In Brief: Ola to set up new tech centre; Paytm to roll out credit cards

ANI Technologies, which operates ride hailing platform Ola, will reportedly set up a technology centre in Pune by the end of the current quarter. The second such centre in India after Bengaluru, the company will hire 1,000 engineers for the facility in the next three years, The Economic Times reported, citing sources. Rival Uber, which recently appointed Amazon veteran Manikandan Thangarathnam to lead India’s mobility business, also announced multiple hiring plans. 

Paytm to issue 2 mn credit cards in 12-18 months

One97 Communications-owned fintech platform Paytm has announced its plans to launch credit credits. The startup, which looks to issue two million such cards in the next 12-18 months, will monitor users’ credit scores and purchase patterns on Paytm for eligibility, a statement said. The card will offer insurance protection and one-touch services for change of pin number, address updation, card blocking and issuance of a duplicate card, it said. It will also offer a spend analyser to help users assess expenses and plan future spends.

Wibmo elevates Rajagopalan as CEO

Cupertino, California-based Wibmo has appointed its CBO Suresh Rajagopalan as the new CEO. Rajagopalan will succeed co-founder Govind Setlur, who in turn, will take up an advisory role and chair the Wibmo advisory council, a statement said. Rajagopalan, who joined the company in April this year, has over three decades of experience in technology, product management, programme management, strategic planning and business development verticals. Co-founded by Setlur in 1999, Wibmo was acquired by PayU in 2019. Rajagopalan will now be part of PayU’s leadership team and report to PayU India CEO Anirban Mukherjee.

CredR launches on-demand two-wheeler servicing app

After selling over 3,00,000 used two-wheelers in five years, used vehicles marketplace CredR has launched an on-demand bike servicing app CredR Care. Currently available to Android users in Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Pune and Benagluru, the app allows users to book a two-wheeler servicing package and schedule doorstep servicing. The servicing, the Stride Ventures-backed firm said, will be conducted by trained auto experts while following social distancing norms and sanitisation protocols.