Gateway to India: Opportunities and Challenges
Investing in India: A Cyclical or Secular Story?
Destination India: Entrepreneurs at Work
Government: Driving India Forward
Indian Industry: Redefining Boundaries
Media and Entertainment: It's Showtime!
Indian Financial Services: Fortune in the Middle of the Pyramid
CONFERENCE
THEME:
REALIZING THE INDIAN DREAM
For the past decade, India has been at the forefront of the global business and political landscape. So what is it that drives India? Is it the prowess in information technology? Is it the foreign investments and favorable economic policies? Or is it its billion people who help create and consume global products? It is perhaps all of these, and a bit more - It is the Indian Dream.
India has a dream for itself. A dream that inspires the entire nation to be forward looking, innovative and hard working. A dream that is shared by many across all socio-economic frontiers. The ever rising power of middle class and the common masses has put 'economic' development at the center of the Indian Dream. WIEF 2006 will be a strong platform for the celebration as well as healthy debate among the various stakeholders who share the Indian Dream - professionals, businesses, government, and global citizens.
The “Indian Dream”
resonates with the idea of an American Dream which defines success.
Yet, there is no clear definition of the Indian Dream as of now.
“Indian Dream” refers not only to that of people in
India, but every global citizen who wants to associate with India
in various capacities.
WIEF 2006 will serve as the platform for thought-leaders, entrepreneurs,
and policy makers to define their perception of this dream. WIEF
2006 will also provide the platform for brainstorming the action
steps required by individuals, corporations, and the government
to bring this Indian Dream to fruition.
PANELS
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The Indian Dream is finally being realized – both at home and abroad. Multinational companies, institutional investors and entrepreneurs alike are eagerly looking to invest in the world's most promising and fastest-growing economy. Several of them have successfully harnessed India’s dynamic expansion by entering India at an opportune moment, while others have found their India entry plans faltering. Recognizing the reality that market entry strategies that worked well elsewhere have been less successful in India, this forum aims to formulate a clear entry strategy pertinent to business conditions specific to India.
The forum seeks
to provide deep insights and unique perspectives drawn from a rich
cross-section of business leaders and investors familiar with charting
effective entry strategies into Indian markets across all industries.
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In 2005, India
attracted over $10 billion in foreign institutional investment and
$8 billion in foreign direct investment. Last year global and domestic
private equity investors poured $2.3 billion into 147 Indian companies.
Currently, over 20 real estate funds are expected to raise an estimated
$5 billion. Earlier this year, analysts predicted that the Bombay
Sensex would reach 11,000 by the end of the year, a figure that was
reached within three months. While the Sensex appears to be on steroids
and foreign institutional investment in 2006 is already at $4 billion,
capital supply seems to have outpaced capital demand.
The questions arise: Are expectations in line with reality? How does
one make money in a seemingly over-valued market? Is this a cyclical
or a secular story? This panel will focus on the challenges, risks,
and rewards of investing in India.
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India has seen
unprecedented growth in last 15 years. It now needs more entrepreneurs
than ever not only to capitalize on the new opportunities created
by this growth but also create new jobs and thus, wealth for its masses.
According to an estimate, 110-130 millions Indians will be looking
for jobs in the next 10 years. With only so many new jobs that can
be created in the government sector and the old economy companies,
the ‘Realization of Indian Dream’ depends upon these entrepreneurs
and investors. And with its 300 million people strong middle class
that continues to demand quality products and services, and a well-educated
labor pool, India provides fertile grounds for entrepreneurs to succeed.
The question that remains is what needs to be done so that India can
see entrepreneurial activity like the Silicon Valley in order to capitalize
of what lies ahead. Are there sufficient incubators to foster entrepreneurial
initiatives? What do VCs seek before investing in Indian start-ups?
What role can education institutes play in developing tomorrow’s
entrepreneurs. And finally, how can the right support network be built
so that entrepreneurs have access to all the resources they require
to be successful.
This panel, consisting of prominent
entrepreneurs, VCs, business and government leaders and representatives
from educational institutes, will discuss the recent entrepreneurial
activity India has seen and what is being done to realize the Indian
Dream.
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The ascent of the Indian economy after 1991 has stunned the world. In spite of the initial skepticism India has managed to not only maintain but also accelerate the growth rate. Businesses are booming and today Indians have an amazing range of opportunities to enrich their lives. The results are there for all to see. The mega-cities of India are exploding with dynamism of the rising middle class. Finally, India seems to have arrived.
But this has not
erased many concerns in our minds. The benefits of the economic resurgence
have not touched the lives of many Indians, who continue to live in
poverty and deprivation. The continuing social unrest in some parts
of India puts a question mark on the atmosphere of optimism. Business
leaders have their own serious concerns. They want reassurance that
the policy of liberalization will not be affected by change in the
political dispensation. The regulatory hurdles coupled with corruption
and red tape make doing business in India a challenge. Infrastructure
is under immense strain and the situation is grim. The bottom line
is that even today, doing business in India is intimidating for many.
This is making some wonder whether India is another shooting star
which will slowly fade away from the horizon.We believe that this
is India’s historic moment. If we do not seize it now, we could
see this edifice of economic progress crumbling before our own eyes.
This panel consisting of prominent ministers and government officials
will answer the question that is there on everyone’s mind: Will
the Indian Government rise to the occasion and make the Indian Dream
a reality? Or will it become another lost opportunity and a source
of eternal regret?
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The Indian Industry
has seen a new avatar over the last six years with growth of emerging
sectors such as retail, infrastructure, airline, health services,
auto, energy and others. These changes have been fueled by the rise
in the spending power of Indians, both in India and abroad
This panel of
top industrialists from India will debate the following questions:
What are the policies that would enable India to optimize these emerging
opportunities? What should the industry leaders do in concert so that
they turn out to be winners and not losers?
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The Indian Media
and Entertainment industry is playing an integral part in the realization
of the Indian Dream. This industry is reaching unprecedented heights
and is heading towards exponential revenue growth. The buoyant Indian
economy and increased consumer spending on leisure activities, coupled
with technological advancement and foreign direct investment in this
sector has given way to many opportunities for growth.
Now is the time to show the rest of the world what this industry has
to offer. This forum aims to address certain key issues that will
contribute to the successful positioning of this industry in a global
context.
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Indian Financial services industry – comprising banking, insurance and mutual funds – has witnessed tremendous growth recently. Indian banks, particularly the private ones, are riding high on the retail business. The domestic retail banking market is expanding with annual revenues expected to more than double to US$ 16.5 billion by 2010 from about US$ 6.4 billion at present. The number of urban households that could afford a mortgage has grown from 2.6 million in 1995 to 20.5 million in 2004. The market is expected to grow by 30-45 per cent to a total value of up to US$ 77 billion by 2008. A thriving economy, substantial increase in disposable incomes and consequent rise in consumer expenditure, growing affluence levels and consumer sophistication have all led to robust growth in credit cards and players in this industry have posted an enviable annual growth rate of more than 100% over the last two years. India is also turning into one of the top insurance markets in Asia, with a market that stands at over $13.5 billion and is expected to grow to $33.5 billion in five years. The Mutual Funds industry has also seen impressive growth on the back of the biggest bull-run in the Indian stock markets. The assets under management (AUM) of the Indian mutual fund industry has gone up by 33 per cent at US$ 44 billion in December, 2005, as against US$ 33 billion in the corresponding period last year.
This panel will
try to help the audience understand the opportunities in the Indian
Financial Services space and how the leading companies are targeting
the growing Indian middle class to find fortune in the Middle of the
Pyramid.
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