The ninth edition of the Dhanam BFSI Summit & Award Nite will bring together more than 500 delegates and over 25 speakers from India's banking, financial services, insurance and investment sectors.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey will be the chief guest at the ninth edition of the Dhanam BFSI Summit & Award Nite 2026, to be held on November 25 at Le Meridien, Kochi.
The summit, organised by Dhanam Business Media, will bring together some of India's leading policymakers, financial sector executives, investment professionals and industry experts for discussions on the opportunities and challenges shaping the country's banking, financial services, insurance and investment landscape.
Recognised as one of South India's major gatherings of financial sector professionals, the event is expected to attract more than 500 delegates and feature over 25 speakers from across the country.
The day-long summit will conclude with the Dhanam BFSI Excellence Awards ceremony and an exclusive networking dinner.
Pandey's participation will be a major highlight of this year's summit, bringing one of India's most senior financial regulators to a gathering of banking, insurance, investment and capital market professionals in Kerala.
A 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Odisha cadre, Pandey assumed charge as SEBI chairman on March 1, 2025, succeeding Madhabi Puri Buch.
Before taking over as head of the capital markets regulator, he held several important positions in the Union government, including finance secretary, revenue secretary and secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
During his tenure at DIPAM, he was associated with major government disinvestment and asset management initiatives, including the privatisation of Air India.
His administrative career also includes senior positions in the Odisha government, the Planning Commission, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Commerce. He has also served with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
Pandey holds a master's degree in economics from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and an MBA from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
With more than three decades of experience in economic administration, taxation, public asset management and policy formulation, he brings extensive expertise to India's securities market regulatory framework.
Curated by Dhanam, Kerala's leading business media group with a legacy spanning more than 39 years, the summit aims to create a platform for dialogue between regulators, financial institutions, investors and business leaders.
Participants will include senior executives from banks and non-banking financial companies, insurance companies, mutual funds, asset management companies, fintech firms, stockbroking houses and wealth management organisations.
Investors, fund managers, financial analysts, regulatory specialists, consultants and financial advisers are also expected to attend.
The summit will feature thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions examining emerging trends, regulatory developments, technological innovations and challenges confronting India's financial industry.
The gathering will also provide networking opportunities for industry leaders, entrepreneurs and financial professionals.
A key attraction of the event will be the Dhanam BFSI Excellence Awards, instituted to recognise individuals and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to India's financial services industry.
Award winners will be selected by a distinguished jury comprising T.C. Suseel Kumar, former managing director of LIC of India; A. Gopalakrishnan, senior partner at K. Venkatachalam Aiyer & Co.; Abraham Thariyan, former executive director of South Indian Bank and chief patron of the State Forum of Bankers' Clubs (Kerala); and Vivek Krishna Govind, senior partner at Varma & Varma.
The awards have previously honoured several prominent figures in Indian finance, including former AMFI chairman A.P. Kurian, former Union Bank of India chairman and managing director M.V. Nair, former GIC of India managing director Alice G. Vaidyan and former Federal Bank managing director Shyam Srinivasan.
Over the years, the Dhanam BFSI Summit has hosted prominent personalities from India's financial and investment sectors.
Previous speakers include former RBI deputy governor Rajeshwar Rao, BSE managing director and CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy, veteran investor Vijay Kedia, Marcellus Investment Managers founder Saurabh Mukherjea, Muthoot Finance managing director George Alexander Muthoot and Manappuram Finance managing director and CEO V.P. Nandakumar.
Other distinguished speakers have included senior executives from LIC, NABARD, NPCI, Federal Bank and leading financial institutions.
With SEBI chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey set to attend as chief guest, the 2026 edition is expected to further strengthen the summit's position as an important platform for financial sector dialogue in Kerala and South India.
