Dr. Raj P. Narayanam named Entrepreneur of the Year 2024-25 by HMA
HYDERABAD, India , June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Raj P. Narayanam, Founder and Executive Chairman of Zaggle, has been honoured with the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2024–2025 by the Hyderabad Management Association (HMA). This esteemed recognition celebrates Dr. Raj's exceptional entrepreneurial vision, leadership, and his impactful contributions to the industry, reaffirming his role as a driving force in India's business and fintech landscape.
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was conferred upon Dr. Raj P. Narayanam at the 52nd HMA Annual Awards ceremony, held at the Marigold Hotel, Hyderabad . The award selection followed a rigorous evaluation process conducted by an independent and distinguished jury comprising Mrs. K. Vijaya Lakshmi (Retired Judge), Prof. S. Sreenivasa Murthy (Director, IPE), Mr. V. N. Vishnu (IAS, Retd.) and Mr. Prakash Chandra Baror (General Manager, SBI). After a thorough assessment of the nominees, the jury unanimously recommended Dr. Raj P. Narayanam for this honour in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurial achievements and industry contributions.
Expressing his gratitude on the recognition, Dr. Raj , said, 'I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award' from HMA. This recognition is a reflection of the collective dedication, innovation and hard work of the entire team at Zaggle. The award celebrates impactful business leadership in the region, and I am proud to be among those acknowledged. This recognition inspires us to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation and to continue contributing meaningfully to India's ever-evolving business landscape.'
Conceptualized in 1964, HMA has a legacy of fostering managerial excellence and professionalism. The 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award' category recognizes outstanding leadership and significant growth in the entrepreneurial landscape. Past recipients of this award include notable figures such as Dr. Manne Satyanarayana Reddy , Founder & Chairman of MSN Group, Mr. V. Venkatram, MD & CEO, SeedWorks International and A. Sridhar Reddy Managing Director, Esennar Transformers.
With over two decades of experience in global finance and technology, Dr. Raj has been a trailblazer in developing innovative solutions that drive efficiency and ensure compliance within the SaaS and FinTech sector. His visionary leadership has earned him multiple prestigious accolades, including the 2024 Hurun Industry Achievement Award for Financial Solutions. He was also recently named 'FinTech Leader of the Year' at both the Bharat FinTech Summit and by Business World, further cementing his reputation as a leading force in the fintech landscape.
About Hyderabad Management Association
The Hyderabad Management Association (HMA), established in 1964, is a prominent professional organization dedicated to fostering managerial excellence and spreading professionalism among executives, academia, and students in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Affiliated with the All India Management Association (AIMA), HMA provides a vital platform for knowledge sharing, skill development through various programs, and recognizing outstanding contributions to the management and entrepreneurial landscape. The 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award' is one of its most distinguished accolades, celebrating leaders who demonstrate exceptional performance and drive significant growth in their respective fields.
For more information, visit their website https://www.hmaindia.net/.
About Zaggle
Founded in 2011, Zaggle (BSE: 543985) (NSE: ZAGGLE) is a leading player in spend management, offering a differentiated value proposition with a diversified user base. Operating within the business-to-business-to-customer (B2B2C) segment, Zaggle stands out as one of the few companies with a comprehensive range of financial technology products and services. Zaggle is one of India's top issuers of prepaid cards, collaborating with banking partners to drive its card offerings. The company also boasts a diverse portfolio of SaaS products and an extensive network of touchpoints. As of March 31, 2025 , Zaggle has issued over 50 million prepaid cards, serves more than 3,400 corporate enterprise clients and supports a user base exceeding 3.2 million. With a robust corporate client base spanning various industries, including banking and finance, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, FMCG, infrastructure and automobiles, Zaggle is well-positioned as a leading player in the spend management sector.
For more information, please visit the company website www.zaggle.in or follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/zaggleapp/
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/dr-raj-p-narayanam-named-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2024-25-by-hma-302477528.html
Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Entrepreneur
an hour ago
- Entrepreneur
AI Neobanking Meets Kirana
BranchX has already clocked INR 110 crore in annual revenue and is gearing up for the launch of its next flagship AI product You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Walk into any corner shop in India—the kind where the cashier is a one-man army juggling payments, inventory, and sometimes local gossip—and you'll get a glimpse of the country's economic engine in action. But look closer, and you'll also see a centuries-old system in need of an upgrade. That's where BranchX comes in, and they're not handing out patch fixes. They're rebuilding the machine with voice, AI, and a deep understanding of the street level chaos that defines India's small retail landscape. Founded by Sajid Jamal and Rajesh Johnny, BranchX is not your typical fintech darling chasing buzzwords. It's a battle hardened, AI-first neobanking platform aimed squarely at India's underserved small retailers. "We're building a future where small businesses access finance as simply as speaking their language and running their shop," says Jamal. At the heart of BranchX's offering is the Xenie Retail PoS, a multilingual, voice-led device that blends billing, collections, inventory, and payments into one seamless experience. Think Alexa meets UPI, but with more grit and a lot more rupees. It's not just a fancy machine—it's a nerve center for neighborhood stores, capable of offering personalized credit, real-time reconciliation, and cash flow analytics. And for the 300,000+ merchants already hooked into their 10xfi platform, that connectivity is proving transformative. The numbers speak loud and clear: over INR 6,000 crore in gross transaction value flows through the 10xfi platform. And more than 10,000 retailers are now digitized via Xenie Retail PoS. But BranchX isn't here to boast. It's here to level the playing field, especially for small businesses that have historically operated outside the reach of formal financial systems. By blending connected banking with vernacular, voice-enabled tech, the company has created what it calls "a digitally intelligent ecosystem" for India's micro-merchants. The goal? To turn digitally hesitant retailers into confident players in the new economy. "The real challenge isn't technology—it's trust," says Johnny. "While tech is scalable, enabling digital fluency among first-time banking users is not. We tackle this with voice-led interfaces, guided onboarding, and AI that learns from users to build confidence." That's not just user-friendly design, it's a moat, and a wide one at that. BranchX's approach isn't just smart; it's strategic. Its modular, cloud-first infrastructure is built to scale, and its R&D labs are experimenting with Agentic AI and GenAI to automate processes and deepen personalization. Features like voice-led business insights, inventory prompts, and AI-driven credit scoring are already live, reshaping how retail owners think about finance—not as a hassle, but as a partner. With such groundwork, the road to profitability doesn't look like a tightrope walk, it looks like a highway. BranchX has already clocked INR 110 crore in annual revenue and is gearing up for the launch of its next flagship product: Xenie, the AI assistant machine that will sit right on retail counters, dishing out voice-led insights and financial nudges in real time. The company expects this to unlock high-margin revenue via premium services and cross-sell opportunities. And they're not stopping at India's borders. While domestic expansion will see the number of Xenie Retail PoS devices leap from 10,000 to over 200,000, BranchX is also eyeing the Middle East. "We're entering select Middle East markets through strategic partnerships," says Jamal, hinting at a bold new frontier for the homegrown fintech. On the back end, the company is getting ready to open the floodgates to fintech innovation. BranchX is productizing its embedded finance APIs and will soon launch a developer ecosystem—essentially a sandbox for third-party builders to craft custom solutions atop BranchX's infrastructure. It's an open invitation for fintech creativity to thrive on a platform already wired for scale. To fuel this ambitious blueprint, BranchX has secured a $5 million capital commitment from existing investors. But instead of blowing through it in one go, they've structured it as a flexible capital call over 10 months. It's lean, it's calculated, and it gives them the breathing room to stay execution-focused. BranchX stands out for one reason: it talks like the shopkeepers it serves. And in doing so, it's not just bridging the digital divide—it's quietly laying down the rails for a retail revolution.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Siebert invests in wealth management platform FusionIQ
Diversified financial services company Siebert Financial has invested in FusionIQ, a cloud-native digital wealth management platform. Siebert has also entered a 'strategic partnership' with FusionIQ. This collaboration will integrate FusionIQ's technology into Siebert's operations, aiming to improve its digital services and simplify investment workflows. The alliance is part of Siebert's ongoing strategy to focus on technology investments and establish partnerships that enhance client service. FusionIQ CEO Eric Noll said: 'Our partnership with Siebert Financial Corp. reflects a shared vision for the future of wealth management and investing tools—one that is inclusive, digital, and built for the next generation of investors. 'With their forward-looking leadership and deep client relationships, Siebert is uniquely positioned to help us expand access to modern investing solutions.' The collaboration will allow Siebert to provide a range of solutions, including hybrid advice, self-directed investing, and multi-custodian integration. Siebert CEO John Kimbro said: 'We're thrilled to integrate FusionIQ's leading digital wealth management solutions with Siebert's client offerings. 'This partnership supports our shared mission to deliver financial freedom to everyone—through intuitive, scalable tools that meet each investor's unique needs.' Siebert operates through various subsidiaries, including Muriel Siebert and Siebert AdvisorNXT. It offers a comprehensive suite of brokerage and financial advisory services, which encompass securities brokerage, investment advisory, insurance offerings, and corporate stock plan administration, alongside entertainment and media production services. In February this year, the firm established Siebert Investment Banking to cater to middle-market clients. The division is led by Kimberly Boulmetis and Ajay Asija. Initially, Siebert Investment Banking will focus on providing customised solutions for underserved companies in financial services, including FinTech, depository, and specialty finance, with plans to expand into blockchain, digital assets, and other sectors in the future. "Siebert invests in wealth management platform FusionIQ" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dollar hits fresh 2025 low as US tariff concerns pick up again
(Bloomberg) — The dollar (DX=F) extended its decline as worries over US tariffs increased after President Donald Trump said he would notify trading partners soon of unilateral levies. Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future Trump's Military Parade Has Washington Bracing for Tanks and Weaponry NYC Renters Brace for Price Hikes After Broker-Fee Ban NY Long Island Rail Service Resumes After Grand Central Fire Do World's Fairs Still Matter? The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slid as much as 0.6% to the lowest level since July 2023 on Thursday, extending the previous day's drop spurred by softer US inflation data. The euro rose to its strongest since November 2021. Traders will be monitoring US producer-price data due later Thursday for confirmation of subdued pressures. Some of its components feed into core personal consumption expenditure, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. They will also watch an auction of 30-year Treasuries after yields surged last month on fiscal concerns. 'Dollar weakness has much more room to run,' said Vasileios Gkionakis, senior economist and strategist at Aviva Investors. He added the greenback's weakness despite rising yields show eroding investor confidence in US assets. The dollar's decline spilled into the currency volatility market, reinforcing the inverse correlation between the greenback and hedging costs recently. Demand was particularly pronounced in the one-week tenor, which captures the Fed's June 18 policy meeting. What Bloomberg's Strategists Say... 'Trader pricing still favors more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, although the precise timing flips around depending on the prevailing investor mood. But what is consistent is the US dollar ploughing a path to the downside as FX trader convictions firm.' — Mark Cranfield, Markets Live Strategist, Singapore Currency traders will also be watching the upcoming Group-of-Seven summit for any trade negotiation developments. 'We are watching the G-7 summit closely for pending trade deals between the US and its key trading partners (e.g., Mexico and Canada),' said Alex Loo, macro strategist at TD Securities in Singapore. 'Leaks this week may boost sentiment, especially the likes of Canadian dollar and Mexican peso.' (Updates with pricing, analyst quote and options section.) New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years American Mid: Hampton Inn's Good-Enough Formula for World Domination The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
