FM Nirmala Sitharaman invites global CEOs to invest in India’s digital, financial sectors
By R Anil Kumar
New York/ Bengaluru. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a series of meetings with global business leaders in New York, highlighting investment opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure and financial services sectors, according to an official statement posted on X on September 4, 2026.
During a meeting with Sanjeev Ahuja, Chairman and CEO of Tillman Holdings, Sitharaman said India’s policy framework, including recent Budget announcements, is facilitating investments in digital infrastructure.
She highlighted the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, digital services and enterprise technology, saying these sectors were generating sustained demand for data centres, high-capacity networks and reliable power infrastructure.
Sitharaman said companies such as Tillman Holdings were well positioned to participate in the next phase of India’s digital infrastructure expansion.
In another meeting with Marsh Re CEO Dean Klisura and the company’s head of strategy and corporate development, Devanshu Dhyani, Sitharaman said India offered global professional services and risk-management firms a combination of a large domestic market, skilled talent, expanding infrastructure, digital capabilities and a reform-oriented business environment.
She pointed to India’s economic performance, with the country recording 7.8 per cent GDP growth in the first quarter of FY 2026-27.
The Marsh Re team acknowledged the government’s reform-oriented approach and said the company was keen to expand its presence in India, particularly given the level playing field and the role of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
Marsh Re also said it had strengthened its focus on GIFT City and was increasing its engagement with the financial ecosystem there across products and services.
In a separate meeting with Alejandro Perez, Group COO of BNY Mellon, discussions focused on India’s resilient growth trajectory and opportunities for increased investment by global financial institutions.
Sitharaman highlighted India’s strong domestic demand, deepening financial markets and reform-oriented policy environment, which she said continued to strengthen investor confidence.
Perez underlined BNY Mellon’s longstanding commitment to India, describing the country as a critical market for its global operations and growth strategy.
He also highlighted the company’s engagement with leading Indian institutions, including IITs, to develop and nurture high-quality talent. Perez said BNY Mellon’s India operations were evolving beyond a delivery centre into a strategic global hub for innovation, technology and advanced capabilities, including AI.
The discussions also covered opportunities arising from India’s expanding financial ecosystem, Digital Public Infrastructure, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and GIFT City-IFSC.
Sitharaman invited the BNY Mellon team to visit GIFT City-IFSC and explore the range of products and services available there.
