SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) | Ministry of Finance
On December 16, 2025, the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen regulatory-academic collaboration for the GIFT IFSC. Central to this partnership is the GIFT International FinTech Institute (GIFT IFI), a collaborative initiative designed to provide high-end FinTech training and research, with IITGN playing a key role in creating a steady talent pipeline for the global financial hub.
Key Pillars of the Collaboration:
Talent Development through GIFT IFI: Fostering specialized academic programs and interdisciplinary research at the GIFT IFI to address the dynamic needs of GIFT City.
Startup Support & Innovation: Startups emerging from IITGN’s Research Park (such as SPEC Finance and Trado) will be facilitated to access IFSCA’s Regulatory and Innovation Sandbox.
Techno-Entrepreneurship: Fostering a vibrant ecosystem for student-led and faculty-led ventures to create impactful financial technologies that contribute to national growth.
Knowledge Sharing: A faculty showcase session highlighted ongoing work in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, aligning academic excellence with regulatory requirements.
What is the GIFT International FinTech Institute (GIFT IFI)? It is a collaborative initiative designed to provide high-end FinTech training and research, with IITGN playing a key role in shaping its path forward to create a steady talent pipeline for GIFT IFSC.
Policy Relevance
The MoU is a decisive step toward positioning India as a global leader in financial technology by 2047, ensuring that the nation’s premier academic institutions are directly contributing to the success of its maiden IFSC.
Regulatory Excellence: Collaborating with IITGN allows IFSCA to develop evidence-based policies and stay at the forefront of emerging technologies like Quantum Computing and AI governance.
Onshoring Innovation: By supporting local startups, the partnership helps in “onshoring the offshore”—bringing back financial services and transactions to Indian shores that were previously conducted in overseas jurisdictions.
Interdisciplinary Multiplier Effect: The cross-disciplinary nature of IITGN’s research (spanning from engineering to finance) fosters innovation that generates significant social impact and enhances the competitiveness of Indian financial markets.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will IFSCA and IITGN ensure that the FinTech solutions developed through this partnership are interoperable with global standards to truly enable “One Global Connect” for Indian firms?
Follow the full news here: IFSCA and IIT Gandhinagar Sign Strategic MoU to Bolster GIFT IFSC’s FinTech Ecosystem