New Delhi- The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Government of India will host the first symposium on “Accelerating Digital Payments and Deepening Financial Inclusion” on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 in New Delhi.
The symposium brings together a diverse set of stakeholders, including government, private and public industry such as banks, payment service providers, product providers, and aggregators, and end users, along with industry associations, think tanks and civil society to explore how best to leverage the momentum of Prime Minister Modi’s “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana” initiative.
Participants will discuss the challenges in digital payments ecosystem and contribute to potential solutions with their unique perspectives and capabilities. The symposium will also examine expanding the reach and effectiveness of financial inclusion initiatives, and the tools necessary to ensure that all of India’s citizens participate in India’s digital financial future.
The symposium will begin with a keynote address by Smt. Anjuly Chib Duggal, Secretary, Department of Financial Services and special remarks by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance. Ms. Kaku Nakhate, Country Head, Bank of America, and Mr. Anupam Pahuja, Managing Director & CEO, PayPal India will provide remarks on behalf of the industry.
The closing plenary will comprise of a fireside chat between Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog; Ms. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, MeitY; Mr. Richard Nash, Head- Global Government Affairs, PayPal; and Mr. Sudipto Mundle, Emeritus Professor and Member of the Board of Governors, National Institute of Public Finance & Policy.
Speaking about the event, Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President, USIBC, said, “With the Government’s strong commitment towards making India a cashless society, it is imperative that we deliberate on the challenges to achieving a digitally driven economy. Industry stands ready to create innovative solutions to build a digital infrastructure that supports efforts underway for maximum financial inclusion.”
Some of the other eminent speakers that will be attending the event include Dr. Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary, MeitY; Mr. Gaurav Batra, Group Head, South Asia, Mastercard; Mr. Sriraman Jagannathan, Vice President – Payments, Amazon India; Mr. Manoj Adlakha, CEO-India, American Express; Ms. Debopama Sen, Head of Treasury and Trade Solutions, Citibank India; Mr. Bob Varnadoe, Global Chief Information Security Officer, NCR Corporation; Mr. Peeyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat; Mr. Iain Allison, Head of APAC and Europe Cross Border Remittances, PayPal; Mr. Shashi Arora, Managing Director & CEO, Airtel Payments Bank; Mr. Ashwin Mehta, Chief General Manager (Rural Banking), State Bank of India and; Mr. Ritesh Pai, Senior President & Country Head, Digital Banking, Yes Bank.
Formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian governments, the U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization, comprised of 400 top-tier U.S. and Indian companies advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. USIBC is the largest bilateral trade association in the United States, with liaison presence in New York, Silicon Valley, and New Delhi.
