Piyush Goyal discusses retail investment with Nippon Life India AMC CEO

NEW DELHI: India’s investment pitch is getting a closer look. Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal met Sundeep Sikka, MD and CEO of Nippon Life India Asset Management, to discuss ways to deepen retail investment and strengthen the country’s asset management ecosystem.

The meeting also explored avenues for attracting greater global capital into Indian markets, Goyal said in a post on X.

Goyal said the discussions focused on scaling up retail participation in investments while strengthening the broader asset management ecosystem. The minister did not disclose specific measures or investment commitments emerging from the meeting.

The meeting comes as retail participation has become an increasingly important part of India’s capital markets, with domestic investors playing a larger role alongside institutional and overseas capital.

Goyal also met Nadav Zafrir, CEO of Check Point Software, earlier on Monday. The discussions covered the company’s growing engagement in India, including research and development expansion and the use of AI-driven security to protect India’s digital public infrastructure.

The meeting also touched on cooperation in cybersecurity, digital trust and AI-led innovation, with Goyal highlighting the need for a resilient digital ecosystem to support India’s technology-driven growth.

Goyal also participated in the third meeting of the Apex Monitoring Authority of the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust, chaired by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

At the meeting, Goyal called for faster and outcome-oriented implementation of industrial corridor projects, with a greater focus on timely investment and operationalisation.

He said BHAVYA and future industrial developments should be aligned with PM GatiShakti and planned through an integrated area-development approach.

The minister also called for focused investor outreach and stronger marketing of industrial nodes, including by leveraging opportunities created by India’s free trade agreements and exploring country- and sector-specific industrial enclaves.

Goyal emphasised the need to match investor requirements with suitable locations and build ready-to-use industrial ecosystems. These, he said, should include plug-and-play infrastructure, flatted factories, worker housing and supporting economic and social infrastructure to help investors begin operations faster.

The National Industrial Corridor Development Programme currently covers 20 approved projects across 13 states and seven industrial corridors.

Four industrial smart cities, Dholera, Shendra-Bidkin, Greater Noida and Vikram Udyogpuri, have already entered the production stage.

So far, 469 plots covering about 5,348 acres have been allotted, with an estimated investment potential of around Rs 2.21 lakh crore and employment potential of approximately 1.29 lakh people. A total of 134 units are already in production, while another 95 are under construction.

Taken together, Goyal’s meetings underline the government’s broader push to deepen domestic investment, attract global capital and build the physical and digital infrastructure needed to support India’s next phase of growth.