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Top 10 Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations for 2025

 While popular tourist destinations like Paris, Tokyo, and New York will always attract crowds, more travelers are seeking lesser-known places that offer unique experiences without the crowds. Off-the-beaten-path destinations are becoming increasingly popular for those who wish to explore hidden gems, often providing a more authentic and intimate travel experience. Faroe Islands, Denmark Located in the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islands offer dramatic landscapes of cliffs, waterfalls, and rugged coastlines. The islands are a paradise for nature lovers and hikers, with few tourists and an abundance of wildlife. Bhutan Known for its stunning landscapes and commitment to sustainability, Bhutan offers travelers a chance to experience Buddhist culture and unspoiled natural beauty. The country is home to the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery and a range of outdoor activities like trekking and white-water rafting. Mongolia Mongolia's vast, open steppes and the Gobi Desert provide a unique back...
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The Art of Budgeting: How to Take Control of Your Finances

 Budgeting is a critical skill for anyone looking to achieve financial stability and long-term wealth. It begins with understanding your income and expenses, which requires a diligent review of where your money goes each month. Start by tracking all your expenses, categorizing them into essentials like rent, utilities, and groceries, and non-essentials such as entertainment and dining out. This detailed breakdown will reveal areas where you can cut back or reallocate funds. Once you have a clear picture of your spending habits, set financial goals—short-term ones like building an emergency fund and long-term objectives such as saving for a home or retirement. A practical budgeting strategy is the 50/30/20 rule. Allocate 50% of your income to necessities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or debt repayment. For those with irregular incomes, focus on living below your means and prioritizing savings during high-earning months. Building an emergency fund equivalent to t...
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Steps NBFCs Can Take to Achieve Profitability

  Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) play a critical role in India’s financial ecosystem. They bridge gaps that traditional banks often cannot address. However, with increasing competition, regulatory pressures, and evolving customer expectations, achieving and sustaining profitability has become a pressing challenge. Here are key steps NBFCs can take to enhance profitability: 1. Leverage Technology for Operational Efficiency The adoption of digital tools and technology is essential for NBFCs aiming to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Automating routine processes such as loan approvals, customer onboarding, and document verification can significantly cut operational expenses. Additionally, leveraging data analytics can help NBFCs gain insights into customer behavior, allowing for personalized offerings and better risk assessment. Cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) further enable scalability and innovation while keeping overheads low. 2. Focus on Niche Segment...
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Artificial Intelligence in HR: Restructuring Financial Institutions' Talent Strategies

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  The role of human resources (HR) is undergoing a significant change across many industries, particularly in finance, as companies embrace technological innovations to improve their HR functions. By integrating artificial intelligence (AI), organizations like Poonawalla Fincorp are enhancing efficiency, cutting costs, and automating tasks that once took days.  AI Stabilising HR Operations AI is reshaping the HR landscape by automating many routine tasks such as recruitment, resume screening, and employee management. Previously, HR departments would take days to complete these tasks, but AI has sped up the process significantly.  For instance, Poonawalla Fincorp has managed to reduce the time to finalize job offers from ten days to just one, reflecting a 90% reduction in processing time. AI-powered tools help handle repetitive tasks like resume evaluations, candidate verifications, and document checks, enabling HR teams to focus on more strategic functions. These technol...
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The Growing Influence of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services

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  Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword in finance; it is transforming the way financial institutions operate, manage risks, and serve customers. As a finance professional, I’ve seen firsthand how AI is revolutionizing the financial services industry. In this article, I will explore the key applications of AI in finance and discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with its growing influence. AI in Risk Management and Fraud Detection One of the most significant ways AI is reshaping finance is through risk management and fraud detection. Financial institutions are increasingly using AI algorithms to identify patterns in large datasets, which helps to predict and mitigate risks more effectively. AI-driven tools can spot unusual transactions or customer behavior that may indicate fraudulent activity, allowing banks and financial organizations to respond quickly. Machine learning models can analyze historical data, recognize emerging threats, and provide i...
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A Finance Geek’s Take on LearnByDoing

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  Let’s talk about innovation in education—a topic that fascinates finance geeks like me. While we’re busy analyzing data and crunching numbers, there’s a revolution happening in classrooms, and it’s called the "LearnByDoing" initiative. I remember my own school days when science felt abstract and disconnected. Wouldn’t it have been amazing to actually build circuits or peer through a microscope instead of just reading about them? That’s exactly what the LearnByDoing supported by Abhay Bhutada Foundation offers to over 2000 students in Pune’s rural schools. From Books to Real-Life Applications Here’s the genius of LearnByDoing: it turns theoretical knowledge into practical exploration. By providing STEM kits to underprivileged students, the program makes science and math interactive and fun. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, science isn’t boring; it’s alive and full of possibilities.” The kits include tools like periscopes and human body models. These aren’t just objects; they’re g...
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Poonawalla Fincorp’s AI-Driven HR Transformation

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  Poonawalla Fincorp, a prominent non-banking financial company (NBFC), has embarked on a path-breaking initiative by incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its Human Resources (HR) Strategic Business Unit (SBU). This AI integration exemplifies the company's commitment to using technology for operational excellence and setting industry benchmarks. Revolutionizing Recruitment with AI Recruitment processes, traditionally bogged down by delays in document verification and candidate evaluations, have been transformed at Poonawalla Fincorp with the help of AI. What used to take ten days to complete is now done in under one, representing a 90% reduction in time. This not only accelerates the hiring process but also reduces costs, reinforcing Poonawalla Fincorp’s reputation as a leader in digital innovation. “Integrating AI in our HR processes is a critical part of our digital transformation strategy,” said Arvind Kapil , Managing Director and CEO of Poonawalla Fincorp . “This mo...
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