IFSCA hosts the 2nd edition of Talent Summit 2026 at GIFT City

PRESS RELEASE IFSCA hosts the 2nd edition of Talent Summit 2026 at GIFT City The International Financial Services Centres Authority hosted the 2nd edition of its flagship event IFSCA Talent Summit – 2026 on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at GIFT City Club, Gandhinagar. The earlier edition of IFSCA Talent Summit was organised in November 2024.

The Government of India had established India’s first International Financial Services Centre

(IFSC) at GIFT City as a strategic initiative to develop a world-class global financial hub. GIFT IFSC is rapidly emerging as a preferred destination for international financial services, aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision: “When you integrate with GIFT City, you will integrate with the whole world.”In line with this vision, the summit was themed “Shaping Global Talent for India and the World” with aim to build a globally competitive, future-ready workforce to support the growth of the financial ecosystem and generate large-scale employment opportunities.

The summit aimed to showcase GIFT IFSC as a prominent global financial centre offering diverse career opportunities across sectors. It also focused on the promotion of foreign universities in GIFT IFSC as providers of industry-relevant education, while fostering strong industry–academia collaboration through internships, placements, and joint research programmes to build a future- ready workforce.

The summit was graced by distinguished dignitaries including Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri K. Rajaraman, Chairperson, IFSCA, Shri Uday Kotak, Chairman of GIFT City Company Limited, Shri Sanjay Kaul, MD & CEO GIFT City Company Limited. Senior officials of Government of India, Government of Gujarat and IFSCA, CHROs & CXOs from the industry, Vice Chancellors of top Indian Universities and representatives of foreign universities were also present during this flagship event.

Guest of Honour Hon’ble Deputy CM of Gujarat Shri. Harsh Sanghavi highlighted that GIFT City stands as an inspiring story that began in 2008, reflecting unwavering commitment, dedication, and the visionary leadership of Shri. Narendra Modi. He noted that GIFT City is rapidly emerging as the most preferred destination for the current and upcoming generations, symbolizing Gujarat’s growth trajectory and progressive outlook. Reaffirming government’s development roadmap for GIFT City, as envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, he underlined the government’s solutions-driven approach, focus on social infrastructure, and commitment to enabling professionals to “Work in GIFT City & Live in GIFT City”.

Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, emphasized the Government of India’s commitment to building a robust financial ecosystem driven by innovation and policy support, for realizing the vision of Hon’ble PM of India of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Dr.

Mishra remarked India has emerged as Vishwabandhu—a trusted partner for global good— embracing the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He also mentioned that development of human resources are vital and international universities are creating promising career opportunities in GIFT IFSC by bridging the gap between classroom learning and industry demands.

In his opening remarks, Shri Kalyanaraman Rajaraman, Chairperson, IFSCA, emphasized the critical role of GIFT IFSC as an emergent world-class financial hub powered by a skilled and future-ready workforce. Thanking the Government of India for attractive tax policies for GIFT IFSC in the 2026 Budget, he emphasized that GIFT IFSC is instrumental in realizing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of India becoming an export leader in delivery of financial services.

IFSCA, along with GIFT Co, has acted on the recommendations of the first edition and looks forward to implementing the ideas put forth.Shri Uday Kotak, Chairman GIFT City Co. Ltd highlighted the vision of the then Hon’ble CM of Gujarat Shri. Narendra Modi of making a world-class financial city in India in the backdrop of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. He identified ten fundamental principles which promise to fuel the growth of IFSC at GIFT City, including geopolitical and domestic stability, transformative approach towards ease of living, unified regulatory approach envisioned through IFSCA, progressive legal and tax policies among others. He reiterated that unflinching and continued commitment of all the stakeholders can make GIFT IFSC a leading global financial hub.

Shri Rishad Premji, Executive Chairman, Wipro Limited. shared valuable insights on the future of work, underlining the importance of digital transformation, continuous learning, and stronger industry–academia collaboration. He described India as the next talent destination in the AI driven world. He also emphasized the skilling and re-skilling efforts required for talent development and opined that talent creation can only be achieved through collaboration between the stakeholders.

The Summit featured a series of talks and panel discussions centered on key themes shaping the future of talent and education in the financial ecosystem. Key announcements were made by leading institutions on employment generation in GIFT IFSC as well as launching of several new courses and programmes by branch campuses of International Universities. The event commenced with a presentation of Gujarat’s Higher Education Ecosystem and a fireside chat exploring the opportunities in GIFT IFSC. The opening panel explored “Global Career Opportunities emerging in GIFT IFSC,” highlighting the expanding international prospects within the IFSC framework.

This was followed by a discussion on “Tri-City Knowledge Corridor (Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and GIFT City) – Nurturing talent development for new-age career opportunities,” which emphasized regional collaboration in building a skilled workforce. The closing panel themed “Foreign Universities in IFSC: Delivering world-class education for a future-ready workforce,” focused on the role of global academic institutions in enhancing education standards and preparing talent for emerging industry demands.

The event brought together global industry leaders, leading academicians, policymakers, and professionals to deliberate on strategies for talent development, academia-industry collaboration and strengthening GIFT IFSC’s position as a global talent hub.

Gandhinagar March 19, 2026