Sitharaman Highlights India's Investment Opportunities in Talks With French Business Leaders

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday held separate meetings with senior executives of global banking major BNP Paribas and transport solution provider Flying Whales, during which she highlighted India's investment opportunities and startup ecosystem.

In a meeting with Flying Whales president Sebastien Bougon in Paris, Sitharaman welcomed the company's interest in establishing its ecosystem in India.

"She informed Bougon about the opportunities in India for a company like Flying Whale and encouraged him to engage with the vibrant startup ecosystem operating in this space," the finance ministry said in a post on X.

Bougon briefed the finance minister on the company's sustainable public-private partnership (PPP) projects across the world and its range of application use cases.

He said Flying Whales' airship technology supports economic development in landlocked regions while reducing the environmental impact of cargo transportation.

He also conveyed the company's intention to set up its entire manufacturing ecosystem with India as a key base.

Sitharaman, who is in France on a 4-day official visit, also highlighted opportunities available in India for companies such as Flying Whales and pointed to the framework available at the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) in GIFT City for ship and aircraft leasing as well as Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO), which could be leveraged by the company.

In a separate meeting, the finance minister met Yann Gerardin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) at BNP Paribas.

Gerardin said global funds have shown growing interest in India as a credible investment destination and praised the country's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the ministry said in another post on X.

Sitharaman informed him that the government has announced a committee on the banking sector as part of its roadmap towards Viksit Bharat 2047.

She sought Gerardin's views and suggestions for the committee and informed him that India is positioning its banking sector globally, with special focus on the delivery of DPI and Account Aggregator systems.