Razorpay unveils AI platform to automate payment operations for businesses

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 12, 2026 | Technology

Razorpay has unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) platform aimed at reshaping how businesses build and manage payment infrastructure. Calling it the world’s first Agent Studio built on Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK, the fintech launched it at its FTX 2026 event on Thursday. The company also launched an agentic experience layer designed to simplify onboarding, payment integration, and operational management for online merchants.

“Businesses don’t just need more software anymore. They need intelligence that can act. With the launch of the world’s first Agent Studio for payments, we’re enabling companies to deploy AI agents that can understand and monitor their revenue flows, resolve payment issues, and unlock insights across billions of transactions in real time,” said Harshil Mathur, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Razorpay, at FTX event. “Our goal is simple: let businesses focus on growth, while payments work in the background for them. I believe this is the beginning of a new operating layer for businesses, where intelligent agents work alongside teams to make financial operations faster, smarter, and more autonomous.”

Commenting on the partnership, Irina Ghose, managing director (MD), Anthropic India said, “Razorpay’s work with Claude shows how AI agents can address real commerce challenges — recovering revenue, resolving disputes, and predicting cash flow. It’s a great example of what AI can do when it’s embedded into the operating fabric of business.”

Razorpay said its AI agents can automatically intervene when customers abandon a purchase, using the context of the transaction to initiate a voice, or message conversation, and encourage completion of the payment.

The agents can also connect with platforms such as Shopify, Shiprocket and WhatsApp to access transactions, and customer data across systems. Razorpay said businesses can also create custom agents using a no-code tool that allows them to define tasks in plain language, enabling automated actions, such as payment follow-ups, dispute responses and cash-flow management.

The firm also introduced an Agentic Experience Platform, an AI layer built with Anthropic’s Claude technology, that allows businesses to manage payment operations through natural-language commands rather than traditional dashboards and forms.

The platform includes tools for faster onboarding, automated reconciliation and simplified payment integrations. Razorpay said businesses can complete onboarding by submitting basic details such as PAN and website information, reconcile settlements by uploading financial records, and integrate payment systems through AI coding or no-code environments, reducing processes that once took hours to minutes.

The company is expanding its push into AI-driven payments, building on earlier demonstrations of “agentic payments” developed with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and OpenAI, and later extended through collaboration with Anthropic.

The company is now integrating these capabilities into in-app commerce, with partners including Zomato, Swiggy and PVR Inox. It is allowing users to discover products, make decisions and complete payments within a single conversational interface rather than traditional checkout flows.

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WhatsApp launches parent-managed accounts for pre-teens: How to set up

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 12, 2026 | Technology

WhatsApp is rolling out parent-managed accounts for pre-teens, which will let parents or guardians set up and supervise WhatsApp usage for young users. The feature will allow pre-teens to communicate through messaging and calls on the platform, while giving parents more control over privacy, contacts, and group participation. WhatsApp said that the rollout is expected to expand gradually over the coming months.

According to WhatsApp, Parent-managed accounts will be available for users under 13 years of age, or below the minimum age required to use WhatsApp in their country. To create these accounts, a parent or guardian must be at least 18 years old and use the latest version of WhatsApp on Android or iPhone.

WhatsApp for Pre-teen: How parent-managed accounts work

According to WhatsApp’s support page, in some regions, app stores operated by Apple or Google may share a child’s age range with WhatsApp based on local legal requirements, instead of the information being entered manually during setup. If users believe the age range shared is incorrect or want more details, they can review their device settings or visit the help centres of Apple or Google.

Parental controls and safety features

The parent-managed system introduces several tools designed to help guardians oversee how younger users interact on WhatsApp. Parents can decide who is allowed to contact the child’s account and which groups they are able to join. They can also review message requests from unknown contacts before interaction happens.

In addition, parents can manage privacy settings directly from the linked account. Access to these controls on the child’s phone is restricted behind the parent PIN, meaning only the parent or guardian can modify them.

Privacy and encryption

WhatsApp says that conversations on parent-managed accounts will still use the platform’s standard end-to-end encryption, meaning messages and calls remain private and cannot be read or heard by WhatsApp itself. The company said the feature is intended to support how families already use the app to stay in touch. The rollout will expand gradually as WhatsApp collects feedback from users and families.

How to set up WhatsApp account for pre-teens

Download WhatsApp on your child’s phone

As a parent, you can download WhatsApp and set up a parent-managed account for your child.

Download WhatsApp Messenger from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store on your child’s device.

Choose your language and tap Agree and continue.

Tap More options and select Create a parent-managed account.

Enter your child’s birthday and confirm their age.

Tap Continue to link to a parent’s account.

Link to your child’s account from your phone.

Scan the QR code displayed on your child’s device with your phone’s camera and tap the link to be taken to WhatsApp.

Tap Agree and continue.

Verify you’re an adult.

Create a 6-digit parent PIN.

This PIN is required to access and make changes to your child’s privacy settings and should not be shared with your child.

Confirm your parent PIN and then Next.

Tap Done and finish account setup on your child’s device.

Finish account setup on your child’s device

Enter your parent PIN.

Tap Continue.

Your child’s managed account is now set up. They’ll be able to enter their name and profile photo.

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Apple issues fix for security bug exploiting older iPhone, iPad, and iPod

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 12, 2026 | Technology

Apple has released new software updates — iOS 16.7.15, iOS 15.8.7, iPadOS 16.7.15 and iPadOS 15.8.7 — for older iPhones, iPads and iPods that are no longer eligible for the latest versions of iOS and iPadOS.The updates primarily include security patches aimed at fixing vulnerabilities that could affect devices running older operating systems.

Apple initially described the updates as containing “important security fixes”, but later confirmed that they address vulnerabilities associated with the “Coruna” exploit disclosed last week by Google and security firm iVerify.

What Apple has released

Apple has issued four updates for older devices:

iOS 16.7.15

iOS 15.8.7

iPadOS 16.7.15

iPadOS 15.8.7

According to Apple’s security documentation, the updates fix multiple vulnerabilities affecting the kernel and WebKit components of the operating system.

One of the vulnerabilities could allow a malicious app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Another set of issues involved WebKit, where processing specially crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution or memory corruption.

Apple said some of these fixes were previously included in newer iOS versions but are now being extended to devices that cannot upgrade to the latest operating systems.

Availability

The updates are available for several older iPhone and iPad models, including:

iPhone X

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

iPhone SE (1st generation)

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

iPad (5th generation)

iPad Pro (9.7-inch)

iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 1st generation)

iPad mini (4th generation)

iPad Air 2

iPod touch (7th generation).

What the Coruna vulnerability was

The updates come shortly after Google’s Threat Intelligence Group and iVerify disclosed details about an exploit framework known as Coruna.

According to Google, Coruna is an exploit kit that chains multiple vulnerabilities together to target iPhones running older iOS versions. The framework reportedly combines five exploit chains and 23 individual vulnerabilities to compromise devices running iOS 13 through iOS 17.2.1.

The attack typically begins when a user visits a compromised website that runs hidden JavaScript to detect device details such as the model, system version and security configuration.

Once the device is identified as vulnerable, the exploit can bypass several layers of iOS security protections and gain higher system privileges. Attackers could then install malware capable of collecting data or downloading additional malicious modules.

Google and iVerify said the exploit kit was used in “watering hole” attacks involving compromised websites. Some campaigns reportedly used fake cryptocurrency platforms designed to lure victims into visiting malicious pages.

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Meta lays out roadmap for in-house AI chips to power expanding data centers

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 12, 2026 | Technology

Meta Platforms on Wednesday unveiled a roadmap of four new chips that the company is making in-house, as it rapidly expands its data centers.

Like many big tech companies, such as Alphabet and Microsoft, Meta has invested heavily in building a team that can design chips in-house in addition to purchasing off-the-shelf products made by Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.

Making chips designed to tackle the specific types of data crunching Meta requires can lead to designs that use less energy and at a better cost.

The new chips are part of the company’s Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) program and the first of the new chips, called the MTIA 300 is in use, powering the company’s ranking and recommendation systems.

The other three will be rolled out this year and in 2027, with the final two chips, the MTIA 450 and 500, being designed to perform inference, the process when an AI model, such as the one that powers the ChatGPT app, responds to customer queries and requests.

“We see inference demand exploding at the moment and that’s what we’re currently focused on,” Yee Jiun Song, Meta’s vice president of engineering, said in an interview. Meta has had some success with inference chips but has struggled with its long-time ambitions to make a generative AI training chip, capable of building the large models that power AI apps.

Beginning with the MTIA 400, which the company says is on the path to being used in its data centers, Meta has designed an entire system around the chips, which is roughly the size of several server racks and includes a version of liquid cooling.

The company plans to release the new chips at six-month intervals because it is rapidly expanding the number of data centers it uses to run apps like Instagram and Facebook, Song said.

“That is the reality of how quickly our infrastructure is being built out,” Song said. The company said in January it expects capital spending of between $115 billion and $135 billion this year.

Meta contracts Broadcom to help with some elements of the designs, though Song did not specify which chips. The company uses Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to fabricate the processors.

In February, Meta signed big deals with Nvidia and AMD to buy tens of billions of dollars worth of chips.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Tech Wrap March 11: Xiaomi 17 series, Sonos speakers, Gemini in Chrome

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 11, 2026 | Technology

The Xiaomi 17 series debuted in India on March 11. The company’s latest flagship lineup, which includes the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with a Leica-powered camera system featuring a 200MP telephoto sensor and a 1-inch primary sensor, while the Xiaomi 17 is equipped with a triple 50MP Leica camera setup. The Ultra variant includes a 6,000mAh battery with support for 90W wired charging, whereas the base model packs a 6,330mAh battery with 100W wired charging support.

Sonos has introduced two new speakers — Sonos Play and Sonos Era 100 SL — expanding its range of wireless speakers in India. The company said these new models are designed to function within the wider Sonos ecosystem, enabling users to place speakers across different rooms and create a multi-room audio setup. While Sonos has confirmed that the speakers will be launched in India, the company has not yet revealed their pricing or the official launch schedule.

Google is bringing Gemini-powered AI capabilities to the Chrome browser for users in India. The update integrates the Gemini 3.1 model directly into Chrome, enabling users to interact with the Gemini AI assistant while browsing the web. With these tools, users can summarise lengthy webpages, compare information across several tabs, draft emails via Gmail, and even edit images without leaving the browser.

OpenAI has rolled out a new update to ChatGPT aimed at helping users understand math and science topics in a more interactive way. According to OpenAI’s blog, the feature introduces dynamic visual explanations that allow users to observe how formulas, variables, and equations change in real time. The company said that the new learning experience, covering more than 70 core topics, is being rolled out globally to all logged-in ChatGPT users across plans. The company said the update aims to help students grasp complex concepts more effectively instead of simply memorising formulas.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has gone on sale and is now available for purchase in India. The South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 lineup — consisting of the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra — alongside the Galaxy Buds 4 series on February 26. The Galaxy S26 lineup debuted at a starting price of Rs 87,999 and introduces a new Privacy Display feature, additional Galaxy AI capabilities such as Now Nudge, and an updated camera module design. Apple MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e and more go on sale in India

Apple’s MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, iPhone 17e, and iPad Air — along with other products unveiled by the company last week — are now available for purchase in India. These devices had been open for pre-orders since March 4 and are now going on sale through the Apple Store online, Apple retail outlets, as well as select e-commerce platforms and retail stores. Apple is also offering introductory deals on the new products, including bank cashback of up to Rs 10,000 on select MacBook purchases and up to Rs 4,000 cashback on the new iPad Air. The company is also providing no-interest equated monthly instalment (EMI) options for buyers.

Google has announced additional Gemini capabilities for its Workspace applications, including Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. According to the company, Gemini can now retrieve relevant information from a user’s files, emails, and the web to create drafts, organise spreadsheets, develop presentations, and answer questions about stored documents. The update is expected to make it easier for users to begin projects and manage information more efficiently with AI assistance. These features are rolling out in beta starting today for Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers.

Amazon has launched a new AI-powered health assistant called Health AI on its website and mobile app. According to the company, the tool is designed to help users ask health-related questions, review medical records, manage prescription renewals, and connect with healthcare providers. The company said the assistant can also book appointments and provide guidance based on a user’s health information if they grant access to their records. The feature is currently limited to the US, with a broader rollout expected in the coming weeks.

Instagram is reportedly facing a global outage, with several users reporting problems while accessing the Meta-owned social media platform. According to Downdetector, an outage-tracking platform owned by Ookla that provides real-time updates on service disruptions, more than 1,300 Instagram users in India reported issues related to the platform at around 12 PM on March 11.

Some early buyers of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series are reportedly encountering an unusual software issue. According to a report by 9to5Google, citing posts on Reddit, a few users have reported that their Samsung Galaxy S26 series devices are showing a notification indicating that the smartphone is not certified by Google Play Protect.

Artificial Intelligence is sparking the “largest infrastructure buildout in human history,” requiring trillions of dollars in investment and creating massive demand for skilled blue-collar labour, Nvidia Founder and CEO Jensen Huang has said. In a recent blog post, Huang argued AI has evolved past being a simple application or a single model, and must now be viewed as essential infrastructure akin to electricity and the internet.

For months, OpenAI’s Sam Altman has been talking up plans to spend trillions of dollars on an unprecedented buildout of data centers stocked with advanced chips to power AI. The task of turning that ambition into a reality now falls in part on Sachin Katti, a recent hire at OpenAI who spent much of his career in academia and likes to say he didn’t have a real job until he started working at Intel Corp. more than four years ago.

Anthropic PBC told a judge it could lose as much as billions of dollars in revenue this year and urged quick action on its request to block the Trump administration’s declaration of the company as a US supply-chain risk after a blowup with the Pentagon over artificial intelligence safety issues.

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Meta said on Wednesday it is acquiring Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents to make posts and interact with each other. A takeover of the AI experiment by the parent company of Facebook and Instagram comes weeks after Moltbook attracted viral attention as an unusual Reddit-like hub for AI systems trading gossip.

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Mission Mausam boosts cyclone forecast accuracy in coastal states

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 11, 2026 | Technology

The Mission Mausam initiative and a series of modernisation measures in weather monitoring have significantly improved the accuracy and lead time of cyclone and extreme rainfall forecasts for coastal states, including Odisha, helping authorities minimise loss of life and property during disasters.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the initiative, implemented since late 2024 by subsuming the earlier Atmosphere and Climate Research – Modelling Observing Systems and Services (ACROSS) scheme, has strengthened monitoring and early warning systems while enhancing the observational network and modelling capabilities of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and other associated institutions.

The minister cited a comparative analysis of operational cyclone forecast performance between 2016–2020 and 2021–2025, which shows notable gains in predicting cyclone track, landfall location, and intensity.

According to the analysis, the landfall point forecast error has reduced considerably. During 2021–25, the error for forecasts issued 24, 48, and 72 hours in advance stood at 19 km, 34.4 km, and 77.3 km, respectively, compared to 31.9 km, 61.5 km, and 91.9 km during 2016–20. This indicates an improvement of 35–45 per cent for the 24–48-hour lead period and about 20 per cent improvement for the 36–72-hour lead period.

Similarly, average cyclone track forecast errors also showed improvement. The error was 73 km, 116 km, and 168 km for forecasts issued 24, 48, and 72 hours ahead during 2021–25, compared to 77 km, 117 km, and 159 km during 2016–20. This reflects a 5 to 10 per cent improvement up to 48 hours.

The improvement has been more visible in cyclone intensity forecasts. The average absolute error in intensity prediction during 2021–25 was 5.3 knots, 7.5 knots, and 9.1 knots for the 24, 48, and 72-hour lead periods, respectively. The corresponding errors were 7.9 knots, 11.4 knots, and 14.1 knots, indicating a 35–45 per cent improvement up to 72 hours during 2016–20.

The data also suggested a significant increase in the lead time of accurate forecasts, which is critical for evacuation and disaster preparedness. The landfall forecast error of 34 km at a 48-hour lead time occurred during 2021–25 as against 32 km at a 24-hour lead time during 2016–20, implying an improvement of nearly 24 hours in lead time for a similar level of accuracy.

The improved forecasting capability has played a key role in reducing cyclone-related fatalities across the country. Since 2010, there has been a significant decline in deaths during cyclonic storms due to timely warnings issued by IMD and effective evacuation measures by state governments.

The minister informed that Cyclone Biparjoy (2023), which hit Gujarat, resulted in zero deaths, while Cyclone Michaung (2023) in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh caused 19 fatalities. Cyclone Dana in Odisha recorded zero deaths, Cyclone Fengal (2024) in Tamil Nadu claimed 10 lives, and Cyclone Montha (2025) in Andhra Pradesh resulted in eight fatalities.

“These numbers are significantly lower compared to the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, which caused thousands of deaths, highlighting the transformative role of modern forecasting systems and disaster preparedness,” Singh said in a written reply.

The IMD has also been strengthening meteorological infrastructure across the country, including in Odisha, through the installation and upgrading of observation systems such as Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Automated Rain Gauges (ARG), High Wind Speed Recorders (HWSR), and Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs).

At present, Odisha has 39 manned surface meteorological observatories, 29 Automatic Weather Stations, 136 Automated Rain Gauge stations, and six High Wind Speed Recorders. Current Weather Observation Systems are operational at four airports in the state. The state is also equipped with two Doppler Weather Radars at Paradip and Gopalpur, both functioning round the clock.

The government has proposed additional infrastructure in Odisha to further strengthen forecasting capabilities under Mission Mausam.

“This includes two C-band Doppler Weather Radars at Sambalpur and Balasore by 2026, an X-band Doppler Weather Radar in Bhubaneswar, and an S-band Doppler Weather Radar at Puri. These new installations will significantly enhance cyclone monitoring, rainfall prediction and early warning capabilities, benefiting not only Odisha but also adjoining coastal regions of eastern India,” Singh added.

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