Mumbai: As ET NOW, India’s leading English business news channel celebrates 17 years of empowering investors and championing India’s growth journey through its enduring philosophy of ‘Rise With India,’ the channel continues to strengthen its commitment to informed investing and market intelligence. Reinforcing this legacy, Times Network hosted the ET NOW Markets Summit 2026 Co-Powered by PhonePe, a premier thought-leadership conclave that brought together India’s leading economists, market strategists, fund managers, policymakers and investment experts to decode the future of Indian markets amid economic uncertainty and global volatility.
With the theme, ‘Navigating Volatility. Decoding Opportunities’ The ET Now Markets Summit 2026 Co-Powered by PhonePe featured keynote addresses, exclusive conversations, panel discussions and debate-led sessions, offering viewers and investors a comprehensive perspective on the forces driving markets today and tomorrow.
Delivering the Keynote Address, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI emphasized, “AI will form a key pillar of SEBI’s future agenda while maintaining strong human oversight. SEBI is working on a framework for the safe and responsible adoption of AI across the capital markets ecosystem. The regulator supports the use of “secure and safe AI” with a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) approach, ensuring that critical decisions continue to involve human supervision. AI will be an important part of the regulatory agenda. AI will be an important part of the agenda for SEBI. AI can improve surveillance, risk assessment, fraud detection and investor servicing. But it also brings risks related to opacity, bias, data protection, cybersecurity and accountability.”
Talking about the challenge that the India’s capital market has been facing, he mentioned, Enablement cannot come at the cost of market integrity and investor protection. He further added, ” One challenge after another, from tariffs to the oil price shocks to AI disruption and FPI outflows, yet India’s market and investor sentiment has remained resilient. India’s market has helped raise over 1.5 lakh crore via equity and corporate bonds and the initial public offering (IPO) pipeline remains robust for the times ahead. Despite external shocks and setbacks, the Indian market has stood tall in the face of all the storms.” Talking about the MF assets, he added, “SIP assets account for nearly 21% of MF assets and volatility must not damage investor sentiment.”
Speaking on the panel titled, ‘The Resilience of DIIs in Offsetting FII Outflows’, LIC MD Dinesh Pant added, “Multi-asset allocation is important, it ensures that at a great level you are protected.” Pant expressed confidence in India’s ability to sustain growth, supported by healthy cash flows, strong domestic participation, and expanding investment opportunities. He added, “India’s corporate sector and society at large are key contributors to the robust liquidity environment seen across the economy. The past year delivered exceptional results for LIC, while new investment inflows have continued to remain strong. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have emerged as a reliable force in Indian equities. Domestic investors have consistently deployed capital into markets and have effectively balanced periods of foreign investor selling.” Stressing on changing market dynamics, Pant said domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have emerged as a reliable force in Indian equities.
At the panel titled, India: Weathering The Macro Storm’, Ridham Desai, MD & Chief Equity Strategist-India, Morgan Stanley, said, “The Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) suggests that the rupee is undervalued by around 11%, making it attractive for equity investors. As of Q1, India is reporting 12% earnings growth, and the next 12 months could surprise on the upside as the country enters a phase of massive capex boom. Measures related to bonds, FCNR(B) and ECBs are also expected to improve India’s balance of payments position. At present, there is a compounding impact of both global and domestic factors at play”
The Summit included industry veterans, & industry experts, including, Dinesh Pant, MD – LIC; Sunil Singhania, Founder, Abakkus Asset Manager; Sandeep Tandon, CIO, Quant MF; Sailesh Bhan, President & CIO, Nippon India MF; Utpal Sheth, Founder & Mentor, TRUST Group; Sridhar Sivaram, Investment Director, Enam Holdings; Hiren Ved, Director & CIO, Alchemy Capital Management; Ridham Desai, MD & Chief Equity Strategist-India, Morgan Stanley; Gautam Chhaochharia, Head-Global Markets, UBS; Vijay Kedia, Private Investor; Kailash Kulkarni, HSBC MF; A Bala Subramanian, MD & CEO, ABSL AMC; Nilesh D. Naik, Head-Mutual Funds, PhonePe; Sundeep Sikka, MD, Nippon Mutual Fund and Karan Bhagat, Founder, MD & CEO, 360 One WAM.
Over the past 17 years, ET NOW has established itself as one of India’s most trusted destinations for business and market news. The ET NOW Markets Summit 2026 builds on this legacy by creating a platform where investors, policymakers and market leaders can engage in meaningful conversations that help shape informed investment decisions.
At a time when investors are navigating market turbulence, geopolitical tensions, crude price shocks, FII outflows and evolving regulatory frameworks, the summit provided clarity, confidence and actionable insights on the opportunities and challenges shaping India’s investment landscape. The ET Now Markets Summit 2026 Co-Powered by PhonePe had several sponsors, including Mutual Fund Partner HSBC Mutual Fund, Associate Partner Life Insurance Corporation of India, Transit Media Partner On TV and Outreach Partner Dalal Street Investment Jounal.
-Based on Press Release
