Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis: "What You See in Mumbai Today Is Just a Trailer"

At the IGF Mumbai 2026 Leaders Dinner, hosted by Hero FinCorp, the Chief Minister set out an ambitious seven-year transformation agenda for India's financial capital — and positioned Maharashtra as the defining destination for global capital in a fractured world.

MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As geopolitical turbulence reshapes global capital flows, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis used the IGF Mumbai 2026 Leaders Dinner to deliver a striking pitch for India's financial capital: Mumbai is mid-transformation, and the most consequential changes have not yet arrived.

"What you see in Mumbai today is just a trailer; the picture is yet to come," the Chief Minister told senior figures from India's financial and business community assembled at the dinner. "We are going to change the entire city in the next seven years — on how Mumbaikars commute, how they live, and how we can create new spaces. Redevelopment with sustainability is the real mantra."

Speaking in conversation with IGF Chairman Manoj Ladwa, the Chief Minister framed Maharashtra's case squarely in the context of global dislocation: military tensions in West Asia, disruptions to energy supply through the Strait of Hormuz, tightening liquidity, and widening geopolitical fragmentation. Against that backdrop, he argued, India — and Maharashtra above all — offers investors something increasingly scarce: scale, stability, and policy clarity.

"The world looks at India as one place where they can actually do their business, where they can innovate, where they can take it to scale," said Chief Minister Fadnavis. "And when they look at India, they know that Maharashtra is the best place to do their business. In this geopolitical situation, and all the disruptions which are happening, India and particularly Maharashtra offer an immense opportunity."

Abhimanyu Munjal, Managing Director of Hero FinCorp, opened the dinner session by tracing the firm's evolution alongside India's broader economic rise, before formally welcoming the Chief Minister.

IGF MUMBAI 2026 OPENS AT THE NATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE

The third edition of IGF Mumbai: Catalysing Capital opened earlier in the day at the National Stock Exchange with a bell ringing ceremony and a fireside between IGF Chairman Manoj Ladwa and NSE MD & CEO Ashish Chauhan. The conversation centred on market development, regulatory priorities, and India's growing role in global capital allocation.

Chauhan pointed to the scale of India's retail investor revolution: "India now has 127 million retail investors. What once seemed unimaginable when the exchange was founded has become reality. Capital markets in India have moved from being an elite corner of the economy to a platform for mass participation."

A closed-door roundtable examined the structural implications of the domestic institutional buying that absorbed record FII selling in 2025, when foreign portfolio investors withdrew over INR 1.4 trillion from Indian equities while indices held near highs. Participants considered whether that resilience marks a permanent shift in India's capital architecture — and what it means for the country's ability to insulate itself from external shocks.

DAY TWO: 10 MARCH 2026 — QUORUM CLUB

The Forum continues on 10 March at the Quorum Club, with plenary sessions on venture capital, AI infrastructure, banking resilience, policy credibility, and India's geopolitical leverage. The day culminates in the IGF Mumbai 2030 Capital Outlook — a forward assessment of the allocation priorities and structural shifts likely to define India's position in global capital markets over the next five years.

Full programme: indiaglobalforum.com/igf-mumbai-2026/programme.html

ABOUT INDIA GLOBAL FORUM

India Global Forum is the world's leading convening platform for the India opportunity. Bringing together heads of government, global CEOs, institutional investors, and policymakers across London, New York, Dubai, and Mumbai, IGF connects the people and capital shaping India's place in the global economy.

Twitter: @IGFUpdates | @manojladwa | LinkedIn: India Global Forum

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