Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has begun a six-day US visit focused on boosting investment ties, engaging business leaders and representing India at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting. Her itinerary includes meetings with investors and CEOs in Chicago and New York, plus engagements on startups, technology and financial markets.
Washington: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman landed in the US for a six-day visit, during which she will participate in the G20 Finance Ministers' meeting and hold talks with CEOs and business leaders to discuss investment opportunities.
Sitharaman arrived at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Thursday following a three-day visit to Canada, where she took part in the inaugural India-Canada Economic and Financial Dialogue.
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She was welcomed by the Indian Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission, Namgya C Khampa and the Consul General of India in Chicago, Somnath Ghosh, according to an official statement.
Sitharaman is on a nine-day joint visit to Canada and US, which is scheduled to end on September 2.
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While in Chicago, the minister will participate in a roundtable conference with prominent investors and engage with leading CEOs, presidents and senior representatives of the private sector, the statement said.
The discussions will focus on India's investment opportunities, economic outlook and areas for strengthening business and investment partnerships between India and the United States.
Sitharaman will also visit the Polsky Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, where she will exchange perspectives on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology commercialisation and strengthening linkages with India's rapidly expanding startup and innovation ecosystem, it said.
The Union finance minister will later interact with members of the Indian community in Chicago.
She will also lead an Indian delegation at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, which is being held under the presidency of the United States.
The meeting, scheduled for August 31 and September 1, will bring together finance ministers, central bank governors and senior economic officials from G20 members to deliberate on key global economic and financial issues, it said.
The meeting follows the G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting scheduled for August 29 and 30.
India's participation in the G20 Finance Track provides an important platform to contribute to discussions on global economic growth and stability, international financial cooperation and other issues of significance to emerging and advanced economies, the official statement said.
The engagement would also provide an opportunity for India to advance its perspectives on contemporary global economic challenges and strengthen cooperation with G20 partners, it added.
Sitharaman will later head to New York, where she will hold an Investor Roundtable with CEOs and senior representatives of leading New York-based companies.
She will hold one-to-one meetings with senior executives and CEOs from the financial sector to discuss investment opportunities, India's economic and financial landscape, and avenues for strengthening financial and institutional linkages between India and the United States, it said.
During her visit to New York, NASDAQ will host Sitharaman in the bell-ringing ceremony.
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The visit will provide an opportunity to gain insights into developments in technology-driven financial markets and the evolving interface between technology and capital markets, the official statement said.
Her visit to US comes after her three-day trip to Canada, which began on August 25.
In Canada, she attended the inaugural India-Canada Economic and Financial Dialogue in Toronto and also met investors and businesses from sectors including energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
The discussions focused on strengthening economic and financial cooperation and creating greater opportunities for investment and business between the two countries.
