In the Image (L to R): Hon. Niranjan Deva Aditya, President, Commonwealth Union; Dr. Anshul Gupta, Director, Realis Finance; Adv. Ashish Shelar, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics, Information Technology, Cultural affairs and Artificial Intelligence Department, Government of Maharashtra; Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries at the event.
“Commonwealth Digital Financiers Network forum at WTC Mumbai highlights digital banking, fintech innovation and global financial collaboration”
Mumbai, May 25, 2026: World Trade Center Mumbai hosted the Commonwealth Digital Financiers Network forum, organised by the Commonwealth Union in partnership with the World Trade Center Mumbai. The event brought together digital bankers, banking leaders, fintech innovators, financiers, policymakers and strategic stakeholders to deliberate on the future of finance, digital banking and global financial cooperation.
Adv. Ashish Shelar, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics, Information Technology, Cultural affairs and Artificial Intelligence Department, Government of Maharashtra, said “India’s remarkable progress in digital financial transactions, especially through UPI, and said that the country’s digital finance journey has become a model for the world. He observed that banking has moved from physical branches, queues and token-based systems to instant technology-enabled transactions.
“India’s digital finance journey has created remarkable trust in transactions platforms such as UPI have become a case study for the world and noted that every innovation brings new opportunities as well as new challenges. Referring to cybercrime, digital fraud and emerging threats such as “digital arrest” scams, he stressed the need to build stronger public awareness and digital safeguards.
“As digital finance grows, cyber awareness must grow with it. We must protect citizens from digital fraud and new forms of cybercrime.” The platforms such as the Commonwealth Digital Financiers Network can help identify opportunities, address challenges and provide advancement for India, Commonwealth countries and the wider global financial ecosystem. “This forum can offer valuable guidance for Bharat, Commonwealth nations and the global digital finance ecosystem” added, Adv. Shelar.
Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries, said, “Digital finance is becoming an important pillar of global trade, cross-border business and inclusive economic growth. India’s fintech and digital payment ecosystem has strengthened access, speed and transparency in financial transactions. At the same time, it has created new responsibilities in cybersecurity, trust and regulatory cooperation.”
“Digital finance will play a major role in shaping the future of trade and investment. India’s experience can guide many countries in building secure, inclusive and trusted financial ecosystems.” Said Dr. Kalantri.
Hon. Niranjan Deva Aditya, Chairman, Commonwealth Union, said, “Strong digital communities must be built across Commonwealth nations. Cyberspace is reshaping how people, businesses and institutions connect beyond geographical boundaries, and platforms such as the Commonwealth Digital Financiers Network can bring digital bankers, payment providers and financial institutions together for meaningful cross-border cooperation.”
“Cyberspace is creating new communities beyond geography. The Commonwealth must use this opportunity to build trusted digital networks that connect businesses, financial institutions and innovators across nations for meaningful cooperation.” Said Mr. Niranjan.
The forum marked the soft launch of the Commonwealth Digital Financiers Network, a platform envisioned to bring together digital bankers, fintech leaders, payment providers, financial institutions and innovators across Commonwealth nations and MENA and the event concluded with an open discussion and Q&A, where participants exchanged views on digital banking, fintech innovation, cybersecurity, international financial cooperation and the future of trusted digital transactions.