India Exim Bank organised a workshop on “Financial Services in Free Trade Agreements”. The Workshop aimed to foster a deeper understanding of the role of financial services within the context of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and their implications for global trade and economic development. 

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Vivek Joshi, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Government of India. While inaugurating the Workshop, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, underscored India’s ambitious export target and highlighted the role of financial services in India's export strategy. He emphasized on further building negotiating capacities through constant engagement with academia and other expert bodies. Exim Bank can partner with Government in this effort. 

Ms. Harsha Bangari, Managing Director, India Exim Bank in her welcome address stated that India has significant potential to capitalise on the growing demand for financial services globally and increasing engagements in FTAs would be a key driver for enhancing India’s financial services exports. She highlighted the growing importance of GIFT city as a major hub for export of financial services.

The event brought together stakeholders from the Department of Financial Services, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Commerce, sectoral regulators including SEBI, RBI, PFRDA, and IRDAI. 

Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce shared insights about foreign trade vision of India and importance of financial services in it. The workshop also had two technical sessions on Scheduling Commitments on Services under WTO and FTAs by International trade law experts. 

In conjunction with the workshop, India Exim Bank’s e-book titled "Unlocking Opportunities: A Guide to Negotiating Financial Services in Free Trade Agreements" was released covering various aspects of FTAs.

The workshop concluded with a commitment to continued engagement and collaboration among participants to further explore the multifaceted dimensions of financial services within the realm of FTAs.