Bharti Airtel has acquired a strategic stake in Aqilliz, a blockchain-as-a-service company under the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, subject to statutory approvals. Singapore-based Aqilliz has developed a patented hybrid blockchain platform, Atom, which integrates differential privacy and federated learning on a distributed digital ledger. This allows brands to create secure and consent-based solutions to engage with customers in a rapidly evolving digital economy that is becoming increasingly decentralised. Airtel aims to deploy Aqilliz’s advanced blockchain technologies at scale across its fast-growing adtech (Airtel Ads), digital entertainment (Wynk Music and Airtel Xstream) and digital marketplace (Airtel Thanks App) offerings.