Bhubaneswar: The first Black Swan Summit India 2026 concluded in the presence of the President of India Ms. Droupadi Murmu, here on Friday.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also graced the occasion.
The Summit was organised by the Government of Odisha under the BharatNetra initiative, in partnership with the Singapore-headquartered Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), to highlight the digital and financial transformation underway in Odisha through the development of a future-ready workforce, a world class FinTech hub and Global Capability Centres.
Over two days, the Summit brought together nearly 1,500 delegates from 24 countries and close to 100 speakers from five continents, including senior government leaders, global financial institutions, technology innovators, investors, students and entrepreneurs.
Deliberations focused on concrete pathways for Odisha’s economic development through Al-enabled finance, FinTech and InsurTech digital public infrastructure, and large-scale job creation.
The Department of Electronics & IT, Government of Odisha, also signed an MoU with Sarvam Al to establish a Sovereign Al Park in the state. Investment proposal of Rs. 20,000 crore is envisaged to generate thousands of skilled direct & indirect jobs in Odisha.
President of India Highlights Importance of Skills, Innovation and Global Collaboration. She said: “Advancing skill development, establishing global capability centres and strengthening innovation capacity are critical investments in human capital. I am pleased to note that the Government of Odisha has launched the BharatNetra initiative to build a future-ready workforce and innovation ecosystem in digital, financial and insurance technology sectors.
Governor of Odisha Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati; IT Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Chief Secretary Ms. Anu Garg, ACS E&IT Vishal Kumar Dev, Chairman, GFTN Ravi Menon, and Group CEO, GFTN, Sopnendu Mohanty were also present.
Odisha CM said: “Odisha is emerging as a hub for FinTech and InsurTech innovation, supported by the IT Policy 2025 and the forthcoming FinTech Policy, which aim to provide regulatory clarity, incentives and infrastructure for iob creation and investment. The State is simultaneously developing an ecosystem for Global Capability Centres, supported by earmarked land, modern intrastructure, data centres and semiconductor manufacturing initiatives.”
Some of the global leaders who joined the Summit include Douglas Feagin, President, Ant International; Michael Schlein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Accion; Makoto Shibata, Chief Executive Officer, FINOLAB; Kimihiro Sakaguchi, Managing Director, SMBC Global Services; Jinya Suzuki, Managing Director, MUFG Global Service; Yanan Wu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Surfin Meta Digital Technology; Alex Capri, global author and Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore Business School; and Tek Yew, Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore – Asian Institute of Digital Finance (NUS-AIDF).
The partnership has already delivered tangible outcomes. A hands-on FinTech and InsurTech training programme designed by the National University of Singapores Asian Institute of Digital Finance has graduated its first cohort of 195 students, many of whom are being considered tor industry roles. A second cohort will begin soon, with the programme targeting 7,000 students over five years. Top performers will gain global exposure in Japan through the MUFG Young Innovators initiative and at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2026.
The Summit also witnessed the signing of strategic MoUs with corporate partners including Bajaj General Insurance, Advanze Tech, Annapurna Tech Universe, ESTPL, ProgCap, Propelld, ShovelTech Solutions, Spice Money, Surfin, Symbo Insurtech, Universal Pensïons and Vayana, creating pathways trom education to employment policy to pilots and innovation to implementation.Another partnership involving ANT International and GFTN will support women entrepreneurs in Odisha in scaling digital commerce and accessing global markets.
