The South Asian Institute for Advanced Research and Development (SAIARD) convened the National Symposium on FinTech 2026 at Hotel Hindusthan International, Kolkata, marking the first fintech symposium of this scale in Eastern and North-Eastern India.
The event brought together senior representatives from key regulatory institutions, the Government of West Bengal, national digital payments leadership, public sector banks, academic bodies, multilateral development organisations and fintech industry stakeholders.
Organised by SAIARD the symposium deliberated on policy frameworks, regulatory architecture and institutional collaboration in digital payments, financial inclusion and technology-enabled governance.
Mr. Babul Supriyo, Minister-in-Charge, Department of IT & Electronics, Government of West Bengal, graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Senior officials in attendance included Mr. Dushyant Nariala, IAS, Mr. Shubhanjan Das, IAS, Mr. Shiraz Daneshyar, IAS, Mr. Ashutosh Kumar Sahu, IRS, and Mr. Maotoshi Longkumer,Advisor to the Government of Nagaland.
“AI is a two-edged sword. While it will change the nature of jobs, it won’t replace them overnight. The key is to use AI responsibly.” — Mr. Babul Supriyo said.
“West Bengal is witnessing a digital renaissance with 32 IT parks driving growth, mirroring the evolution of Silicon Valley.” — Mr. Shubhanajan Das, Secretary, Dept. of IT & Electronics, Govt. Of west Bengal added.
“The latest technical innovation from RBI:
Across panels and roundtables, speakers from RBI, banks, government, academia, and fintech agreed that India’s Digital Public Infrastructure—combined with AI, secure data systems, and human-centred design—can extend finance, payments, and governance to the last mile. Discussions spanned digital credit, PACS, SHGs, AI-led auditing and fraud detection, cyber security, and the DPDP framework, underscoring that trust must scale with technology.
Fintechs showcased platforms and models that turn policy into access, reinforcing that Viksit Bharat will be built not by innovation alone, but by aligning regulation, literacy, design thinking, and interoperable systems people trust and use.
Organisers noted that the symposium was convened at a juncture when fintech and digital public infrastructure have assumed centrality in economic governance, yet structured national-level discourse of this magnitude has remained concentrated outside the eastern and north-eastern regions.
The programme witnessed the announcement of strategic partnerships between NPCI, private Banks and Calcutta Management Association with SAIARD Group. The SAIARD FinTech Awards were conferred in recognition of exemplary contributions in digital banking, fintech stewardship, last-mile connectivity and digital payments innovation.
The symposium positions Kolkata as an emerging centre for national discourse on digital governance, financial inclusion and fintech policy formulation.
(Edited by Pratyusha Mukherjee, Sr.Broadcast Journalist, British Media)
