Mumbai, September 2026 : Maharashtra is committed to ensuring that the benefits of emerging technologies in the digital financial sector reach ordinary citizens, farmers, women entrepreneurs, startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Agentic AI and quantum technology will provide a new direction to financial inclusion, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Speaking at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 held at the Jio Centre in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai, the Chief Minister highlighted the potential of agentic AI, tokenisation and quantum technology to bring about major transformation in the financial sector. Global Fintech Fest 2026 Chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan, National Payments Corporation of India Executive Director Sohini Rajola and Chief Minister’s Investment Adviser Kaustubh Dhavse were among those present.
Fadnavis said that at last year’s Global Fintech Fest, Maharashtra had announced its resolve to become the country’s first ‘Tokenised State’. Moving in that direction, the state government has begun preparing the framework for the Maharashtra Digitisation and Exchange of Land Token Asset Act (DELTA Act). The legislation will create the necessary legal framework for blockchain-based tokenisation of land and immovable property.
He said experts from SEBI, BSE, NSE, industry, technology, legal and academic sectors were being involved in the process. Tokenisation can convert capital locked in real estate into productive economic opportunities, the Chief Minister said, adding that it would enhance transparency, create liquidity and enable otherwise idle assets to contribute to economic growth.
According to Fadnavis, the future of global finance is now being shaped in India and particularly in Mumbai. The country’s financial capital is rapidly emerging as a global fintech hub. He described this year’s Global Fintech Fest theme, ‘Potential of Impact’, as highly significant, stressing that the need of the hour is to convert the potential of technology into tangible outcomes.
India has set an example before the world through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), he said. The next step should be to democratise access to credit, investment, ownership rights and financial information. New technologies have the potential to provide people such as industrialists in Kolhapur, farmers in Vidarbha and women entrepreneurs in Pune with access to high-quality financial information and services comparable to those available to large financial institutions.
Highlighting the potential of agentic AI, Fadnavis said an entrepreneur’s AI assistant could, in the future, identify financial requirements and recommend appropriate financial options. Farmers could receive financial advice in their mother tongue. However, he emphasised that while AI may work for citizens, ultimate control must remain with the citizens themselves.
The Chief Minister also highlighted Maharashtra’s financial, technological and infrastructure strengths. Mumbai offers one of the country’s largest financial ecosystems, Pune is a major centre for advanced technological and engineering talent, while Navi Mumbai is emerging as a hub for data, infrastructure and global connectivity.
He said a strong ecosystem was being developed in Maharashtra around artificial intelligence, data centres, global capability centres, startups, universities and advanced technologies.
Fadnavis urged industry and technology companies to view Maharashtra not merely as a market but as a laboratory for innovation. He invited them to present innovative solutions in areas including agriculture, MSMEs, urban development, healthcare, mobility, financial inclusion, fraud prevention and public financial management. The state government, he said, would extend full support for testing and scaling such solutions.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has provided the world with a new model of digital financial infrastructure, Fadnavis said. The world is now watching to see what the next financial revolution from India will look like.
He assured that Maharashtra would remain at the forefront of this transformation and develop as the country’s largest ‘real-world testbed’ for next-generation fintech solutions. The state government will make every effort to realise Prime Minister Modi’s vision of making Mumbai the fintech capital of the world, he said.
“Some of the best ideas can come from anywhere in the world. Let us prove them in Maharashtra and Mumbai and present them to the world,” Fadnavis said.
During the event, in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis, an agreement relating to the expansion of operations in BKC was formally handed over between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and SEBI, the National Stock Exchange and the Enforcement Directorate.
