The Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) 2024 will host the inaugural INSPire Forum, an event designed to strengthen the business and economic partnership between India and Singapore.
Organised by IIM Alumni Singapore in partnership with Elevandi, the non-profit arm of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the forum will be the first “event-in-an-event” of its kind.
The platform aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and partnerships between leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from both nations.
The INSPire Forum will cover key themes such as the renewable energy transition, open digital commerce, large-scale workforce skilling, and pathways for India’s economic growth towards a US$7 trillion economy.
The forum will feature 25 speakers, including distinguished IIM alumni and thought leaders from India and Singapore, providing insights on these global priorities.
IIM Alumni Singapore, which comprises more than 3,000 professionals and is the largest IIM alumni network outside India, plays a central role in launching this initiative.
The network’s efforts are supported by an Alumni Advisory Council that includes notable figures such as KV Kamath, Chairman of Jio Financial Services, and Madhabi Puri Buch, Chairperson of SEBI.
These leaders have contributed to curating the agenda and content for the event, ensuring it addresses relevant topics for both countries.
The forum will include sessions like “Journey to the Global South,” focusing on energy transition challenges and opportunities, and “A Playbook for Open Digital Cross-Border Commerce,” which explores strategies to facilitate India’s cross-border trade with lessons from ASEAN.
Other sessions will discuss investment opportunities in India and workforce skilling strategies in the context of AI and technological advancements.
The SFF, recognised as one of the largest fintech gatherings globally, drew over 66,000 participants from 150 countries in 2023, with speakers such as Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, and Ajay Banga.
This year’s focus will be on the role of AI and quantum computing in transforming the global digital economy and financial services.
Suresh Shankar, President of IIM Alumni Singapore, said,
“Over time, our alumni and their families have integrated into Singapore, with deep appreciation of the local ethos of business and community. Given our roots, we have deep networks and understand the nuances of culture and business that drives India.
INSPire is our effort to leverage our natural strengths to promote better understanding and outcome-oriented engagement among the leadership networks of India, Singapore and the world.”
Arvind Sankaran, IIM Alumni Singapore Exco & Sherpa-INSPire 2024, added,
“Over the last four months, a motivated team of alumni volunteers with day jobs have worked tirelessly to take the INSPire idea from concept to execution. The themes touch four of the biggest topics in the world today.
The energy transition, open digital commerce, skilling for transformational growth and the biggest of them all – the growing economic opportunity that is India.”
