Bhubaneswar: The inaugural Black Swan Summit India 2026 concluded in Bhubaneswar in the presence of the President Droupadi Murmu, as Chief Guest and under the leadership of Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi.
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 AI-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 AI to establish a Sovereign AI Park in the state. Investment proposal of Rs 20,000 crore is envisaged to generate thousands of skilled direct & indirect jobs in Odisha. The initiative will build secure compute infrastructure and enable population-scale AI applications across education, agriculture, healthcare, governance and public safety, strengthening last-mile service delivery through voice-enabled platforms.
President highlights importance of skills, innovation and global collaboration
President Murmu, 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. I appreciate the Government of Odisha and the Global Finance & Technology Network for co-organising the Black Swan Summit as part of this initiative. I am confident that the discussions and collaborations emerging from this Summit will have a transformative impact not only for Odisha, but for India and the world.”
Distinguished participation and national significance
In attendance were Governor of Odisha Hari Babu Kambhampati; Mukesh Mahaling, Minister for Electronics & Information Technology; Suryabanshi Suraj, Minister for Higher Education; Anu Garg, Chief Secretary; Vishal Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, Electronics & IT; Mr. Ravi Menon, Chairman, GFTN; and Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO, GFTN, along with distinguished global leaders, investors and partners.
Chief Minister highlights Odisha’s digital growth vision
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi 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 job creation and investment. The State is simultaneously developing an ecosystem for Global Capability Centres, supported by earmarked land, modern infrastructure, data centres and semiconductor manufacturing initiatives.”
Odisha Chief Secretary, Anu Garg said: “For global corporations and investors present here, the message from Odisha has been consistent. The State offers policy stability, regulatory clarity, institutional continuity, a growing industry-ready talent base and a governance framework rooted in trust. These are the reasons why global investors and companies are committing to support Odisha through investment, talent pipelines, global capability centres and innovation partnerships.”
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).
Their participation is significant for Odisha. It signals that leading global institutions in finance, technology and policy view Odisha as a credible destination for investment, talent and innovation. Their presence strengthens Odisha’s integration into international digital finance networks and builds confidence among long-term investors.
BharatNetra Partnership Shows Early Results
A key highlight of the address was BharatNetra, Odisha’s Integrated Global Financial Technology Capability Hub developed in partnership with GFTN.
Ravi Menon, Chairman, GFTN, said: “At the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited India last year. His visit to Odisha signalled the State’s strategic importance as India’s eastern gateway and marked a watershed moment in Singapore–Odisha relations. One of the MoUs signed then led to the BharatNetra partnership. We have made substantial progress in just one year.”
The partnership has already delivered tangible outcomes. A hands-on FinTech and InsurTech training programme designed by the National University of Singapore’s Asian Institute of Digital Finance has graduated its first cohort of 195 students, many of whom are being considered for 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. Menon added that if states like Odisha successfully combine technology with jobs, inclusion and dignity, it could offer a template for many developing economies.
MoUs Signed to Drive Jobs, Innovation and Inclusion
The AI MoU with Sarvam will integrate compute infrastructure, talent development, research, startups, global enterprises, and government use cases. These systems are intended to strengthen last-mile delivery of government schemes by enabling citizens—particularly in rural, tribal, and low-literacy contexts—to access information on social benefits, and grievance redressal through simple conversational interfaces.
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 Pensions and Vayana, creating pathways from 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.
A Defining Moment for Odisha’s Global Digital Future
The Black Swan Summit India marks a decisive step to establish Odisha as a globally connected centre for AI-enabled finance, innovation and global capability services.