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Paytm Payments Bank, a subsidiary of India’s largest mobile wallet operator Paytm, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU).

A BBPOU platform works under the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) BBPS and facilitates bill payments services including electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees and credit card bills.

1. Final Approval to Operate as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU)

Paytm Payments Bank Wins Final RBI Nod

Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has been awarded final approval by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU). As a BBPOU, PPBL can facilitate bill payment services for electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees and credit card bills under Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), owned by the National Payments Corporation of India.

PPBL is an established bank that remained the largest UPI beneficiary bank for 19 months in a row with over 1,727 million transactions in December 2022, ahead of all major banks in the country. It is also one of the top 10 remitter banks for UPI transactions according to NPCI’s latest report.

As a digital banking service, Paytm Payments Bank offers customers interoperable and accessible bill payments through a network of registered agents known as Agent Institutions. It supports multiple payment modes and delivers instant payment confirmation.

2. Final Approval to Conduct Bill Payment and Aggregation Business

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday gave its final nod to Paytm Payments Bank to conduct bill payment and aggregate business. The digital banking service, which is majority-owned by One97 Communications, will now be able to conduct the services under Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), owned by the National Payments Corporation of India.

BBPS is an interoperable platform that allows customers to make payments through a single reference number for utility bills like electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees and credit card bills. BBPS is a one-stop ecosystem conceptualised by the RBI and operated by NPCI, which also provides customer grievance redress mechanism.

As a BBPOU, PPBL will be allowed to facilitate bill payment for electricity, phone, DTH, water, and gas insurance as well as loan repayments, FASTag recharge, credit card bills and municipal taxes. It will also be able to display all Agent institutions on its platforms, under the guidance of the central bank.

3. Final Approval to Display All Agent Institutions on its Platforms

Paytm Payments Bank has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU). A BBPOU is an innovative technological breakthrough that enables merchant billers to provide their customers with a seamless, secure and superfast bill payment service.

As the name suggests, a BBPOU facilitates bill payments for electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees and credit card bills. Until now, Paytm Payments Bank Limited has been conducting this activity under an in-principal licence from the regulator.

Under the guidance of the good ol’ Reserve Bank of India, PPBL will display all agent institutions on its platforms and make concerted efforts to onboard more billers in the approved categories on the BBPS platform. This is a big win for the digital banking business of Paytm and a great boost to the company’s overall digital strategy. PPBL was the largest UPI beneficiary bank for 19 months in a row and is also among the top 10 remitter banks with 386.5 million registered transactions in December 2022.

4. Final Approval to Onboard New Customers

Paytm Payments Bank has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to onboard new customers. This will not affect the existing customers.

The bank has received a nod to operate as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) under the National Payments Corporation of India-run Bharat Bill Payment System, which facilitates bill payment services such as electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees, credit card bills and municipal taxes.

As per the press release issued by Paytm, the final approval is in accordance with the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

The bank was incorporated in August 2016 and commenced its operations in May 2017. It has around 6.4 crore customers as of last disclosed numbers.

If you have ever lived in a low-network area, you’ll know how difficult it can be to access calls and text messages. This is why it’s important to have a satellite connectivity feature in your smartphone.

This is why it comes as no surprise that a Chinese tipster on Weibo claims that the upcoming foldable Huawei Mate X3 will have satellite connectivity. This feature will allow you to send short messages using direct satellite communication.

1. It is a safety feature

One of the most important features in top-end smartphones is satellite communication. This feature allows users to send and receive text messages from satellites without any network coverage. This is an important feature to have on a smartphone, as it will provide users with quick access to emergency messages.

Huawei is set to release a foldable phone with satellite connectivity called the Mate X3 in the coming months. The company is rumored to launch this device ahead of the P60 series phones, which are due to debut in March this year.

The Huawei Mate X3 is expected to feature second-generation satellite communication, which will allow users to send short messages and voice messages directly via satellites. This will be a big improvement over previous applications of the technology, and it will make the device much more competitive in the smartphone market than other flagships.

2. It is a convenience feature

If you’re in a situation where you don’t have any cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, the Huawei Mate X3 Foldable Phone With Satellite Connectivity can help you communicate with emergency services. This feature uses low earth orbit satellites to send a call for help and relay it to responders.

Interestingly, Apple’s iPhone 14 series offers this same type of technology but it only allows you to send short text messages that are forwarded to emergency responders. This is a convenience feature that you should be sure to have on your phone.

According to this new leak, the upcoming Huawei Mate X3 will have a satellite communication feature that will not only rival Apple’s iPhone 14, but it will actually surpass it somewhat. This will make the foldable smartphone one of the most advanced in its category and it shows how Huawei’s top-notch engineering keeps them ahead of the competition.

3. It is a backup feature

Chinese smartphone giant Huawei has announced its next flagship device – the Mate X3 foldable phone. The phone has a quad-camera setup on the back consisting of a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 8MP and 16MP camera. It also features a 13MP selfie camera inside the notch.

The foldable phone comes with a 5000mAh battery capacity and supports 4G and 2G networks. It runs on a Kirin 9000 chipset and Harmony OS 2.0.1 software.

In order to outdo Apple, Huawei has decided to add a satellite connectivity feature to the new phone. This feature allows users to send and receive emergency messages through satellite communication.

4. It is a convenience feature

With the upcoming Huawei Mate X3 Foldable Phone With Satellite Connectivity, you will be able to communicate through satellite by sending and receiving voice and text messages. This will make your smartphone more convenient, especially when you have no network coverage and you need to make an emergency call.

The feature of satellite connectivity is not a new one, but it has been getting a lot of attention from manufacturers lately. As such, we should expect more smartphones to come with it.

Luckily, the latest news suggests that the next foldable device from Huawei will come with this feature, which is an upgrade over what Apple offers.

As such, this is a very exciting advancement in the world of consumer technology and it shows how Huawei is dedicated to pushing the limits of what we can anticipate from foldable phones. The company is also showing its commitment to staying ahead of the competition by launching this feature first.

Microsoft announced up to 10,000 job cuts Wednesday, becoming the latest major tech company to reduce staff amid growing economic uncertainty. CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a memo to employees that Microsoft is “seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution.”

The company said workers impacted by the layoffs will receive 60 days’ notice, six months of health care coverage and stock vesting and “above-market severance pay.”

Job titles

Microsoft is cutting up to 10,000 jobs worldwide, the latest tech company to announce layoffs as the global economy slows. CEO Satya Nadella said the cuts were aimed at aligning the company’s cost structure with projected revenues and where customer demand is strongest.

The move is part of a wave of tech job cuts that began in 2009 and has increased by more than 649% over the past year, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. It follows Amazon’s (AMZN) plans to cut 18,000 workers and Salesforce’s announcement that it’s cutting 10% of its employees.

In a memo to staff, Microsoft CEO Nadella said the cuts were necessary. He cited changing demand years into the pandemic, as well as looming recession fears.

Locations

Microsoft Announces Up to 10000 Job Cuts

The world’s biggest software maker lays off thousands of workers worldwide, taking a $1.2 billion charge that will cut profit by 12 cents a share. The layoffs add to a string of tech companies that have scaled back staffing and real estate expansion to cut costs as economic growth slows.

In a note to employees, CEO Satya Nadella said customers are “trying to do more with less” and he urged a refocus on the cloud computing business where customer demand is strongest.

The company’s cuts come as the economy continues to slow and recession fears rise. They are among the largest technology job cuts since the dot-com bust in 2002.

Salary ranges

Microsoft Announces Up to 10000 Job Cuts

The tech company plans to let go of up to 10000 employees as it prepares for a slower growth period. Chief Executive Satya Nadella cited changing demand for digital services years into the COVID-19 pandemic and looming recession fears in a memo to staff Wednesday.

In the past, Microsoft has conducted large layoff rounds ahead of earnings reports, but this is the largest reduction the company has made in almost eight years.

Among the factors that could impact the company’s decision are severance costs, changes to hardware and its “lease consolidation” efforts.

While these cuts will be significant, they may also provide a chance for Microsoft to focus on areas of growth and reduce its overall costs. These cost-cutting moves, which are likely to affect less than five percent of the company’s workforce, could make the stock a buy-and-hold investment in the near future.

Benefits

Microsoft Announces Up to 10000 Job Cuts

Amid a slowing global economy, Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce job cuts. CEO Satya Nadella told employees Wednesday the company was seeking to align its cost structure with projected revenues and where customer demand remains strongest, according to a memo posted on the firm’s website.

The cuts are larger than Microsoft’s last round of layoffs, which impacted less than one percent of its workforce, and are expected to last until March with notifications beginning this week.

Despite the announcement, Microsoft is still investing in new technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. The firm’s chief technology officer, Satya Nadella, wrote in the memo that Microsoft was looking to “leverage the next major wave of computing” through AI.

Microsoft is the latest big tech company to announce job cuts, following Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook and Salesforce. The tech industry grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s now cooling as companies seek to keep their budgets under control with inflation and interest rates.

A new smartphone by Realme has been spotted on Geekbench and it comes with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. This chip is manufactured on Samsung’s 4nm process, and carries with it an Adreno 730 GPU.

The Realme GT Neo 5 is tipped to come with a 6.7-inch display with 1.5K OLED screen resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. It’s also said to pack a 4,600mAh battery and support 240W fast charging.

6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display

Realme GT Neo 5 With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is tipped to come with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that sports a 144Hz refresh rate and 2160Hz PWM dimming. It also supports an in-display fingerprint sensor.

The upcoming phone was spotted on Geekbench revealing some of its specifications. The online database listed the phone’s CPU, core configuration, benchmark scores, and RAM.

It scored 1279 points in the single-core test and 3902 in the multi-core test. These are pretty good scores for a budget flagship, especially if it uses the recently launched SD 8+ Gen 1.

In addition to its impressive performance, the GT Neo 5 is expected to come with Android 13 out of the box. It will come in at least one variant with 16GB of RAM, though we may also see other options at launch. The phone is likely to be powered by a triple-cluster SD 8+ Gen 1 SoC. Known as “Taro,” the chipset has 4 x 1.8GHz cores, 3 x 2.5GHz cores, and 1 x alpha core at 3.2GHz.

Triple rear cameras

The upcoming Realme GT Neo 5 With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will feature a triple rear camera setup on its back. It will come with a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 2-megapixel macro or depth unit.

It also comes with a 5000mAh battery and will support two charging speeds – 150W fast charging or 240W fast charging. It will run Android 13 out of the box with Realme UI 4.0 on top.

This smartphone will also feature a 6.7-inch OLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with up to 16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage.

The upcoming Realme GT Neo 5 With Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is expected to launch in February 2023. It will be available in a new Purple Fantasy colour option and will feature a curved back panel.

5000mAh battery

The Realme GT Neo 5 With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has been spotted on benchmarking site Geekbench, hinting at its key specifications. It may feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC paired with 16GB of RAM and Android 13 out-of-the-box.

The device also comes with a 6.7-inch OLED display with a centred punch-hole cutout and a Full HD+ resolution of 2772 x 1240 pixels. It may also support a 144Hz refresh rate and an under-display fingerprint reader.

The Realme GT Neo 3 was a great mid-range phone that was incredibly well-designed and offered snappy performance, a gorgeous screen and a great main camera. It also came with 150W fast charging, which is a lot more convenient than any other option in this price range – and if that’s something that you need then it’s worth considering.

240W fast charging

Realme has unveiled its upcoming flagship smartphone, the GT Neo 5 With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It is expected to debut the fastest charging technology in the market.

The brand’s new device is said to come with a 240W fast charging feature, which is capable of topping up the battery in under 10 minutes. This is faster than the 150W fast charging found in Realme GT Neo 3.

Aside from that, the company has also announced a host of safety features like a PS3-standard fireproof design with 13 temperature sensors to monitor the heat generated by the charger. It also uses a graphene phase-change cooling material that can dissipate the heat effectively.

It’s also said to retain 80% of its original capacity after 1,600 charge cycles. This is a lot better than most of its competitors’ 200W solutions, which only retain 50-60% of their original charge after 500 charge cycles.

Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi continues to deliver top-notch devices with great value and performance. The company’s popular lines of smartphones, tablets, TVs, and other devices are known for their quality and affordability.

Speculations are rife over a new vehicle that has been spotted near a Xiaomi factory in China. The car is rumoured to be the first-ever electric vehicle from Xiaomi.

Spy Shots Reveal a Sedan-Style EV

Ahead of its expected debut in 2024, the first-ever electric vehicle made by Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has been spotted. It’s rumored to be called the “Modena” and features a futuristic design.

Spy shots reveal a sedan-style EV that will compete with cars like the Tesla Model 3. It’s got a coupe-like roofline and a low-slung profile, but it doesn’t have the look of an SUV.

The car has a full glass roof, Wilwood brakes and a LiDAR sensor on top of the windscreen. The design is interesting, but it may be too early to tell how well it’ll perform.

Spy photos are a common occurrence for new models, and they can be helpful to fans who want to get an idea of what a vehicle will look like in production form. These pictures are usually taken by spy photographers who have been hired by larger agencies and companies to take these shots.

Reportedly Being Tested in Snowy Weather Conditions

According to a new report, Xiaomi’s first-ever electric vehicle ‘Modena’ is being tested in snowy weather conditions. This reportedly could be to test the battery’s performance in such weather conditions.

The car was spotted in Inner Mongolia, a region that experiences heavy snowfall. This is where a lot of automakers conduct cold weather tests on their vehicles.

In 2024, the company is expected to launch its first-ever electric vehicle. Its goal is to sell 10 million EVs per year.

The upcoming EV is rumored to come in two variants. One will be powered by BYD’s “Blade” battery pack with LFP technology, while the other will use an 800V Qilin battery from CATL with super-fast charging capabilities.

Lei Jun Participates in Winter Testing

A new report claims that Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun participated in winter testing of the Modena, reportedly to test its battery performance under extreme weather conditions. It’s not a huge surprise, as the CEO has been closely involved with the development of the Modena and is likely to want to make sure it delivers the expected results.

Spy shots of the upcoming electric car reveal that it has an aerodynamic shape with a long bonnet and swooping roofline dropping gently towards the back. It also features retractable door handles and a LiDAR sensor on the roof.

The first-ever electric vehicle from Chinese tech giant Xiaomi will be available in three different models with varying specifications. The first two will be equipped with BYD’s LFP blade batteries while the top-end model will use CATL’s 800V Qilin batteries. It will also feature a digital instrument cluster, a large touchscreen infotainment system, and automatic climate control. The company is aiming to introduce the vehicle in 2024.

Expected to Debut in 2024

After years of speculation and a few leaks, it appears that the next-generation S650 Ford Mustang will debut in 2024. The pony car is expected to feature a more modern design, and the interior will likely be completely new.

The car is expected to feature a new flat-bottom steering wheel, digital instrument cluster, and larger infotainment screen. It will also likely be available with a variety of drivetrain options.

In addition to the spied sedan-style EV, Lucid Motors is also developing an SUV-style EV known as the Lucid Gravity. This model is expected to debut in 2024, and it will share many of the design cues with the Air sedan.

The Paris 2024 Olympics are nearly three years away, and the International Olympic Committee has just introduced a new sport to the Games. This new event is called breakdancing, and it will be added to the Olympics in an attempt to lure younger audiences.

The Crypto Ecosystem Saw Most Heists in 2022

In back-to-back attacks, hackers drained billions of dollars from exchanges, NFTs, DAOs and decentralized credit based stablecoin protocols. This marked a record year for hacks, according to blockchain analytics platform Chainalysis.

Cross-chain bridges, which allow users to move tokens between different chains, were a major target for hackers this year. This is because they have to temporarily hold the value of each transaction in each token.

Nomad – $190 million

Cross-chain messaging protocol Nomad is the latest crypto bridge to fall victim to a heist. A hacker exploited a security flaw in Nomad that allowed them to drain $190 million worth of tokens from the platform in August.

Nomad is a project that aims to provide a bridge for users to move their tokens across blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Moonbeam and Polkadot’s Evmos. It is currently working with blockchain analysis firm TRM labs to trace stolen funds in an effort to return them to users.

Nomad is also planning to relaunch its bridge and offer partial refunds to affected users. The company plans to upgrade smart contracts and open Know Your Customer checks in an attempt to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Beanstalk – $182 million

A recent hack of the Beanstalk stablecoin protocol has netted the project a $182 million loss. The attack, which is believed to be the second nine-figure DeFi hack in a month, involves the theft of project assets through a flash loan exploit.

A ‘flash loan’ is a decentralized liquidity market protocol which allows users to borrow large amounts of crypto without providing any collateral. It also requires that the borrowed asset is returned to the system within a single block.

In this case, the crook essentially took out a flash loan to acquire a 67 percent voting interest in Beanstalk Farms. The attacker then used the funds to become a supermajority voter, which enabled them to create governance proposals and accept them in seconds.

Once the crook had enough of Beanstalk’s native governance token, stalk, they were able to pass a malicious proposal that drained all of the protocol’s funds into a private ETH wallet. The attacker then laundered a portion of the stolen assets through Tornado Cash, a coin-mixing platform which was used to obfuscate the transfer.

Ronin Network – $625 million

The Ronin Network, a blockchain network for the popular Axie Infinity video game, has experienced one of the largest crypto hacks to date. It saw threat actors steal 173,600 ether and 25.5 million USDC tokens, which totaled $625 million.

The attack on the Ronin bridge, which allows users to withdraw or deposit funds from the platform’s chain, occurred last week. According to Sky Mavis, the company that runs the Ronin platform, the hackers exploited a security flaw that was introduced in November 2021.

To move money out of the Ronin network, five validator nodes must approve the transaction. The attacker was able to hack these nodes, taking control of Sky Mavis’s four Ronin validators and a third-party validator run by Axie DAO.

After the hack, the Ronin team froze all transactions on the bridge, as well as Katana DEX, which enables transfers between the Ronin chain and other Ethereum-linked blockchains. They’ve also increased the minimum number of validator nodes to eight and have partnered with a reputable security firm to improve the network’s security.

Tornado Cash – $625 million

The United States Treasury on Monday sanctioned the Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer service that launders illicit funds, for the first time ever. It accuses the company of providing “material support” to North Korea-backed hackers.

A blockchain-based platform, Tornado Cash is designed to indiscriminately process anonymous transactions and mix them without trying to determine their origin or destination. It enables cryptocurrencies to be mixed on the Ethereum blockchain and improves privacy by obfuscating their origins and destinations, thus making them harder for authorities to trace back to a specific person.

This week, the Netherlands’ Fiscal Information and Investigation Service arrested a 29-year-old Amsterdam resident suspected of concealing criminal financial flows and facilitating money laundering through Tornado Cash. The agency added the person to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, which effectively blacklists individuals from all economic activity within the country.

The news comes as a blow to the crypto industry, which has been under increasing pressure from regulators and other authorities for its unregulated nature. The crypto community is attempting to counter this by organizing a campaign to release Pertsev from sanctions, which has already gained over 750 members.

After suffering its worst quarter of subscriber loss in a decade, Netflix is now taking steps to curb password sharing. According to a recent letter sent to investors, the company will start charging an extra fee for accounts shared outside of households.

The company identifies account households by using information such as IP addresses, device IDs and account activity from devices signed into the same account. This will be enforced starting in early 2023.

Household Members

In a letter to shareholders last week, Netflix first hinted that it was planning to block account password sharing among household members in the future. The streaming service has been testing a paid version of account sharing in Latin American countries, which allows users to add a “sub-account” for an additional $3 per month.

While it’s not clear how Netflix will prevent password sharing, the company says it uses IP addresses, device IDs and account activity from devices signed into a Netflix account to detect devices in a household.

The company is also introducing the idea of “verified devices.” Verified devices require the main account holder to approve the device’s use within fifteen minutes, which can prevent people from sharing their accounts with unapproved devices.

The changes are intended to help the company boost its subscriber numbers that have dwindled in recent years. However, they could lead to disputes about what counts as a household and what doesn’t.

Verified Devices

Netflix is introducing new rules to prevent account password sharing among verified devices. It will use a combination of IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to determine whether a device is in a primary household or not.

The company will also ask users to verify their devices, which may involve a four-digit verification code sent via email or text message. The code must be entered within 15 minutes to approve the device.

As Netflix notes, the company is trying to curb password sharing and piracy, which has cost it millions of dollars. It also wants to increase its paid viewership as core subscription growth has slowed.

As part of this, Netflix is testing a monthly “extra member” fee for accounts that have profiles in multiple households. It’s currently testing the policy in Latin America, but it could eventually roll out globally.

Subscriptions

Netflix is launching a new Help Center page to explain how it will prevent account password sharing among subscriptions. It will use IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to detect devices within a subscriber’s household.

This policy is meant to keep people who live outside their household from using the service — which is against the company’s Terms of Use. While a device may be able to sign in for a short period of time if it’s in a different home, it will need to be verified within 15 minutes before it can be used again.

In addition, users who share their account with a non-home member will have to pay a fee for each sub-account added. This strategy has already been tried in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru — but it’s unclear whether it will catch on globally.

Privacy

With so many users signing up to Netflix, it is important to keep their privacy secure. As such, the streaming company has been working to prevent account password sharing and ensure that only people who are directly involved in the process can access their accounts.

One way to do this is by setting up a PIN, which will be required whenever a user wants to view certain profiles associated with their account. This will help keep your privacy safe and protect your recommendations from being compromised.

During the signup process, Netflix asks for your name, email address and other personal details to verify you are who you say you are. It also stores your watch history, ratings and more to help create your personalised recommendations.