Business Today Banking & Economy Summit to set themes for the industry

The Business Today Banking & Economy Summit 2023 returns with an exceptional line-up of policymakers and regulators, top executives from banking and financial services, fintech start-ups, tech corporations, aggregators, card companies, and other key stakeholders. The summit, which will be hosted on January 13 at the St. Regis Hotel (Imperial Hall) in Mumbai, will discuss significant trends and concerns relating to the evolving business and operating environment in the banking and financial services sector.

The agenda for Business Today Banking & Economy Summit 2023 has been meticulously set against the backdrop of the global economy facing extraordinary challenges, such as tremendous unpredictability in demand; an economic slowdown; supply chain disruption; rising inflation; and interest rate hikes. This annual intellectual summit will feature panel discussions and fireside conversations where eminent speakers discuss how, despite these obstacles, the Indian economy is in better form than most other emerging economies and the global economy, but is yet not immune to the global crises' repercussions.

Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways will speak on Investing in Infrastructure to Drive Economic Growth, while Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, will dwell on the topic Serving the nation – Reinforcing the Backbone of India’s Economy. Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India will address delegates on The Economy & Banking: Riding the Storm.

Speaking on the topic Banking on a High: The Big Turnaround & Challenges Ahead will be Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank. Top bankers and executives who will participate in a much-sought-after discussion on the Banking on the Economy include Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, SBI; D.K. Joshi, Chief Economist, CRISIL; Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist, Bank of Baroda; and Shubhada Rao, Founder, QuantEco.

The discussion on Banking in the Digital Age will have Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, BharatPe and Former Chairman, SBI, R. Subramaniakumar, MD & CEO, RBL Bank; and Murali Ramakrishnan, MD & CEO, South Indian Bank in attendance.

Discussing Banking & Fintech: A New Partnership, the rise of Fintech, market-based financial intermediation, innovative financial goods, and services will be CSB Bank MD & CEO Pralay Mondal, TamilNad Mercantile Bank MD & CEO S Krishnan, A.K. Purwar, Chairman, IIFL Finance and Former Chairman, SBI; A.P. Hota, Independent Director, Federal Bank and Former MD & CEO, NPCI; Anirban Mukherjee, CEO, PayU; and Sanjay Doshi, Partner, Head – Financial Services Advisory, KPMG in India

The NBFC angle will be deliberated by Ramesh Iyer, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra Finance; Umesh Revankar, CEO & MD, Shriram Transport Finance Company; and Manish Shah, MD & CEO, Godrej Capital.

Green is the flavour of the season, and a panel will deliberate on Sustainable Finance in the Green Economy. The participants are Vineet Rai, Founder and Managing Partner, Aavishkaar Capital; Ankur Khurana, Managing Director, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, India, Standard Chartered Bank; and Vijay Nirani, MD, MRN Group.

A discussion on the relevance and outlook for small finance banks and payments banks will be taken on by Rajeev Yadav, MD & CEO, Fincare Small Finance Bank; Anubrata Biswas, MD & CEO, Airtel Payments Bank; Rishi Gupta, MD & CEO, Fino Payments Bank; and Sanjay Agarwal, MD & CEO, AU Small Finance Bank

The Chairman of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, K.V. Kamath, will discuss the Future of Banking in an Uncertain World. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Salesforce, will speak on the topic A Lifetime in Banking – Arundhati’s Story.

The opinions of Kaustubh Kulkarni, Senior Country Officer - India & Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific, JP Morgan; Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India; Ashu Khullar, CEO, Citibank India; Sanjiv Chadha, MD & CEO, Bank of Baroda; V. Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC First Bank; and Piyush N. Singh, Senior Managing Director, and India Business Lead, Accenture, will be presented through a discussion on Banking on the Competitive Edge.

The Business Today-KPMG Best Banks & Fintech Awards presentation ceremony will wrap up the summit's conclusion. The Business Today Best Banks Awards are the most sought after in the industry because they combine quantitative ranking utilising the most comprehensive set of parameters with qualitative ranking based on bank inputs examined by a super-eminent jury panel. The jury panel was led by K.V. Kamath.