraging performance in the Q2/H1 FY19, is led by timely and quality deliverables of our contracts in domestic and international market. We are proud that during this quarter BLS International not only got listed in Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under A Billion’ company list but also received Spain Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS – National Security Framework) accreditation after rigorous assessment and audits by ENS Certification Entity from Spain.”

He further added, “Being the face of government across the globe, we will continue to rally our focus on execution, operation and swift rollouts of projects for our client governments across globe and we believe that we are well positioned for sustainable growth in the current year and future”. 

Growth trend:

The Spain global contract that BLS International bagged in December 2016 also yielded strong results for another quarter in a row. Since the roll out of the project, the Visa application centres have regularly been fortified with wide range of Value Added Services (VAS) for the applicant’s convenience, such as SMS, Photocopy, Photo-booth, Form filling, Courier and Premium lounge, Flexi hours, Travel Insurance, SIM cards (Telecom), Prime time, Internet kiosk and Mobile biometric services.

The company also commenced operation of its new contract of citizen services by the Punjab Government in this quarter. The fresh contract is for a period of 5 years under which BLS International is operating 352 facilitation centres for providing 169 citizen centric services covering 16 districts of Punjab and working with 22 departments. 

Contracts and Awards: 

BLS International commenced servicing the French Embassy in Jordan from August 2018, and is providing key deliverables under the contract which will support processing of approximately 25 thousand France Visa application(s) in Jordan in strategic alliances with its partner. This strategic association is aimed to help strengthen our presence in Europe and Middle East.

In this quarter, the company also paved its way in the Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under A Billion’ list of top 200 publicly listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region out of 24,000 companies and were selected on sales/revenue and earnings growth.

The company received the Spain Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS – National Security Framework) accreditation. BLS International is the first Visa Outsourcing ESP (External Service Provider) to have conformed to ENS compliance and is one of the only 69 Organizations in the world who are ENS Certified, sharing the space with companies like Google, Microsoft, Oracle, to be naming a few.

BLS International Services Limited also signed an agreement with Vision Box - Soluções de Visão por Computador, S.A in this quarter to cooperate in connection with specific projects or opportunities in the Territory of Portugal.

Another agreement was signed with Any Security Printing Company Plc., a company existing under the laws of Hungary and engaged in providing consultancy support in Server Operations, to collaborate and pursue the Tenders of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hungary, globally.

The company also signed an agreement with Speed Identity AB to cooperate in connection with a specific projects or opportunities for Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Speed Identity AB is a company existing under the laws of Sweden which is expert service provider of Biometric Hardware and Software product and services.

During this quarter, BLS was also conferred with two prestigious awards first for the “Excellence in the Travel Sector” award at the CMO Asia's Best CSR Practices Awards. and Mr. Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, BLS International won the “Young Achiever Award of the Year” at Times Network’s National Award for Marketing Excellence in Travel and Tourism industry.

Seventh Edition of Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon Mumbai 2018

Seventh Edition of Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon Mumbai 2018 presented by COLORS to be held on Sunday, 16th December 2018 at MMRDA Ground, Next to One BKC Building, BKC

Mumbai, November 13, 2018…The seventh edition of Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon Mumbai 2018 presented by COLORS, India’s biggest women’s run to be held on Sunday, 16th December 2018 at MMRDA Ground, One BKC Building, BKC, Mumbai. Online registrations for the multi-category run are open at www.pinkathon.in/mumbai for the VWash Plus 3km, 5km & 10km run and for the 21km distance drop a mail on info@pinkathon.in.

Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon - Empowering Indian Women, India's biggest women’s run to encourage and promote fitness & health among women and create awareness for Breast Cancer and other issues relating to women’s health is supported by United Sisters Foundation and promoted by Maximus MICE & Media Solutions. Super model, actor, Ultraman and Pinkathon founder Milind Soman formally announced the launch of the seventh edition of Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon Mumbai 2018 presented by COLORS at a press conference hosted by The Farzi Cafe, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai.

Bajaj Electricals Ltd., a globally renowned and India’s leading consumer products company has come on board as title sponsors of Pinkathon, India’s biggest run for women after being the inspiring partners for last 4 years. Hemal Vadera, Head - Advertising, Digital & Branding of Bajaj Electricals Ltd. said, “Bajaj Electricals Ltd. has always collaborated with platforms that have worked towards women empowerment. We strongly feel that empowerment goes far beyond giving equal rights to women. It is about making women confident enough to trust themselves, act independently and most importantly to take control of one's own health and wellbeing.

While Our association with Pinkathon transcends the basic role of title sponsor, rather it gives us the opportunity to act as a catalyst in empowering women, to embrace, who they are both internally and externally.”

Present at the conference were eminent dignitaries like 103-year-old Mann Kaur, world champion and an Indian track – and – field athlete, she holds the world record in the over 100 years old category, Mr. Hemal Vadera from Bajaj Electricals, Head – Advertising, Digital & Branding, Dr. Shishir  Shetty from Apollo Foundation along with four Bajaj Electricals Pinkathon Mumbai mascots who expressed their wholehearted support for the noble cause.

Pinkathon has won several national and international awards such as WOW Awards for Best Festival of the Year & Best Sports Event of the Year and EEMAX Global for Best Public Event of the Year for ticketed and non-ticketed category.