SME Times News Bureau | 14 Nov, 2018
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Singapore are working to
bring Indian and ASEAN small and medium enterprises (SMEs) closer.
Speaking
before a gathering in his keynote address at
the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) in Singapore, the Prime Minister said that India and
Singapore are working to connect Indian and ASEAN small and medium enterprises,
anchored on an Indian platform, and expand it globally.
In his
speech, he stressed that technology today is creating immense
opportunities to transform millions of lives and said that there is an
explosion of fintech innovation and enterprise in India and the nation is
"your best destination".
"This has turned India into a leading fintech and startup nation in the
world. The future of fintech and Industry 4.0 is emerging in India. I say this
to all the fintech companies and startups -- India is your best
destination," Modi told the gathering at the Singapore Fintech Festival
here.
"Financial inclusion has become a reality for nearly 1.3 billion Indians.
Technology today is helping them define competitiveness and power in the new
world, added Modi, the first head of government to deliver the keynote address
at the world's largest financial technology festival.
The Prime Minister arrived in Singapore on Wednesday on a two-day visit to
attend the East Asia Summit, ASEAN-India informal meet and the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.
“To increase
your Venture Capital or VC funding by 10 percent, tell the investors you run a
"platform”, not a regular business; If you want to increase your VC
funding by 20 percent, tell the investors that you are operating in the
"fintech space”; But, if you really want the investors to empty their
pockets, tell them that you are using "blockchain”, Modi said adding that
he have heard of this advice going around in start-up circles.
"We are in an age of a historic transition brought
about by technology," the Prime Minister added.
Modi was set to present awards to winners of the first "India-Singapore
Hackathon 2018" which aims to harness innovation potential of the youth
from the two nations.