Elets Technomedia, in collaboration with The Banking & Finance Post, hosted the 9th Elets BFSI CXO Summit & Awards at Sofitel Mumbai BKC. This exclusive, closed-door summit brought together top BFSI leaders to shape the industry’s future through innovation and collaboration.
The summit’s theme, “Shaping the Digital-First Era with Innovation & Collaboration in BFSI”, focused on emerging technologies, growth strategies, and new opportunities for the sector. The event featured insightful keynote addresses, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, offering attendees exclusive insights into emerging technologies and growth strategies.
Shivam Pathania, Head Business & Strategy – BFSI, Elets Technomedia, welcomed industry leaders and emphasised that this summit is a platform to exchange insights, build partnerships, and shape a digital-first BFSI landscape. “As the industry evolves in the digital age, staying ahead demands more than just keeping pace—it requires innovation, collaboration, and a future-ready mindset. This summit serves as a platform to exchange insights, build partnerships, and shape a digital-first, people-first BFSI landscape,” he said.
Keynote Sessions:
Capt. Lovekesh Thakur, Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), delivered the keynote on “Shaping the Future of BFSI: Innovation, Inclusion, and Transformation”. He emphasised, “The financial ecosystem is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven by rapid technological advancements, evolving customer expectations, and an increasingly interconnected global economy. To stay relevant, financial institutions must not only embrace change but lead it—with strategic vision, ethical responsibility, and an unwavering commitment to inclusivity”
Sumnesh Joshi, Deputy Director General (Joint Secretary Level), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, shared insights on “Enriching Customer Experience in Today’s Digital Ecosystem” in his keynote address. He remarked, “Everything we do is ultimately aimed at enhancing the customer experience. The digital ecosystem is driving economic activities, fostering innovation, and enabling the development of diverse products across the country, from rural to urban India. To stimulate economic growth, increasing consumption is essential, which requires making the digital ecosystem more affordable and accessible.”
“At the same time, safeguarding data privacy and ensuring its responsible use are crucial to mitigating risks. This approach will help create a sustainable competitive advantage while enriching the customer experience through a robust digital infrastructure,” he further added.
Key Panel Discussions
The summit’s dynamic agenda featured expert-led panel discussions on crucial topics such as redefining growth strategies, leveraging big data, AI in customer interactions, cybersecurity challenges, and the rise of Super Apps in BFSI.
Moderated by Dhananjaya Tambe, Former Deputy Managing Director & CIO, State Bank of India, the inaugural session on “The Next Frontier in BFSI: Redefining Growth Strategies for a Competitive Edge” explored strategies for sustainable growth. Industry leaders including Kalpesh Dave, Deputy CEO, Bajaj Capital; Shailesh Pandey, COO, Fino Payments Bank; M V S Murthy, CMO, Federal Bank; Priyam Alok, CBO, Saraswat Bank, and Samir Kumar Mohanty, CTO & Digital Transformation Officer, Avanse Financial Services joined this session.
Akshay Yadava, Director, UIDAI, led an insightful discussion on “Generative AI in BFSI: Beyond Chatbots”, which highlighted AI’s impact on BFSI operations. From streamlining operations to redefining decision-making, the discussion explored how AI can drive efficiency, improve security, and revolutionise customer engagement in the BFSI landscape.
Esteemed speakers like Venkat Yellapantula, Chief Digital Officer, Indian Bank, and Gaurav Srivastava, Head of Technology, BHIM, NPCI, discussed the evolving digital-first approach in BFSI.
As a proactive cybersecurity strategy is essential to maintaining trust in digital banking, the summit also explored new horizons in cybersecurity for today’s hyper-connected era. Led by Namita Rohra, Vice President and National Head of Liability, Credit and Specialty Lines at Reliance General Insurance, the session featured insightful discussions on emerging cyber threats, regulatory landscapes, and innovative strategies.
Expert Talk
Krupesh Bhat, Founder, Signdesk, shared his insights on the current state of AI, highlighting its limitations in creativity and handling sensitive information. “AI is still not at the stage to have creativity,” Bhat explained, pointing out that fairness, privacy, accuracy, and robustness remain key challenges. However, he is optimistic about significant progress in the next 24 months.
He also noted the growing global investment in AI, with 30% of tech investments being directed towards it. “60% of large enterprises are adopting AI, and private banks are leading the way,” he added. He emphasized that AI’s future includes autonomous agents replacing human tasks and co-pilots boosting productivity over the next 4-5 years.
Tech Dialogue
The 9th Elets BFSI CXO Summit also featured an interesting tech dialogue on the significance of human intelligence in the AI age. Dhananjaya Tambe, Former Deputy Managing Director & CIO, State Bank of India stressed the importance of undersnderstanding your customers’ needs. “Don’t jump on the technology and then seek the solutions for customers’ problems. First, find out what customers want. Sometimes, it just needs one single line of change in the programming code rather than an entire big new tech solution. An example of Human Intelligence. Lots of technological solutions are already available, and they are all available at a very low price. We just need to avail them, he said.
Awards
The summit also recognised exceptional leadership through the 9th Elets BFSI CXO Awards, celebrating visionaries and leaders transforming the BFSI landscape.
The 9th Elets BFSI CXO Summit & Awards concluded with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and leadership driving the future of BFSI. The summit was supported by esteemed partners including Nutanix as the Hybrid Cloud Partner; SignDesk, the SaaS Partner, and Tech Partner, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zelar, as an exhibitor.
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