The MeitY–Nasscom Centre of Excellence (CoE) – IoT & AI successfully hosted the Digital Innovation Conclave 2026 in Hyderabad, bringing together more than 300 industry leaders, innovators, policymakers, and technology practitioners to explore how AI, emerging technologies, and next-gen digital infrastructure are reshaping India’s enterprise landscape.
The day-long conclave featured expert keynotes, three high-power panel discussions, nine high-impact startup demos, and a masterclass, highlighting how enterprises can accelerate transformation through AI-driven innovation.
Key Highlights from the Conclave
Leadership Keynotes & Talks
The event opened with a Welcome Address by Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, MeitY–Nasscom CoE – IoT & AI, followed by a keynote on “Digital First AI-Enabled Bank” delivered by Ashish Jain, Lloyds Technology Centre.
Senior policymaker Shri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, emphasized the Government of Telangana’s commitment to fostering an innovation-ready ecosystem, strengthening India’s leadership in emerging technologies and leveraging technology to address key priorities for the state and its citizens.
Ravi Kappagantu, Head of Architecture and Innovation, Lloyds Technology Centre, presented a session on “Evolution of Digital Assets in Banking,” highlighting how financial institutions are rethinking asset models, governance, and scalability in a digital-first era.
Sanjay Shetty, Chief Business Officer – Recruitment, GCC and International Services, Quess Corp, shared insights in his talk “Beyond Volume: India’s GCC Transformation,” focusing on the shift from scale-driven growth to capability-led value creation.
Startup Innovation Showcases
Across three sessions, nine deep-tech startups—Technicious, Turiya Softech, Logic Ladder, Senda, Indus Vision, Botminds AI, MonkDB, TraceRT, and Datakriti—presented cutting-edge solutions in AI, data intelligence, automation, and sustainability.
Insightful Panel Discussions
Panel I: Innovation & AI – Powering the Next Evolution of GCCs
Moderated by Gaurav Vasu, the panel brought together leaders from Lloyds Technology Centre, HSBC, Franklin Templeton, and Amgen India. Speakers highlighted India’s global capability centers transitioning into innovation hubs powered by AI, data engineering, and digital platforms.
Panel II: The Agentic AI Mindshift – From Automation to Autonomy
A focused industry dialogue, moderated by Puneet Agarwal, Founder of AI Lifebot. Leaders from Matrix Pharma, Rainbow Hospitals, Ramoji Group, and Cigna Healthcare discussed how autonomous enterprise systems are shaping business models, service delivery, and operational resilience.
Panel III: Accelerating Digital-First Industries
A high-energy discussion moderated by Divya Sharma (Salesforce) featured perspectives from Google India, Qnity Electronics (DuPont), S&P Global, and Coromandel International, focusing on the convergence of innovation, digital infrastructure, and data intelligence in traditional and new-age industries.
Special Sessions
- “Beyond the Firewall: Leading with Intelligence in 2026”
A thought-provoking fireside chat featuring Vijay Banda, Executive Chairman & CSO at Synradar, in conversation with Naman Kothari, Head – Innovation & Partnerships, MeitY–Nasscom CoE. Together, they explore the evolving security landscape and the leadership mindset required to stay ahead in 2026.
- Masterclass on “Amplifying Innovation for Growth in a GenAI Era”
An inspiring masterclass delivered by Lokesh Venkataswamy, CEO & MD of Innomantra, offering actionable strategies to harness Generative AI as a catalyst for innovation-driven growth. - Deep-Dive Session: Overcoming DPDP Implementation Bottlenecks
An expert-led session by Nitin Dhavate, Head of Data Privacy at Novartis, unpacking the practical challenges enterprises face in DPDP implementation and navigating the path to compliance.
Closing Note
Senthil Kumar, Head of Industry & Corporate, MeitY Nasscom COE concluded the event by underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration to translate India’s digital aspirations into measurable, industry-wide impact.
Commenting on the Success of the Conclave,
Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, MeitY–Nasscom CoE – IoT & AI said:
The Digital Innovation Conclave brings together the best of India’s innovation ecosystem, industry, startups and government to drive meaningful impact with new technologies and AI.
Hyderabad continues to grow as a high-quality innovation hub and today’s conversations reaffirm the role of collaborative innovation in accelerating India’s digital leadership.
About MeitY–Nasscom Centre of Excellence
The MeitY–Nasscom CoE is India’s premier program for accelerating digital transformation and fostering deep-tech innovation across enterprises, startups, and government. It focuses on developing scalable solutions in AI, IoT, cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, and other advanced technologies.
