Anand Sweets’ timeless legacy; AI voice agents for BFSI sector

Hello,

The festive season is here, but the proposed GST changes have prompted ecommerce consumers to pause before making their next big-ticket purchase. Analysts believe this blip is only temporary and sales are set to rebound as clarity improves and festive fervour takes hold.

Speaking about shopping, ecommerce major Flipkart has expanded its supply chain infrastructure across India in preparation for its annual festive sale.

ICYMI: India’s festive rush fuels scramble for white-collar gig talent

In other news, online gaming app Mobile Premier League (MPL) is reportedly firing 60% of its local employees as part of its downsizing attempt, The Economic Times reported, citing sources. The job cuts come days after the government banned real-money games.

Moving on, a startup in South Korea has built a robot that provides company to senior citizens. Among other things, the robot strikes up conversations with users in its signature chirpy voice, reminding them to take their medication or eat a meal.

Meanwhile, American fast food chain Taco Bell is rethinking its investment in AI at its drive-through restaurants after the tech made comical mistakes while taking orders. One user, for example, crashed the system by ordering 18,000 water cups!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Anand Sweets legacy
• Making XR hardware in India

Here’s your trivia for today: Mom & Me & Mom is the seventh and final volume of whose autobiography?

SMB

Anand Sweets' legacy

Bengaluru-based Anand Sweets is working towards restoring Mysore pak’s past glory and placing it in modern gifting, with the use of premium packaging. 

At the core of this initiative is Managing Director Arvind Dadu, who joined his father’s business in 2001. He drew inspiration from Ladurée in Paris. “If you buy a Ladurée macaron, you would keep it on your table proudly…For mithai, people take it to the kitchen, put it on a plate, and bring it out because the boxes were not attractive. How do we make that box go onto your table as is?” he says.

Key takeaways:

• Premium packaging has elevated Anand into a giftable brand, especially strengthening its presence in airports and quick-commerce, where impulse gifting is a key driver.
• For Anand, while traditional retail through Bengaluru stores remains the backbone of the business, contributing close to 80% of its revenue, new-age channels account for 20% of the mix—equally split between airport retail (10%) and online channels (10%) that include ecommerce, quick-commerce, and cloud kitchens.
• Its export growth is led by markets like the Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the USA.

Startup 

AI voice agents for BFSI sector

For years, banks, NBFCs, and fintechs have been dependent on call centres and interactive voice response (IVR) systems for customer interactions. However, it comes with its own limitations—high operational costs, scalability challenges, inconsistent customer experiences, and difficulties in handling language diversity and compliance requirements—issues particularly significant in India.

Bengaluru startup Posibl AI is addressing this gap by building AI voice agents for the BFSI sector, focusing on lead generation, lead qualification, and lead enrichment.

Tech first:

• Posibl’s AI-powered voice agents are built to manage high-volume, regulation-sensitive conversations across critical banking processes, such as lead generation and qualification, account opening and KYC verification, customer support, loan collections, and even claims or policy renewals. 
• The B2B startup operates on a usage-based pricing model, charging per minute of agent interaction.
• With 15 paying customers, Posibl AI’s immediate focus is on scaling its commercial deployments by converting current pilot projects into full-scale roll-outs across BFSI segments, including lending, insurance, and banking. 

News & updates

• Chip wars: The United States is making it more difficult for chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix to produce chips in China by revoking authorisations that allowed the companies to receive American semiconductor manufacturing equipment there, according to the Federal Register.
• US Tariffs: The Trump administration is continuing its talks with trading partners despite a US appeals court ruling that most of President Donald Trump's tariffs are illegal, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Sunday.
• Binary stars: A research team has used both archival Hubble Space Telescope data and new observations to precisely measure the binary star system NGC3603-A1. One star weighs about 93 times the mass of our sun, while its companion tips the scales at roughly 70 solar masses. Together, they represent one of the most massive binary systems ever discovered in our galaxy.

What you should watch out for

• GST meeting: The 56th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is scheduled for September 3 and 4, 2025, in New Delhi. The proposed two-slab system will be a key theme during the discussions.
• Fundraising: PNB Housing Finance Limited last week said its board of directors will meet on Friday, September 5, 2025, to consider a proposal for raising funds through the issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs). The company said the proposal involves fundraising of up to Rs 5,000 crore, in tranches, with or without a green shoe option, on a private placement basis.

Mom & Me & Mom is the seventh and final volume of whose autobiography?

Answer: Maya Angelou

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