Mumbai, Sep 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai on Tuesday, marking the commencement of one of the world’s largest annual fintech gatherings that brings together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology companies, investors and academia.

The four-day event, scheduled from September 8 to 11, will focus on emerging technologies and their role in advancing inclusive finance. Since its inception in 2020, GFF has evolved into a global platform for discussions on the future of finance and digital innovation, according to a Press Information Bureau statement.

The theme of GFF 2026 is “Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum – Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance”.

GFF 2026 has been designed as a convergence point for policy, regulation, technology, capital and industry on a common platform. It seeks to build on India’s leadership in digital payments and financial inclusion and move from potential to impact. The discussions will focus on how Agentic AI, programmable finance, quantum technologies and other critical and emerging technologies can create trusted, inclusive and measurable outcomes for citizens, enterprises and economies globally, a government statement said on Monday.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently positioned Mumbai not just as the financial capital of India, but as the country’s Fintech Capital. He emphasised that Mumbai historically under-leveraged its standing as India’s financial hub. By marrying traditional banking and capital markets with cutting-edge digital infrastructure, the city is evolving into an integrated fintech ecosystem.

Addressing perceptions around tech hubs like Bengaluru or Hyderabad, CM Fadnavis highlighted that Maharashtra leads the country in absolute numbers of startups, venture funding, and total unicorns, driven heavily by fintech enterprises. He further stated that Maharashtra currently houses over 60 per cent of India’s total data centre capacity (exceeding 1 GW operational capacity).

The state’s power-surplus status and dedicated cloud infrastructure provide the technical backbone required for low-latency financial transactions and digital payment processing. ​

The state government implemented dedicated fintech policies offering plug-and-play parks, single-window clearances, and rapid land allotments (often within 24-36 hours) to lower the cost and friction of doing business.

Through broader initiatives — including AI Innovation Parks, cyber-security centres, and digital public infrastructure — the administration is aligning the fintech domain with emerging technologies to secure financial networks and scale solutions globally, said the industry department sources.

Mumbai, Sep 7: Domestic equity benchmarks opened marginally lower on Monday weighed by concerns over liquidity absorption from a busy initial public offering calendar and persistent tensions in the Middle East that have pushed crude oil prices higher.

Nifty 50 started the trading session declining 14.55 points or 0.06 per cent at 23,883.15, while Sensex opened 69.38 points or 0.09 per cent lower at 76,446.05.

In early trade, Nifty Media index fell 1.26 per cent and Nifty IT index declined 1.15 per cent, leading sectoral losses.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto, Nifty Chemicals, Nifty Private Bank, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Cement indices were also in the red zone.

In contrast, Nifty Oil & Gas index rose 0.06 per cent, while Nifty Metal, Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Realty gained up to 0.38 per cent.

According to analysts, the equity market had been drifting lower for four weeks despite positive economic and corporate earnings news with elevated crude prices and the IPO boom emerging as key headwinds.

“There are eleven mainboard IPOs hitting the market this week. The mega IPOs are also expected this month and the offerings could absorb significant liquidity and divert investor focus from the secondary market,” according to them.

Technically, the market experts said the Nifty’s downside marker at 23,860 remained intact, while the index faced resistance near 23,960. The 23,800 level was seen as a key support with a break below it potentially opening the way towards the low 23,000s with an initial objective of 23,570.

The 24,150-24,215 region remains a hurdle to be crossed before strength is confirmed, analysts said.

In addition, crude oil prices traded higher on Monday as rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz raised concerns about potential supply disruptions.

Mumbai, Sep 6: The Indian stock market is likely to remain sensitive to global cues next week, with crude oil prices, rising bond yields, stronger-than-expected US jobs data and foreign investor flows emerging as key factors that could shape investor sentiment. Renewed tensions between the US and Iran, uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and shifting expectations around US interest rates are expected to keep volatility elevated.

The benchmark indices ended higher on Friday, but surrendered most of their intra-day gains and closed near the day’s lows after the closing auction session (CAS). The Sensex gained 363 points to close at 76,515, while the Nifty rose more than 24 points to finish below the 23,898 mark.

The broader market performance remained mixed, with the Nifty Midcap 100 slipping into negative territory, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 managed to end in the green.

One of the biggest concerns for investors heading into the new week is the renewed rise in crude oil prices. Oil gained around 8 per cent during the week after the US and Iran exchanged strikes following a month-long lull, reviving fears of a supply disruption as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut for oil transit.

The prolonged disruption has also prompted a reassessment of crude price expectations. Citi has raised its average Brent crude price forecast for the third quarter to $86 a barrel from its earlier estimate of $80, citing expectations of a longer-than-anticipated timeline for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Higher oil prices could put additional pressure on inflation and corporate costs in oil-importing economies such as India. Investors will therefore closely monitor developments in the Middle East and any indications of when normal oil shipments through the strategic waterway could resume.

Another major concern is the sharp rise in global bond yields. A bond-market selloff of a scale not seen in decades has pushed yields across several major economies to multi-year highs. Markets are currently dealing with a combination of oil-driven inflation, expectations of tighter monetary policy and deteriorating fiscal conditions.

The rise in crude prices and fuel costs has increased inflationary pressures while also pushing up government borrowing costs globally. At the same time, investors are assessing the possibility that tighter financial conditions could weigh on economic growth if there is no meaningful easing in inflationary pressures.

US monetary policy expectations could add another layer of volatility. A stronger-than-expected US jobs report has brought the possibility of a September interest-rate hike back into focus, creating a difficult policy choice for Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for lower borrowing costs.

US employers added 162,000 jobs in August, almost three times the number expected by economists. The labour force participation rate also increased to 61.6 per cent. Despite the larger pool of available workers, the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 per cent.