Bhubaneswar, February 6: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday graced the Black Swan Summit, India here and India’s fintech story should be remembered not only as a tale of technology but also as that of gender justice.
“India’s fintech story should be remembered not only as a tale of technology but also as that of gender justice. Women constitute an important segment that requires focused attention for the promotion of fintech. Fintech ecosystem must view them not only as end users but as leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs,” said the President.
“For every new platform, product, or policy, it needs to be evaluated if it makes women active participants in the digital and financial ecosystem,” said Murmu.
The Black Swan Summit, India was being organised by the Government of Odisha in collaboration with Global Finance and Technology Network.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said, “We are living in a time when technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. New innovations arrive so rapidly that our systems, skills, and business models often struggle to keep up. At the same time, these rapid advancements can also bring serious challenges, including cybersecurity threats, deepfakes, misinformation, and an increasing dependence on technology.”
“However, the rapid technological changes have a huge positive impact on innovation and growth. Through events such as Black Swan Summit, innovative methods can be explored to leverage technologies for further enhancing capabilities through skilling, generate employment and accelerate the digital and financial transformation,” she said.
The President said that in the past decade, India has witnessed an impactful revolution in the financial system. Direct benefit transfer into bank accounts and the digital payments have become very common among farmers, small shopkeepers and women. For them, “fintech” is not a technical term, it has become their lifeline, she added
“Fintech does not guarantee inclusion on its own. There continue to be citizens, especially in remote, tribal, and rural areas, who are not conversant with the digital tools. Skilling them is very important to make them participants in the development journey. Only then, fintech can become an engine of inclusion, employment generation and promotion of entrepreneurship,” she said.
She urged entrepreneurs and innovators to ensure that technology becomes a tool for social justice and inclusion and also expressed confidence that discussions and collaborations that emerge from this Summit will be of transformative effect not only for Odisha but also for India and the world.
