The Business Today Banking and 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.

As per the press release, the summit will be hosted on January 13 at the St Regis Hotel (Imperial Hall) in Mumbai and 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 and 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 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.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways will speak on ‘Investing in Infrastructure to Drive Economic Growth’, while 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 and Banking: Riding the Storm’.

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

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

‘Discussing Banking and Fintech: A New Partnership’, the rise of Fintech, market-based financial intermediation, innovative financial goods, and services will be CSB Bank MD and CEO Pralay Mondal, TamilNadu Mercantile Bank MD and CEO S Krishnan, AK Purwar, Chairman, IIFL Finance and Former Chairman, SBI; A.P. Hota, Independent Director, Federal Bank and Former MD and 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 and Managing Director, Mahindra Finance; Umesh Revankar, CEO and MD, of Shriram Transport Finance Company; and Manish Shah, MD, and CEO, of Godrej Capital.

A panel will also 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, and CEO, of Fincare Small Finance Bank; Anubrata Biswas, MD, and CEO, of Airtel Payments Bank; Rishi Gupta, MD, and CEO, Fino Payments Bank; and Sanjay Agarwal, MD, and CEO, AU Small Finance Bank.

The Chairman of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, KV 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 and Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific, JP Morgan; Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India; Ashu Khullar, CEO, Citibank India; Sanjiv Chadha, MD, and CEO, Bank of Baroda; V. Vaidyanathan, MD, and 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 and Fintech Awards presentation ceremony will wrap up the summit’s conclusion. The jury panel for the awards was led by KV Kamath.