India | September 2026: With India’s private enterprise entering a new chapter and the next generation of leaders shaping what comes next, the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) marked its centenary in Mumbai with the launch of its landmark book, Never Taking No for an Answer: India’s Indomitable Private Enterprise, alongside a special fireside chat hosted by the Young Leaders Forum (YLF), the youth wing of ICC. The fireside conversation, moderated by Ankit Gupta, Chairperson, ICC Young Leaders Forum, brought together Dr Rajiv Kumar, Economist and Former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India, and Shri Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group, for a conversation on Indian enterprise, entrepreneurship, leadership, institution-building and the role of young India in shaping the country’s future.

Shri Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group, on leadership, values and the role of young leaders, said, “Everything can change, but the values cannot change. Businesses will change. You cannot remain in your same business as your forefathers did. But I still think that the values that I learnt from them, or which were imbibed, and it’s not learning, it’s not lecturing, it’s, I think, living by example. Whether it is integrity, whether it is humility, whether it is authenticity, whether it is risk-taking, these are the same thing, there’s nothing new, but you have to live it, and that’s what the generations will see. You can give any number of lectures, especially to Gen Z, they’re not going to listen to you if you are doing the opposite. If you do the same thing, trust me, they will. It is encouraging to see a young leader like Ankit Gupta leading the Mumbai Chapter of ICC Young Leaders Forum. I think this is the time for youth. And this is a time when you need young people who are enthusiastic, who have the desire to do something more. How do we encourage them? Challenges are there in the youth, but we have to manage that. After you there will be another generation, there will be a third, so give values, that’s the most important.”

On India’s development, the road to Viksit Bharat and the role of young leaders, Dr Rajiv Kumar, Economist and Former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India, said, “India is yet to be transformed, because we have our own promises to keep, because after all, we had said, there will be a 5 trillion economy in 2024, 2025, there’s still not even 4 in dollar terms. We have a long way to go. The first thing, and which is also a challenge that I found in the government, is complacency, across the board. The favoured state of existence in a large part of the bureaucracy is the status quo, despite this Prime Minister, for whom status quo is anathema. The aspiration itself is an amazing, incredible one. The global economy will be about $200 trillion by 2050. So it would have to be $36 trillion to get there. I think innovation, R&D, technical, technological breakthroughs are going to be the key. It’s really a serious time that we all believe that business as usual will not do. We’ve got to think differently. A degree of impatience is actually quite good because that goes against complacency that I have been talking about. The other thing that the young people can learn on the older side is that there shouldn’t be a day where successful old people are those who learn every day and don’t end the day without something new that they have learned. If the young people can actually get that mantra then probably the real making time will go less and some good positive work will start in this country. And I think that is what makes the ICC Young Leaders Forum, under the leadership of Ankit Gupta, so important in bringing young leaders into this conversation.”

“Every generation has something to learn and something to unlearn.” Ankit Gupta, Chairperson, ICC Young Leaders Forum, Mumbai, brought his energy and humour to the conversation, making it candid, engaging and enjoyable. “For Gen Z and young leaders, there is much to learn from those who have shaped India’s entrepreneurial journey, while also challenging the way things have always been done. Never Taking No for an Answer: India’s Indomitable Private Enterprise captures stories of resilience, innovation and institution-building that remain relevant across generations. At the Young Leaders Forum, our aim is to bring these experiences closer to young India and inspire them to think boldly, build with purpose and look ahead.”

Ms. Sangeeta Jain, Chair, ICC Maharashtra State Council, acknowledged the contributions of all dignitaries and emphasized the importance of continuing ICC’s mission of fostering a constructive partnership between government and industry to accelerate India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat.

The book, edited by Dr Rajiv Kumar and unveiled by Mr Ajay Piramal, marks ICC’s 100-year journey and features contributions from leading business voices including Kumar Mangalam Birla, Sanjiv Goenka, Ajay Piramal, Naveen Jindal, Sangita Reddy, Bharat Hari Singhania, Harsh Neotia, Ratan Jindal and Omkar Goswami, among others. Through nine essays, it traces the evolution of Indian private enterprise from the freedom movement and the License Raj to liberalisation and India’s emergence as a global economic force, while drawing insights on entrepreneurship, enterprise and institution-building.

The title, ‘Never Taking No for an Answer’, reflects the enduring spirit of India’s private enterprise and its ability to turn adversity into opportunity, constraints into innovation and challenges into new possibilities.

New Delhi, July 24, 2026: Central bankers, regulators and industry leaders from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal converged at Le Meridien, New Delhi, for the 4th ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave 2026, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) under the theme “Reimagining Banking in the Age of Disruption.” The session brought together policymakers and senior bankers from across the BIMSTEC region to examine how financial institutions can balance rapid technological transformation with operational resilience and financial inclusion.

Delivering the welcome address, Mr Atanu Sen, Chairman of the ICC National Expert Committee on BFSI and a board member of Tata and Bandhan Group companies, said trust remains the foundation of banking even as technology reshapes the sector. “What we do in banking remains the same. I recall a conversation years ago in Mumbai where the question was asked: what is the crux of banking? The answer was building trust. If you cannot build trust with all stakeholders, you are a failure. Today we are navigating technological innovation, geopolitical uncertainty, climate risk and cyber threats simultaneously, and disruption has become the new normal. Yet according to the World Bank, nearly 80 percent of adults in South Asia now own a financial account, and digital merchant payments in developing economies have risen from 35 percent in 2021 to 42 percent in 2025. India’s banking sector recorded 12 percent deposit growth and 15 percent growth in advances in FY26, supported by over 200 digital banking units and a UPI infrastructure that processed around Rs 230 lakh crore, roughly 2.7 trillion US dollars, in FY25-26,” he said.

Shri K G P Sirikumara, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, spoke on building resilient financial systems while balancing growth, prudence and inclusion. “Emerging Asia contributes around 60 percent of global growth, but the same forces driving that growth are reshaping financial risk. A crisis today may not begin inside a financial institution at all; it could originate from a cyber attack, a climate event or a disruption to cloud infrastructure. Resilience is not merely the ability to recover, it is the ability to continue performing essential financial functions while under stress. Sri Lanka’s own experience during its recent economic crisis showed how a banking sector built on caution and early preparedness can avoid a parallel financial collapse. Financial inclusion and prudence are not competing objectives; a broader deposit base strengthens funding stability, and access to formal finance improves household resilience. Governance, not capital alone, is what separates resilient institutions from vulnerable ones. As Vidura advised in the Mahabharata, one should prepare for danger while there is still no danger, and that principle remains the essence of modern financial supervision,” he said.

Mr Hem Prasad Neupane, Executive Director, Banking Department, Nepal Rashtra Bank, outlined Nepal’s digital banking transformation. “Nepal is a 44 billion US dollar economy with real GDP growth estimated at 3.85 percent in FY 2025-26 and inflation at 2.13 percent. We have 106 licensed banks and financial institutions operating over 11,300 branches nationwide. The number of digital wallets has grown from 6 million before the pandemic to more than 27 million today, and mobile banking users have risen from 8 million to over 30 million. QR-based payments worth around Rs 800 billion, close to 12 percent of our GDP, took place last year alone, a sixfold increase over five years, and more than 95 percent of government payments in Nepal are now conducted digitally. Our financial inclusion index has risen from 0.40 in 2021 to 0.53 in 2025. We are also integrating our national payment interface with India’s UPI, and the service is already active for Indian visitors scanning QR codes in Nepal. Nepal Rashtra Bank is piloting a central bank digital currency this year, with full rollout planned by 2027,” he said.

Ms Gayathri Parthasarathy, Advisor to Chairman, PwC India, framed the discussion around three pillars: the disruptions underway, the transformation already in motion, and the challenges ahead. “Reimagining banking in the age of disruption is not a slogan, it is hard work, and it is not glamorous. The first disruption is digital public infrastructure, where India has been a trendsetter and our neighbours Nepal and Sri Lanka have also made remarkable progress. The second is the fintech platform economy; banking is increasingly embedded finance rather than something separate from the banking fabric. The third, and one that is here to stay for decades, is generative and agentic AI, which is moving well beyond fraud detection into making banking transactions more efficient, though it will not replace a trained banker for a long time. Regulatory and geopolitical shifts continue, and demographic and behavioural change among customers is a disruption we cannot underestimate. Banks are already moving from product-centric to platform-centric models, and risk and compliance, powered by data and AI, have become a CEO-level agenda. Cybersecurity, data protection and building hybrid bankers, professionals who combine technology with banking judgement, will decide how smoothly the region crosses this transition,” she said.

Closing the session, Dr Rajeev Singh, Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce, noted the unprecedented pace of global economic change and its bearing on the banking sector. “The changes we have seen in the last six years are unprecedented. Globally there is hardly any certainty about which way the world will go, supply chains are being disturbed and new alliances are forming. Banking has to keep pace with all of this while maintaining its core values of trust, efficiency and dependability,” he said.

The conclave, now in its fourth edition, continues ICC’s tradition of bringing together central bankers, regulators and financial sector leaders from the BIMSTEC region to discuss the future of banking amid rapid digital transformation.

The two-day convention will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and startup founders across sectors including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, defence and space technology, fintech, healthcare technology, and water management. Maharashtra is the Lead Partner State, while IIT Bombay joins as the Knowledge Partner. Enterprise Greece is participating as Platinum Partner, reflecting international engagement at the event.

Mr. Brij Bhushan Agarwal, President, ICC & Chairman and MD, Shyam Metalics & Energy Limited, said, “I have watched Indian industry work around technology for twenty years rather than through it. That is changing fast, but the honest truth is we are still not moving at the speed the opportunity demands. Every sector we are serious about—metals, defence, logistics, agriculture, healthcare—is going to be decided by who gets the technology right and who gets it right first. WTC 2026 is ICC’s answer to that urgency.”

Dr. P Anbalgan, Principal Secretary Industry, Govt. of Maharashtra and several other Officials from State Govt. of Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura will address the convention. Senior Industry leaders from Companies like IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, TCS, JSW Steel, GRSE, Ion Exchange, Dempo Group, Mahindra, PwC, Kirloskar, Premier Irrigation, GMDC, RS Software, along with participation from India’s startup and deep-tech ecosystem. WTC is supported by Union Ministry of Railways, Food Processing, Coal, Industry, Water, Pharma, Power etc. Details available at www.icc-wtc.com

Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce, shared, “India has made significant progress in building digital public infrastructure and strengthening manufacturing capabilities. The next phase will depend on how effectively these are translated into scalable solutions and global partnerships.”

Registrations for WTC 2026 are open. Details on participation, partnership, and delegate registration are available at www.icc-wtc.com.

Sh. Kuldeep Rai, Executive Director (Renewables) and Sh. Arun Kumar Chaturvedi, HoD (Renewables) received the award  during the 14th Green Energy Summit organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi.

The Bina Refinery earned the Platinum Award, accepted by Shri Siddharth Oza (Manager – Fire & Safety) and Shri Harendra Yadav (DGM I/C – P&U, BDT & COT). The Mumbai Refinery received the Gold Award, accepted by Shri Atul Vyawahare (GM – Environment & Process Safety), Shri Sukhadhan Samuel (Chief Manager – Medical), and Dr. Sachin Damle (Manager – Safety).

The awards were presented by Dr. Krishna Sen (Hon’ble Chairman, ICC), Ms. Elizabeth Oriando (Consul for Economic Affairs, US Consulate), Shri Sumit Roy (Deputy Director General, DGFASLI), and Mrs. Nilambari Bhosale (Deputy Labour Commissioner, Maharashtra).

Industry Leaders and Policymakers Converge to Drive Ethical and Sustainable Business Practices

New Delhi, March 12, 2025: The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) successfully hosted the 15th edition of the India Corporate Governance & Sustainability Vision Summit & Awards at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi, as part of its Centenary Celebrations. The event brought together distinguished policymakers, industry leaders, and sustainability champions to discuss the evolving landscape of corporate governance and sustainability in India.

The summit featured distinguished dignitaries, including Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Hon’ble Member of NITI Aayog, as the Chief Guest; Anil Razdan, Former Power Secretary, Government of India; Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Sr, Advisor, Deloitte India, Dua Consulting and Centre for Responsible Business. With India emerging as a global leader in sustainable growth, the discussions at the summit underscored the critical need for businesses to embrace governance models that balance economic expansion with environmental and social responsibility.  Along with it they also released a knowledge document on “Next -generation Fuels”.

Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Hon’ble Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India echoed this sentiment, emphasising the collaborative efforts required to drive India’s sustainable growth narrative and said, “The program, organized today, focuses on how sustainability can be integrated into corporate governance and the importance it should be given. The key takeaway from today’s discussion is that organizations should minimize resource consumption, recycle, redesign, and remanufacture. By doing so, we can reduce overall consumption and make more efficient use of the natural resources available to us. This will ensure that future generations also have access to these resources. Corporate responsibility is not just about building a massive empire while everything around us remains underdeveloped. We must also consider the growth and development of our surroundings. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a significant role in this regard. The evolution of corporate governance in India, from 1953 to the present, has now reached a stage where sustainability, transparency, shareholder interests, and independent directors have become integral aspects. New elements are continuously being incorporated into corporate governance, leading to increased efficiency, a greater impact on sustainability, and governance that is open, transparent, and ethical.”

In his keynote address, Mr. PK Satija, Chairperson of ICC – National Expert Committee on Minerals and Metals, emphasized the growing significance of corporate governance and sustainability in shaping India’s future. He stated, “Sustainability is no longer a choice; it is an imperative. Businesses must move beyond compliance to embrace governance models that prioritize environmental stewardship, ethical leadership, and social inclusivity. As corporate leaders, we have a duty to ensure that our economic aspirations align with India’s larger sustainability vision.”

Mr. Anil Razdan, Former Power Secretary, Government of India said, “Sustainability is not just about compliance with laws; it is about fulfilling our responsibility to future generations. As the most populous nation, India must take the lead in protecting the environment, conserving water, and ensuring cleaner air. Wealth and progress mean little if our air is unbreathable and our natural resources depleted. Businesses must go beyond statutory obligations and embrace a deeper commitment to sustainability. The younger generation is building not just for their lifetime but for the future of humanity. It is time we rethink our approach—balancing development with environmental responsibility—to create a truly sustainable and thriving world.”

Adding to it, Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Sr, Advisor, Deloitte India, Dua Consulting and Centre for Responsible Business said, “Corporate governance and sustainability are inextricably linked, reflecting the evolving nature of responsible management. As companies are increasingly held accountable for both their ethical and environmental impact, governance has evolved from mere compliance to a more holistic approach. Responsible management, grounded in financial probity, transparency, and accountability, ensures that decisions are not only legally sound but ethically responsible. Corporate governance and sustainability aren’t separate goals but rather two sides of the same coin. Together, they drive responsible business practices that foster long-term growth and societal well-being.”

Mr. Omesh Garga, Climate Change and Sustainability Services Partner, EY India said, “Organizations that embed safety, compliance, and innovation into their culture don’t just protect value—they create it. The industry today demands not just adherence to regulations but a commitment to excellence that transforms challenges into competitive advantages. Ultimately, innovation isn’t limited by technology, but by the depth of collaboration. As leaders, it is our responsibility to drive this cultural shift, ensuring that sustainability and governance become cornerstones of long-term success.”

The event also recognized industry pioneers who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to corporate governance and sustainability through the Corporate Governance & Sustainability Vision Awards, conferred by ICC. The summit focused on key themes, including the Corporate Governance & Sustainability Vision Awards 2025, the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and Board Oversight of Environmental Responsibilities, encouraging leaders to embed ESG principles into corporate strategy for long-term value creation. Additionally, discussions emphasized the importance of sustainability reporting, the role of regulatory frameworks such as SEBI’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR), and the necessity of industry-government collaboration to drive India’s transition to a net-zero future.

The summit concluded with a strong consensus on the need for businesses to embed sustainability into their core operations. As India accelerates its journey toward becoming a net-zero economy, industry leaders emphasized the importance of innovation, responsible leadership, and collaborative action in achieving long-term sustainability goals.