FE Digital Bharat Economy Conclave 2025: Driving Digital Inclusion | Register Now

Overview

The 2025 edition of Financial Express’ Digital Bharat Economy Conclave will bring together government, industry and academia thought leaders to take stock of India's digital journey in delivering services and driving economic growth. With India's internet user base set to scale to 900 million in 2025 (up from 886 million in 2024), and with faster growth in rural India, the scope for digital services is expected to grow manifold.

Yet, there's a growth paradox. India's $150-billion e-commerce market is expected to surpass $200 billion by 2027, but margins remain under pressure, and sustaining logistics is a challenge. Several startups have grown into unicorns, but are wary of regulatory uncertainty and financial flows. India is spearheading innovation in financial services, but rapid development has its pitfalls. While India embarks on its digital growth journey, can its workforce keep pace? Additionally, as India embraces ONDC and experiments with newer models like quick commerce and hyperlocal logistics, questions around sustainability, privacy, and digital advertising efficacy have become more pressing. How do we ensure brand visibility and trust in a fragmented landscape? Can digital inclusion also be sustainable and secure?

The FE Digital Bharat Economy Conclave 2025 will see an amalgamation of ideas and solutions. Be it quick commerce or e-commerce, kirana stores or dark stores, from targeted advertising to the use of AI, how will Digital Bharat strike a balance? Join us for some engaging sessions that will see new ideas germinate and solutions suggested.

Event Pictures

Leader's Speak

"The Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) project was started in November 2022. A lot of technical infrastructure, a lot of fine-tuning, etc, is taking place in the background. More banks and financial players are getting connected to the project. So a stable environment is being created."

Sirin Kumar

General Manager, Reserve Bank of India

"For DPI, you have to see that there is a statutory layer, regulatory layer, operational layer, and at the end technological layer. Statutory and regulatory layers are important because it is about coordination between multiple ministries, departments, and agencies. Then we also have to carve out a suitable operational model to take that infrastructure forward and that is a real challenge."

Harsha Bhowmik

Director, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance

"We make sure of the user-friendly perspective of our platform. If there is data that someone has entered, we see that he does not have to enter it again. There are different departments from where we fetch the data and use it seamlessly. So, from the ease of filing perspective and ease of business perspective, there is a very cautious approach that we have."

Satish Srivastava

Senior Vice President, Software Development, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)

"Earlier, we were spending hardly any money on digital. Today, someone owning Rs 25,000 mobile and with the propensity to spend on hotels, restaurants, etc., will be targeted by companies. I can dissect our customers by the geography, by the nature of spending, when they last bought an appliance, etc. We are all naked in front of the digital world."

NS Satish

President, Haier Appliances India

"There has been no impact on revised GST rates on us, except few categories like solar or renewable energy. For the festive season, we have modified our product portfolio and launched new products, along with getting on e-commerce and are hoping that it will help boost our sales and reach out to customers in a much better way."

Vasumitra Pandey

CEO, Consumer Durables & Lighting, Surya Roshni

"There is a lack of awareness around securing and keeping your data private. There is a lot that we ourselves need to do and to be aware of how critical my data is to me. So, I need to protect my identity. Today, we are actually very careless about our data."

Anand Aggarwal

Group CTO, The Times Group

"India doesn't have a privacy law in place. Till now, our data has actually been stolen. In a scenario like this, I think caution is the only mantra. If you think AI is a friend, you must think again. The problem is, once AI learns something about you, it's not going to forget, and it's going to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life."

Dr. Pavan Duggal

Advocate, Supreme Court of India

"For companies, you are a product. If everything is coming free to you, it is because your details are being captured and given everywhere. So if all big companies are offering services for free, it is that they are capturing your data and selling it off or using it for advertisement, etc. So nothing is free."

Rajiv Nandwani

Global Information Security Director, Boston Consulting Group

"For AI adoption in an organisation, the fundamental thing is about having an AI policy because it's all about the awareness of people and understanding what AI can bring in."

Archie Jackson

Vice President - Global Head IT and CISO, Incedo Inc

"DPI has been a very virtuous system between what the government has done with the identity, the payment layer, the cashless system, now also with consent and with account aggregator, and how we have been able to leverage these digital goods to provide better service to India and to provide inclusion to Bharat now."

Sunil Pandita

SVP & Head of Business, South Asia Newgen Software

"What DPI stands for has to be very simple, and we have so many great lessons to learn. When I think of UPI, I scan a QR code and the payment happens. That's the assurance of UPI. It took more than a decade to actually convince everyone of that. Similarly, for ONDC, we are working on defining it for someone in rural India who may not understand technology."

Saransh Agrawal

Chief of Staff, ONDC

BROAD TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

Scaling Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
Exploring the expansion and interoperability of platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, and Account Aggregator to drive inclusion, efficiency, and seamless service delivery across sectors.
Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
Addressing the challenges of securing digital transactions, protecting citizen data, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations in a hyper-connected India.
Harnessing Emerging Technologies
The transformative impact of AI, machine learning, blockchain, and cloud computing on governance, business agility, and economic growth. Discussion on AI’s role in automation, fraud detection, and enabling smarter policymaking.
Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion
Advancing digital payments, reducing transaction costs, improving identity verification, and expanding access to formal financial systems, especially for MSMEs, women, and rural communities.
Digital Literacy and Skilling
Strategies to bridge the digital divide, upskill the workforce for an AI-native future, and empower citizens with digital literacy for equitable participation in the digital economy.
Policy, Regulation, and Governance
The role of government initiatives in fostering innovation, supporting small businesses, and ensuring responsible, inclusive digital growth.

Meet Our Speakers

Achin K Sharma

Head-Technology,
Digital & Cybersecurity,
MOVIN India

Aditya Agrawal

COO,
PhysicsWallah

Anand Aggarwal

Group CTO,
The Times Group

Archie Jackson

Vice President - Global Head IT and CISO,
Incedo Inc

Dr. Arvind Gupta

Head and Co-founder,
Digital India Foundation

Atul Govil

Chief Transformation Officer & Head (SAP & IT)-Corporate,
India Glycols

Ayush Kanwar

Partner, BCG India (Moderator)

Chandar Khanduja

Group CIDO,
Baxy Group

Harsha Bhowmik

Director,
Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance

Harsh Vardhan Masta

Head of Payments,
Policybazaar

Jagdip Kumar

CIO,
Lohia Corp Limited

Jaspreet Singh

Chief Revenue Officer,
Grant Thornton Bharat LLP
(Moderator)

Kush Mehra

President & CBO,
Pine Labs

Neha Nagar

Finance Content Creator

NS Satish

President,
Haier Appliances India

Dr. Pavan Duggal

Advocate,
Supreme Court of India

Rajiv Nandwani

Global Information Security Director,
Boston Consulting Group

Rajneesh Garg

CIO & SVP,
AllCargo ECU Worldwide

Ranen Banerjee

Partner and Leader,
Economic Advisory,
PwC India
(Moderator)

Ruhie Pande

Group CHRO & CMO,
Sterlite

Saransh Agrawal

Chief of Staff,
ONDC

Satish Srivastava

Senior Vice President,
Software Development,
Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)

Saumya Khati

CHRO,
Shiprocket

Shirin Rai Gupta

Director - Marketing,
upGrad Enterprise

Shubham Gune

CEO and founder,
Hinglish Agency
(Moderator)

Sirin Kumar

General Manager,
Reserve Bank of India

Srinath Chakravarthy

Senior Vice President,
National Institute for Smart Government

Sunil Pandita

SVP & Head of Business,
South Asia,
Newgen Software

Sushant Rabra

Partner and Head,
Digital Strategy & Transformation,
KPMG
(Moderator)

Tarun Aggarwal

Group Chief Technology Officer,
Capri Global Capital Limited

Vasumitra Pandey

CEO,
Consumer Durables & Lighting,
Surya Roshni

Agenda

09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Opening Address
+ 10:15 AM - 11:10 AM
Panel Discussion: Scaling Digital Public Infrastructure
- What are the key factors that have enabled the rapid scaling of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and Account Aggregator?
- How can digital public infrastructure be made more inclusive to bridge gaps in rural connectivity, digital literacy, and accessibility for marginalized groups?
- What challenges remain in ensuring the financial and operational sustainability of digital public infrastructure at scale?
- How can robust data governance and privacy frameworks be balanced with the need for open, interoperable digital platforms?
- What role do public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations play in scaling and innovating digital public infrastructure?
Harsha Bhowmik

Director, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance

Saransh Agrawal

Chief of Staff, ONDC

Satish Srivastava

Senior Vice President, Software Development, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)

Sirin Kumar

General Manager, Reserve Bank of India

Sunil Pandita

SVP & Head of Business, South Asia, Newgen Software
+ 11:10 AM - 11:45 AM
Fireside Chat: Digital Bharat Inc.- Scaling Impact, Building Value
- What strategic shifts must large enterprises make to thrive in India's rapidly growing, AI-driven digital economy?
- How can businesses leverage insights from India's 1.4 billion real-time digital journeys to enhance customer experience and innovation?
- What role does digital infrastructure, including 5G and UPI, play in enabling scalable and inclusive growth for enterprises?
- How can companies balance regulatory compliance with agility and disruptive innovation in a regulation-heavy market?
- What leadership qualities are essential for driving digital transformation and building long-term value in Digital Bharat?
- Defining digital leadership that fosters agility, resilience, and trust in an always-on, data-driven economy.
NS Satish

President, Haier Appliances India

Vasumitra Pandey

CEO, Consumer Durables & Lighting, Surya Roshni
+ 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Panel Discussion: Data is the New Currency: Rethinking Privacy, Security & Trust
- How do India's new Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, reshape the landscape of data privacy and security for citizens and businesses?
- What are the biggest challenges for organizations in implementing compliance with evolving data protection and cybersecurity regulations?
- How can businesses balance the need for data-driven innovation with respecting user privacy and maintaining trust?
- What role does user consent and transparency play in ensuring responsible data usage in India's digital economy?
- How can public and private sectors collaborate to strengthen data breach detection, prevention, and timely response mechanisms?
Anand Aggarwal

Group CTO, The Times Group

Archie Jackson

Vice President - Global Head IT and CISO, Incedo Inc.

Dr. Pavan Duggal

Advocate, Supreme Court
of India

Rajiv Nandwani

Global Information Security Director, Boston Consulting Group

Rajneesh Garg

CIO & SVP, AllCargo ECU Worldwide

Jaspreet Singh

Chief Revenue Officer, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP (Moderator)
+ 12:30 PM - 13:00 PM
Fireside Chat: Governing Digital India: Policy, Innovation, and Inclusive Growth
- How have key government initiatives like Digital India and BharatNet transformed digital infrastructure and connectivity across urban and rural India?
- In what ways can public-private partnerships accelerate innovation and scale digital solutions for inclusive growth?
- What policies are most effective in supporting MSMEs to leverage digital platforms for business expansion and financial inclusion?
- How can digital literacy and regional language content bridge the digital divide and empower underserved populations?
- What role should regulatory frameworks play to ensure data privacy, cybersecurity, and trust while fostering innovation?
Dr. Arvind Gupta

Head and Co-founder, Digital India Foundation

Srinath Chakravarthy

Senior Vice President, National Institute for Smart Government

Ranen Banerjee

Partner and Leader, Economic Advisory, PwC India (Moderator)
+ 13:00 PM - 13:30 PM
Fireside Chat: From Reels to Revenue: Cracking the Creator Economy in Digital Bharat
- What are the key drivers behind the rapid growth of India's creator economy, and how does regional language content contribute?
- How can creators effectively monetize their content amidst challenges like inconsistent income and platform dependency?
- What role do brands and influencer marketing play in shaping the creator ecosystem's revenue model?
- How important is access to digital infrastructure and evolving creator tools in scaling the creator economy?
- What policies and support mechanisms can governments and platforms introduce to sustain and nurture India's creator community?
Neha Nagar

Finance Content Creator

Shubham Gune

CEO and founder, Hinglish Agency (Moderator)
13:30 PM - 14:40 PM
Lunch Break
+ 14:40 PM - 15:30 PM
Panel Discussion: Byte by Byte: Building Digital India's Human Core
- How can digital literacy be accelerated nationwide to bridge the urban-rural digital divide?
- What role do government programs like PMGDISHA play in empowering citizens with digital skills?
- How can digital initiatives be made more inclusive for women, senior citizens, and marginalized communities?
- What strategies are effective in promoting digital content creation and consumption in regional languages?
- How can India address growing cybersecurity challenges to build trust in its expanding digital ecosystem?
Aditya Agrawal

COO, PhysicsWallah

Ruhie Pande

Group CHRO & CMO, Sterlite

Saumya Khati

CHRO, Shiprocket

Shirin Rai Gupta

Director - Marketing, upGrad Enterprise
+ 15:30 PM - 16:10 PM
Panel Discussion: Click, Tap, Prosper: Digital Payments that Work for Everyone
- What key factors are driving India's rapid growth in digital payments, crossing over 20 billion UPI transactions monthly in 2025?
- How can digital payment systems be made more accessible and user-friendly for rural and semi-urban populations still reliant on cash?
- What role do fintech innovations and government initiatives like the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) play in expanding digital payment acceptance?
- How can digital payment platforms ensure security and build trust while maintaining convenience for diverse user segments?
- What steps can stakeholders take to foster interoperability and inclusion so that digital payments truly work for everyone?
Harsh Vardhan Masta

Head of Payments, Policybazaar

Kush Mehra

President & CBO,
Pine Labs

Tarun Aggarwal

Group Chief Technology Officer,
Capri Global Capital Limited

Ayush Kanwar

Partner, BCG India (Moderator)
+ 16:10 PM - 17:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Building Viksit Bharat with Next-Gen Digital Technologies: Innovation, Inclusion, and Sustained Growth
- How can emerging technologies like AI, 5G, IoT, and quantum computing accelerate India's journey towards becoming a Viksit Bharat?
- What are the biggest challenges in building scalable, inclusive digital infrastructure that supports equitable growth across urban and rural areas?
- How can India balance innovation with cybersecurity and data privacy while expanding its digital ecosystem?
- What role should government, industry, and academia each play in fostering a future-ready workforce for a digital Viksit Bharat?
- How can India's digital transformation model be scaled globally as a blueprint for other developing nations aiming for inclusive growth?
Achin K Sharma

Head-Technology, Digital & Cybersecurity, MOVIN India

Atul Govil

Chief Transformation Officer & Head (SAP & IT)-Corporate, India Glycols

Chandar Khanduja

Group CIDO, Baxy Group

Jagdip Kumar

CIO, Lohia Corp Limited

Sushant Rabra

Partner and Head, Digital Strategy & Transformation, KPMG (Moderator)
+ 17:00 PM - 17:30 PM
Valedictory Address

Dr. Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) S&T, Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Dept of Atomic Energy, Space & Personnel

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

C-Level Executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, CIO, CDO)
Senior Leaders from Technology, Fintech, Healthtech, E-Commerce, and Digital Platforms
Policymakers and Government Officials
Heads of Digital Transformation and Innovation
Investors, Consultants, and Startup Founders
Academics and Thought Leaders in Digital Economy and Technology Sectors

WHY ATTEND

Connect with Industry Leaders and Policymakers

Network with top innovators, government officials, and corporate leaders from across the country to exchange ideas and foster collaborations.
Understand Key Trends and Challenges

Participate in discussions on critical topics such as digital literacy, ethical considerations, and data privacy.
Shape the Digital Future of India

Be a part of a platform that drives meaningful conversations and strategic initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide and empowering learners and professionals nationwide.
Opportunities for Professional Growth

Enhance your skills and stay ahead in your career by learning from thought leaders, attending expert-led panels, and accessing exclusive resources tailored to the evolving digital landscape of India.