Piyush Goyal bets big on Indian financial sector reforms, ease of doing biz
Toronto/New Delhi, May 27 Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held extensive discussions with Canada's leading pension funds, sovereign and institutional investors, members of the Canada-India Business Council and other stakeholders, and pitched the India growth story to them.
The minister highlighted how the Indian government's focus on infrastructure, financial sector reforms and ease of doing business is creating unprecedented opportunities for global investors, and invited stakeholders to partner with India in areas such as clean energy, technology, digital infrastructure, AI, manufacturing and supply chain diversification.
He was chaining the 'Canada-India Investment Roundtable' alongside Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade of Canada.
"Also, discussed ways to strengthen collaboration in financial markets to support sustainable growth and shared prosperity for both countries," Goyal posted on X.
He also met V. Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, and discussed India's strong economic growth trajectory and opportunities for deeper collaboration across infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing, logistics, and clean energy sectors.
"Noted Fairfax's longstanding engagement in India, including its investments in Bengaluru International Airport and other key sectors contributing to India's growth story," said the minister.
Goyal met Philip Witherington, President and CEO of Manulife Financial Corporation. They discussed investment opportunities and avenues for collaboration, given India's expanding financial services ecosystem.
In his meeting with Kevin Strain, President and CEO, Sun Life Canada and discussed opportunities for expanding collaboration in insurance, retirement solutions, healthcare financing, and long-term investments in India's rapidly growing financial services ecosystem.
"Noted Sun Life's longstanding engagement in India and its contribution towards strengthening India's insurance and financial services sector," he mentioned in the X post.
During his meeting with Rahim Suleman, President and CEO of Neo Performance Materials, they discussed expanding the India-Canada partnership across critical minerals, rare earth processing, and advanced materials that are vital for clean technologies and future industries.
"We also explored opportunities to build stronger and more reliable supply chains, promote value addition, and support the growing global demand for strategic minerals," said Goyal.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While this sounds optimistic, I hope the 'ease of doing business' improvements actually translate to ground reality for small and medium enterprises, not just large foreign investors. The compliance burden for MSMEs is still very real in India.
Interesting to see Fairfax already invested in Bengaluru Airport - that's a big vote of confidence. With our demographic dividend and digital infrastructure, India is indeed a compelling destination for long-term capital. Hope to see more partnerships in critical minerals and rare earths too.
The minister is doing a good job wooing Canadian pension funds, but we also need to address concerns about regulatory stability and contract enforcement. Foreign investors want predictability. Let's hope the reforms are deep and not just cosmetic.
Finally, a push for critical minerals and rare earth processing! This is strategic - India has vast potential in this area, and partnering with Canada (which has mining expertise) makes absolute sense. Clean tech supply chain diversification is the need of the hour.
While the optics are good, I'm a bit skeptical. We've seen many such roundtables before - how many actually translate into concrete investments? Also, the mention of Sun Life expanding in insurance makes me worry about affordability for common people. Hope the regulatory framework protects consumers.
R We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.