News Briefs: Runa Expands Into India...Allstar Celebrates 50 Years
Global fintech firm expands into India...All Star Incentive Marketing celebrates 50th anniversary.
Runa Expansion Into India
All Star Anniversary
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Runa Expansion Into India 
Runa has announced its expansion into India, opening access to the country’s reported $8.9 billion gift card market. With this expansion, Runa says it “allows its business customers the ability to easily send instant, domestic and cross-border payouts to consumer recipients in India, dramatically reducing the traditional barriers of cost and complexity.”
The company says that “India’s rapid digital payment transformation—expanding at a notable rate of 44% CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) by transaction volume from 2017 to 2024—paired with a surge in cross-border consumer transactions, which grew by 121% in the last nine months of 2024 alone, has created a strong demand for alternative consumer payout solutions.”
By unlocking access to India, Runa says it’s now a “strategic partner for companies looking to tap into India's thriving gift card sector for consumer disbursement, rewards, recognition and incentives. With the Indian market growing by 15.3% year over year, Runa enables companies to simplify regulatory compliance, reduce foreign exchange risks, and provide flexible funding options when sending funds to Indian recipients.”
“We’re proud to bring Runa to India, where digital payments and gift cards are transforming how people connect and transact,” says Aron Alexander, CEO of Runa. “India’s fast-growing market is full of opportunity, and we’re here to help businesses effortlessly join one of the world’s most exciting economies and connect with millions of new consumers.”
Through Runa’s technology, the company says that “businesses can now deliver instant payouts via an expansive network of thousands of global and leading Indian merchants, including e-commerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, Shoppers Stop and popular digital wallets like Amazon Pay.”
Based in London and New York, Runa describes itself as “a leading global fintech building the infrastructure for the next generation of payouts experiences. Runa's API empowers thousands of businesses to make payments to over 5 billion consumers in over 190 countries. Consumers receive the money instantly and save it to their account or spend it at any merchant within the Runa network. Fully embeddable within any digital experience, Runa transforms payouts by unlocking new revenue for senders, removing friction for consumers and increasing basket size for merchants.”
All Star Incentive Marketing Celebrates 50 Years 
Sturbridge, MA based All Star Incentive Marketing celebrates its 50th anniversary in May. Describing itself as “a leader in results-based incentive, recognition, and reward programs, for half a century, All Star has been helping organizations across the nation engage, motivate, and reward the individuals behind their success.”
Throughout this celebratory year, All Star says it will recognize one customer each month whose partnership has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and achievements. In the fall, the company will host a special jubilee event titled “The Journey Then & Now,” celebrating All Star’s rich history and bright future. The event will bring together employees—both past and present—along with clients, partners, dignitaries, friends, and family, all of whom have contributed to the company’s ongoing success.
“Engagement, well-being, and safety are the pillars that support our work. We know there is a direct connection between motivated employees and improved outcomes,” says Brian Galonek, President. “Whether it’s reducing workplace injuries, boosting employee retention, or enhancing company culture, All Star is dedicated to helping organizations build stronger, more engaged teams.”
The company says it’s turnkey incentive and recognition platform “is ideal for pilot or division-specific programs, allowing clients to quickly launch a customized recognition and reward experience within 24 hours. With personalized logos, graphics, point values, and messaging, this version helps businesses see immediate results. For larger entities, the enterprise platform offers a robust suite of features including custom graphics, built-in surveys and quizzes, a wellness application, spot and peer-to-peer recognition, detailed reporting, and much more. This comprehensive solution serves as a dynamic communication tool, offering everything from custom news stories and social walls to real-time email and SMS notifications.”
Enterprise Engagement Alliance Services
Celebrating our 15th year, the Enterprise Engagement Alliance helps organizations enhance performance through:
1. Information and marketing opportunities on stakeholder management and total rewards:
ESM Weekly on stakeholder management since 2009; click here for a media kit.
RRN Weekly on total rewards since 1996; click here for a EEA YouTube channel on enterprise engagement, human capital, and total rewards insights and how-to information since 2020.
2. Learning: Purpose Leadership and Stakeholder
Management Academy to enhance future equity value and performance for your organization.3. Books on implementation: Enterprise Engagement for CEOs and Enterprise Engagement: The Roadmap.
4. Advisory services and research: Strategic guidance, learning and certification on stakeholder management, measurement, metrics, and corporate sustainability reporting.
5. Permission-based targeted business development to identify and build relationships with the people most likely to buy.
6. Public speaking and meeting facilitation on stakeholder management. The world’s leading speakers on all aspects of stakeholder management across the enterprise.
