Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s commitment to shaping India’s digital and economic future was underscored on Wednesday with the announcement of the inaugural Black Swan Summit India, to be held in Bhubaneswar on February 5-6.
The event is being organised by the Odisha government under the BharatNetra initiative in partnership with the Singapore-headquartered Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and is expected to position the state as a nation-building platform for India’s next phase of digital-led growth.
President Droupadi Murmu, who is current on a six-day tour of Odisha, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will grace the summit.
According to an official release, the summit reflects Odisha’s transition from policy articulation to execution in AI, FinTech, and InsurTech. It reinforces the role of states as engines of national transformation, aligned with India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Over 1,700 delegates across 24 countries and nearly 100 speakers from 5 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa) are expected to participate.
It further noted that Black Swan Summit India will bring together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, tech leaders, startups, investors, and academics for an execution-oriented dialogue.
The summit will also feature the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several leading FinTech and InsurTech companies, including Bajaj General Insurance, Advanze Tech, Annapurna Tech Universe, ESTPL, ProgCap, Propelld, ShovelTech Solutions, Spice Money, Surfin, Symbo Insurtech, Universal Pensions, and Vayana. These partnerships are aimed at creating a seamless talent-to-employment pipeline, supporting Odisha’s goal of becoming a hub for skilled professionals in these sectors.
Through BharatNetra, Odisha is already prioritising measurable outcomes – jobs, skills, enterprise creation, and global competitiveness, instead of focusing on technology adoption alone. “Odisha is not preparing to merely participate in the global digital economy, we intend to help shape it, as a frontline contributor to Viksit Bharat,” said Additional Chief Secretary, Electronics & Information Technology,
Vishal Kumar Dev.
He emphasised the state’s focus on deploying AI and digital finance to generate real economic value and build long-term institutional capacity.
The initiative builds on India’s national digital public infrastructure, with Odisha aiming to translate these advantages into localised execution that has global appeal. The state is positioning itself as an attractive location for global capability centres, digital finance infrastructure, and long-term investments, particularly in regions beyond major metropolitan areas.
The partnership with GFTN, formalised during the January 2025 visit of Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Odisha, has already produced concrete results. GFTN provides Odisha with access to a vast global network of innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers across more than 130 countries.
Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO of GFTN, described the collaboration as a model for state governments to boost national competitiveness. “Through GFTN’s network, Odisha gains direct access to innovators, investors, and policymakers, enabling the state to scale digital finance with a strong focus on investment attraction, workforce readiness, and the establishment of global capability centres,” he said.
He noted early successes, including students acquiring world-class fintech skills, startups receiving mentorship and funding, and Bhubaneswar establishing itself as an eastern gateway for Asia-Pacific financial innovation.
Ahead of the summit, the first cohort of BharatNetra, a five-month FinTech & InsurTech hybrid programme, launched by the Odisha government in collaboration with the National University of Singapore-Asian Institute of Digital Finance and GFTN graduated on Wednesday.
“Global and national industry partners are actively interviewing graduates, with additional hiring opportunities through a job fair held alongside the Black Swan Summit. Top performers will receive global exposure, including representation in Japan under the MUFG Young Innovators initiative and at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2026. Seven students have already been selected under the MUFG Young Innovators program and 6 under the Singapore Pathfinders program,” the release said.
The ceremony was graced by Electronics & Information Technology Minister Mukesh Mahaling and Higher Education, Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.
Launched on July 31 2025, the five-month course started with 385 participants in September,, of whom 195 students have successfully completed the programme, it added.