daily roundup (April 21, 2022)

Walmart and Flipkart present a roadmap for Indian Sellers to export via cross-border ecommerce

Walmart is now offering Indian manufacturers and trading companies an opportunity for international expansion as cross-border sellers on Walmart Marketplace, where they could reach a growing market of more than 120 million US consumers each month. Along with Flipkart and cross-border commerce company Payoneer, Walmart says it has laid out a detailed roadmap for local sellers with export ambitions at the recent Walmart Global Seller Summit in New Delhi. The roadmap is part of Walmart’s efforts to expand its sourcing from India to $10 billion a year by 2027.

Attending the Summit alongside 650 invited Indian sellers, Michelle Mi, Walmart Vice President, Emerging Markets and Business Development – Global Sourcing, said

“Now is the ideal time for sellers from India to get started as exporters on Walmart Marketplace. It’s already one of the top online marketplaces in the U.S., and we’re investing heavily to help new sellers bring great products and service to the platform. As one of the first batch of Indian sellers on the Marketplace, those who join us now will have a great opportunity to find success in the U.S. as part of a curated community of trusted sellers.”

Binance’s blockchain technology to power IIT Delhi Fest, Rendezvous

Binance, the global blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, has announced the first-ever digitisation of attendee experience with the help of Blockchain Technology at IIT Delhi’s annual college fest, Rendezvous, scheduled from April 24 to 26, 2022.

Through this association, Binance aims to educate and spread awareness about the various use cases of blockchain, such as those being showcased during the fest ranging from NFT tickets, NFT certificates, fan tokens, POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol), among others.

Moreover, in another first, the fest will witness NFT Tickets for all attendees during the Concert Nights. NFT Ticketing is being done at this unprecedented scale for the first time in India. As the title sponsor of Rendezvous, Binance will also launch their ‘Crypto for all’ educational webinar which will happen on May 1st as part of the fest. Through this webinar Binance plans to spread investor awareness for crypto and blockchain and issue completion certificates over blockchain by Binance NFT to all successful participants.

Binance is supporting a few crypto and blockchain-related competitions at the fest, such as Cryptocon (a crypto trading competition) and an NFTart competition, to offer the students an opportunity to gain exposure to the emerging technologies.

USAID-supported SAMRIDH healthcare blended finance facility supports Qure.ai to strengthen India’s healthcare systems

The SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global, has committed 2.45 Crore INR ($350,000) to Qure.ai to scale Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chest X-ray screening software, qXR, in 50 sites across more than 15 Indian states. The software will enable healthcare workers in the dual screening of COVID-19 and lung diseases such as Tuberculosis, in remote and resource-challenged locations, and will benefit an estimated 62,500 people in the next 12-14 months.

qure.ai is a leading health-tech firm that builds AI-powered solutions focusing on pulmonary and neurocritical care to deliver better patient outcomes. Qure.ai’s CE-approved qXR software not only detects 30 critical lung abnormalities in under a minute, but can also quantify the infection, giving healthcare workers real-time insights into disease progression. As a result, it provides instant diagnostic support and actionable insights for frontline healthcare workers while optimizing resources and strengthening community care.

BHIM UPI goes live at NEOPAY terminals in UAE

NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the International arm of the National Payment Corporation of India has announced that BHIM UPI is now live at NEOPAY terminals, across the UAE. This initiative will empower millions of Indians who travel to the UAE, to safely and conveniently make payments using BHIM UPI. NIPL and NEOPAY, the payment subsidiary of Mashreq bank, partnered last year to create the acceptance infrastructure in the UAE.

With the acceptance of BHIM UPI in the UAE, Indian tourists can now make seamless payments through BHIM UPI across NEOPAY enabled shops and merchant stores. This partnership will play a key role in transforming the P2M payment experience for Indian travelers in the UAE. The implementation of BHIM UPI in the UAE is a stepping stone toward providing a major boost to digital payments in the country.

Mr. Ritesh Shukla, CEO, NIPL said, “We are glad to witness BHIM UPI going live in the UAE through our partnership with NEOPAY. This initiative will enable Indian tourists to perform payments using BHIM UPI which has emerged as the preferred mode of payment of Indian citizens. NIPL is consistently working towards simplifying digital payments and driving digital public goods across the globe with our cutting-edge solutions. We are dedicated to building a vast global acceptance network for UPI to ensure seamless user experiences when it comes to payments.”