Singapore-headquartered Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), an entity of Singapore Central Bank, the monetary authority of that country, in association with Odisha Government is organising the inaugural Black Swan Summit India, to be held in Bhubaneswar on 5 – 6 February to help the eastern State emerge as India’s future FinTech, AI and Global Capacity Centre (GCC) hub.
With participation from more than 1,700 delegates across 24 countries and nearly 100 speakers from 5 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa). Black Swan Summit India is getting global and national policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology leaders, startups, investors, and academics for an execution-oriented dialogue.
The event is aimed at laying the foundation of India’s next phase of digital and economic growth.
According to GFTN, what was achieved in Singapore in fintech and start-up ecosystem in 10 years, can be achieved in five years in Odisha.
The Summit, organised under the BharatNetra initiative, started during the January 2025 visit of President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Odisha and to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu, reflects Odisha’s transition from policy articulation to execution in AI, FinTech, and InsurTech, the organisers said.
Rather than focusing on technology adoption alone, Odisha is reframing digital policy around measurable outcomes – jobs, skills, enterprise creation, and global competitiveness.
“Odisha is not preparing to merely participate in the global digital economy; we intend to help shape it, as a frontline contributor to Viksit Bharat,” said Vishal Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, Electronics & Information Technology, Government of Odisha.
“Our focus is on operationalising AI and digital finance in ways that deliver real economic value and long-term institutional capacity,” he added.
“Odisha is stepping forward to demonstrate how inclusive, tech-led governance, future-ready talent, global collaboration and trusted digital infrastructure can deliver prosperity at scale for India,” said Mr Dev.
The objective includes deploying AI, FinTech, and InsurTech as workforce multipliers, particularly beyond Tier-I cities, and positioning Odisha as a credible destination for global capability centres, digital finance infrastructure, and long-horizon investment.
Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO, GFTN in a statement said: “Odisha’s partnership with GFTN through BharatNetra offers a blueprint for how State governments can strengthen national competitiveness by connecting to the global digital economy.”
“Through GFTN’s network across more than 130 countries, Odisha gains direct access to innovators, investors, and policymakers enabling the state to scale digital finance with a strong focus on investment attraction, workforce readiness, and the establishment of global capability centres,” he said.
“The outcomes are already visible: students gaining world-class fintech skills, startups beginning to access mentorship and capital, and Bhubaneswar emerging as an eastern gateway for Asia-Pacific financial innovation,” he added.
For Odisha, GFTN’s global ecosystem spanning innovators, entrepreneurs, capital providers, and policymakers acts as an institutional bridge into trusted global digital finance networks.
The partnership aligns skilling with real industry demand, accelerates ecosystem maturity in FinTech, InsurTech, and AI, and ensures that policy ambition translates into skills, jobs, enterprises, and long-term capital.
A major focus of the Summit is the role of FinTech and InsurTech in promoting financial inclusion, stability, and resilience. Odisha is aligning education, skilling, and certification frameworks with real industry needs, recognising that nearly 69% of its population is of working age.
Executing on this vision, the first cohort of the BharatNetra, a five-month FinTech & InsurTech hybrid programme, launched by the Government of Odisha in collaboration with the National University of Singapore-Asian Institute of Digital Finance and GFTN graduated on Wednesday.
Global and national industry partners are actively interviewing graduates, with additional hiring opportunities through a job fair held alongside the Black Swan Summit.
Top performers will receive global exposure, including representation in Japan under the MUFG Young Innovators initiative and at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2026.
As many as seven students have already been selected under the MUFG Young Innovators program and 6 under the Singapore Pathfinders program.
Launched on 31 July 2025, the programme began its first cohort in September with 385 participants, of whom 195 students have successfully completed the course.
The Black Swan Summit India marks a decisive step in Odisha’s ambition to establish Bhubaneswar as a nationally and globally connected centre for AI-enabled FinTech, InsurTech, and global capability services.
(The writer is in Bhubaneswar at the invitation of GFTN and government of Odisha)
