Welcome Remarks by RBI Governor in the Inaugural Session of Global FinTech Fest 2026 on September 8, 2026

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Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, members of the GFF Advisory Council, dignitaries from India and abroad, FinTech founders, innovators, financial sector colleagues, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen.

Namaskar and good evening.

2. We are immensely honored and encouraged by the presence of the Hon'ble Prime Minister at this Festival. Sir, your leadership has shaped initiatives that place India at the forefront of digital innovation. On behalf of the Reserve Bank of India and the fintech fraternity, I extend a warm welcome to you. Your presence here for the third year in succession, reflects your deep commitment to the use of technology and innovation in finance.

3. Over the past decade, fintech has fundamentally reshaped the architecture of Indian finance. It has taken banking from the branch to the hand of every citizen. Today, a shopkeeper in a small town, a farmer in a remote village, a young professional in a metro city all transact, save, and borrow through the same seamless digital rails —UPI, Aadhaar-enabled payment system, and the Jan Dhan ecosystem. This is financial inclusion not as a policy aspiration but as a lived, everyday reality for hundreds of millions of Indians. Fintech is the bridge that connects our vast, diverse population to formal finance faster and affordably.

4. Equally significant has been fintech's role in improving customer experience and efficiency of our financial infrastructure — reducing account opening and payment settlement times, cutting transaction costs, strengthening fraud detection through AI-driven analytics, enabling real-time supervision etc. Perhaps, nowhere is the impact more tangible than in the credit delivery to our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Through cash-flow based lending, account aggregators, and platforms like the Unified Lending Interface, fintechs are helping bridge India's MSME credit gap by extending formal, collateral-light credit to millions of small businesses that, for decades, were invisible to traditional underwriting models. This is credit reaching the last mile of enterprises, powering jobs and livelihoods across the country.

5. The Reserve Bank has consistently viewed fintech as a valuable partner in building the financial system of the future. The Regulatory Sandbox, the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub and our structured dialogue with startups, FinTechs and other stakeholders all rest on the conviction that better policy emerges from continuous, open and constructive engagement. We have encouraged self-regulation within the sector. We have supported the development of digital public infrastructure that fintechs can build upon. We have been open to new ideas and new players. We have promoted responsible innovation while safeguarding trust that is the very foundation of finance. We will continue with this approach, guided by a vision to build a financial system that is safer, more trustworthy, inclusive, fair and efficient, and supports economic growth and public welfare.

6. Hon’ble Prime Minister, this festival is a testament to what is possible when policymakers, regulators, financial intermediaries and innovators share a common purpose. I, on behalf of all the participants, express our heartfelt gratitude to you for taking out precious time for this event. We look forward to hearing your vision for India's next phase of technological and economic transformation.

Thank You.
Jai Hind.

I now request Hon’ble PM to kindly deliver the inaugural address of the Global FinTech Festival 2026.

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