Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Grace Global Fintech Fest 2026

The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will grace Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026, the world’s largest fintech conference, scheduled to be held from 8th to 11th September 2026 at the Jio World Centre, and Trident, Mumbai.

Stalwarts of the global fintech ecosystem will converge at the conference, organised by the
Payments Council of India (PCI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the
Fintech Convergence Council (FCC).

GFF 2026 is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY);
the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance; the New, Emerging and Strategic
Technology (NEST) Division, the Ministry of External Affairs; Niti Aayog; the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI); the Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI); the International Financial
Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development
Authority (PFRDA).

The theme of GFF 2026 is “Potential to Impact: Agentic AI | Tokenisation | Quantum:
Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance.”

Among other luminaries from India who will address GFF 2026 are Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman,
Hon’ble Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs; Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Union
Minister for Road Transport & Highways; Shri Sanjay Malhotra, Governor, Reserve Bank of
India (RBI); Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI); Dr. Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairperson, PFRDA; Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Commerce
Secretary, Government of India; Shri Sanjay Lohiya, Secretary, Department of Financial
Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India; Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Infosys;
Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chair, GFF2026, Founder – Infosys and Chairman, Axilor Ventures,
Mr. Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, Chairman, State Bank of India, and Dr. Shaji Krishnan V.,
Chairman, NABARD.

Among leading speakers from other countries are, Ms. Caroline Abel, Governor, Central
Bank of Seychelles; Mr. Pablo Hernández de Cos, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements (BIS); Ms. Valerie Szczepanik, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission; Dr. Innocent Matshe, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe; Ms. Ekaterine Galdava, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Georgia; Mr. Rajeev
Hasnah, First Deputy Governor, Bank of Mauritius; Dr. Kisukyabo Simwaka, Deputy Governor Operations, Reserve Bank of Malawi; Mr. Alexandre Stervinou, Director Currency and
Retail Payments, Banque de France; Mr. Tom David Mutton, Executive Director – Payments
Innovation and Fintech, Bank of England; Ms. Christine Tan, Head of Asia Pacific- Financial
Institutions Group (FIG) Sales, J.P. Morgan, and Mr. David Watson, President & CEO, The
Clearing House.

Speaking on the objective and vision of the conference, Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chair,
GFF2026, Founder, Infosys and Chairman, Axilor Ventures, said, “At the outset, let me
express our deep gratitude to the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for kindly
agreeing to grace GFF 2026 with his august presence, for the third year in a row. His visionary
leadership has always been a guiding light for all of us. As for the objective of this conference,
over hundreds of sessions leading policymakers, regulators, central bankers, industry captains
and other stakeholders of the fintech ecosystem will deliberate on shaping trusted and
connected global systems for inclusive finance, keeping into consideration how three
foundational technologies – agentic AI, tokenisation and quantum — are transforming the
sector. Our mission is to contribute meaningfully to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of
‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

Mr. Vishwas Patel, Managing Director and CEO, AvenuesAI Ltd., Chairman, Payments
Council of India (PCI), and Member, GFF 2026 Advisory Council, said, “India’s digital
payments revolution has demonstrated the power of innovation, collaboration and
progressive regulation in transforming financial inclusion at an unprecedented scale. Today,
India is not only building world-class payment infrastructure but also creating models that are
being studied and adopted globally. Global Fintech Fest 2026 will serve as a catalyst for the
next phase of this journey by bringing together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions,
startups and technology leaders from across the world to foster collaboration, exchange ideas
and accelerate the development of secure, interoperable and inclusive financial ecosystems.”

Ms. Sohini Rajola, Executive Director Growth, the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI), and Member, GFF 2026 Advisory Council said, “At NPCI, we are proud to present the
seventh edition of Global Fintech Fest. This year’s theme explores how Agentic AI,
Tokenisation and Quantum, while powerful individually, can converge to create a new
financial operating stack that is intelligent, programmable and secure. As these technologies
reshape financial services, GFF 2026 will bring together innovators, policymakers and industry
leaders to drive meaningful conversations, strengthen collaboration and help build a more
resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem

Mr. Vibhav Hathi, Co-founder, OneCard, Chairman, Fintech Convergence Council (FCC), and
Member, GFF 2026 Advisory Council, said, “The pace of fintech innovation has never been
faster, with artificial intelligence, embedded finance, digital identity, tokenisation and nextgeneration infrastructure redefining how financial services are built and delivered. Unlocking
the full potential of these technologies will require strong partnerships between startups,
financial institutions, regulators, and technology providers. Global Fintech Fest 2026 provides
a unique platform for the global fintech community to collaborate, share best practices, and
collectively shape a financial ecosystem that is more intelligent, resilient, and inclusive.”

With participation from over 70 countries, GFF 2026 will feature keynote addresses,
regulatory dialogues, industry deliberations, and policy and business roundtables. Besides a
host of speaking sessions there will be a large exhibition of the latest fintech innovations and
solutions, startup showcases, workshops and hackathons. Several reports with insights on the
industry will also be launched at the conference.

For more information on GFF 2026 please visit: https://www.globalfintechfest.com/

About Payments Council of India (PCI)

The Payments Council of India (PCI) was formed under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile
Association of India (PCI) in the year 2013 catering to the needs of the digital payment
industry. The Council was formed inter-alia to represent the various non-banking payment
industry players, and to address and help resolve various industry-level issues and barriers
that require discussion and action.

The council works with its 220+ members, encompassing over 90% of the industry to promote
payments industry growth and to support our national goals of ‘Cashless Society’ and ‘Growth
of Financial Inclusion’ which is also the Vision Shared by the RBI and the Government of India.
PCI represents the complete digital payments ecosystem of India through its various
committees representing different sectors.

For more information on the PCI visit: https://www.paymentscouncil.in

About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is the umbrella entity responsible for
operating retail payments and settlement systems in India. It is established by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The Company is focused on
bringing innovations in the retail payment systems by using technology for achieving greater
efficiency in operations and widening the reach of payment systems. NPCI is committed to
harnessing the transformative potential of deep tech, creating an ecosystem that fosters
collaboration to work on breakthrough technologies. Underlining its commitment to service,
NPCI has been incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company to provide infrastructure to the
entire Banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement
systems.

The NPCI has made a profound impact on India’s retail payment landscape, focusing on
creating robust, efficient, and inclusive payment and settlement solutions. NPCI has been
instrumental in introducing a range of products that have revolutionised retail payment
systems. These include Unified Payments Interface (UPI), RuPay, National Automated
Clearing House (NACH), Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), National Electronic Toll
Collection (NETC), Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), e-RUPI and more.

Each of these products has contributed significantly to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of payment
systems in India, ultimately propelling financial inclusion.

The NPCI has played a fundamental role in establishing the foundation for India’s rapidly
growing digital payments ecosystem, projecting the country onto the global stage.
The NPCI has three wholly owned subsidiaries – NPCI International Payments Limited
(NIPL) and NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL) and NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL),
established in pursuance of NPCI Board & RBI approval.

For more information visit: https://www.npci.org.in/

About Fintech Convergence Council (FCC)

Established in 2018, the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) is an industry body representing
the collective voice of fintech companies in India. Since its inception, the FCC has evolved into
a leading platform with a diverse membership of over 280 fintech entities across key
segments including digital lending, wealth, insurance, RegTech, and credit bureaus. The FCC’s
core mission is to address sector-specific challenges and provide a unified platform for
dialogue within the broader BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) ecosystem.
The council actively engages with regulators and policymakers to help shape progressive
policy frameworks and promote a balanced approach to innovation and compliance. In
addition to policy advocacy, the FCC also focuses on knowledge sharing, strengthening
consumer education, and promoting responsible finance through awareness-building
initiatives on customer protection, digital literacy, and best practices in fintech

To learn more about the FCC visit https://fintechcouncil.in