GFTN and SPF Partnership: A New Corridor for Indian Fintech Innovation 

The strategic collaboration announced between Singapore’s Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and India’s Startup Policy Forum (SPF) at the Black Swan Summit India 2026 aims to create a vital corridor connecting India’s high-growth, high-value startup ecosystem with global policy, capital, and innovation networks. By leveraging GFTN’s extensive reach across 130+ countries and its role in shaping inclusive financial systems, alongside SPF’s unified advocacy for India’s most influential new-economy companies, the partnership seeks to de-risk and accelerate the international expansion of Indian fintech and deeptech firms. The core focus is on fostering structured regulatory dialogue, enabling cross-border growth programs, and facilitating knowledge exchange in areas like digital assets and responsible AI, thereby strengthening India’s role in shaping global fintech frameworks while building trusted pathways for investment and talent flow between local innovation and global markets.

GFTN and SPF Partnership: A New Corridor for Indian Fintech Innovation 

The recent collaboration between Singapore’s Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and India’s Startup Policy Forum (SPF) marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of global financial technology. Announced at the Black Swan Summit India 2026, this strategic partnership is more than a standard memorandum of understanding; it’s a deliberate effort to construct a trusted, high-speed corridor connecting India’s vibrant startup dynamism with global policy frameworks, capital, and markets. 

This alliance represents a convergence of top-down, systemic influence and bottom-up, entrepreneurial energy. It signals a shift from isolated national innovation strategies toward integrated global ecosystems, where regulatory foresight meets disruptive ambition to shape the future of finance. 

The Architects of Collaboration: GFTN and SPF’s Complementary Strengths 

To understand the partnership’s potential, one must first examine the distinct yet complementary power of each organization. One is a globally connected architect of financial systems, while the other is the unified voice of a disruptive national economy. 

Table: Core Strengths of GFTN and SPF 

GFTN: The Global Systemic Connector Born out of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 2024, GFTN was established to extend Singapore’s fintech influence globally, succeeding the earlier Elevandi initiative. Its mandate is to bridge the often-siloed worlds of policy, capital, and technology on a planetary scale. Under the chairmanship of Ravi Menon and with an International Advisory Board chaired by Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, GFTN operates with formidable credibility among regulators and international institutions. 

Its operational model is threefold: GFTN Connections convenes global leaders through forums; GFTN Solutions advises national authorities on building digital infrastructure; and GFTN Capital is poised to provide growth-stage investment. Crucially, GFTN is building physical and digital “corridors”—like its hubs in Odisha, India, and Qatar—to localize this global connectivity. 

SPF: The Voice of India’s New Economy In contrast, SPF embodies the collective force of India’s entrepreneurial revolution. It is not a trade body for established corporations but a coalition of founders and builders from companies like Groww, Razorpay, Meesho, Ather Energy, and CRED. These members are actively reshaping finance, commerce, mobility, and space technology within India. 

SPF’s power lies in its unified advocacy. By consolidating the views of founders who command immense market trust and user bases, it engages with Indian policymakers from a position of demonstrated impact. Its work with entities like the IndiaAI Mission and its success in advocating for tailored policy for deep-tech startups showcase its effectiveness. SPF’s goal is to translate domestic success into global scalability. 

The Synergy: What the Partnership Aims to Build 

The collaboration, signed by GFTN’s James Boey and SPF’s Shweta Rajpal Kohli, is strategically designed to leverage these complementary strengths. It moves beyond vague promises to target specific, high-impact areas: 

• Structured Policy Dialogue: The partnership will create formal channels between Indian regulators and startups, facilitated by GFTN’s global regulatory network. This means complex issues around digital assets, cross-border payments, or responsible AI can be discussed with insights from global best practices, helping shape progressive, innovation-friendly frameworks in India. 

• Cross-Border Expansion Pathways: A core objective is to de-risk and accelerate the internationalization of Indian startups. GFTN can provide curated market access through its global forums and corridors. For an Indian fintech looking to expand to Southeast Asia or a deeptech firm seeking partners in Europe, this network offers a trusted on-ramp to new ecosystems. 

• Knowledge and Talent Exchange: The collaboration will facilitate exchange in cutting-edge domains. This ensures Indian innovators are aligned with global technological and regulatory trends, while global players gain deep insights into India’s groundbreaking digital public infrastructure, like UPI. 

The Bigger Picture: India-Singapore Corridors and Global Fintech Trends 

This partnership is not an isolated event but a key node in expanding India-Singapore economic corridors. It follows the 2025 launch of GFTN’s “Integrated Global Financial Technology Capability Hub” in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Singapore has long been a gateway for Indian businesses seeking global capital, and this collaboration formalizes that role for the startup and fintech era. 

Furthermore, it reflects a global trend where innovation is becoming multilateral. No single ecosystem holds all the answers. India offers massive scale, talent, and disruptive digital models. Singapore provides a nexus of global governance, finance, and strategic connectivity. By linking them, the partnership creates a more potent combined force to address shared challenges like financial inclusion and climate finance. 

Implications for Stakeholders: From Founders to Policymakers 

• For Indian Entrepreneurs: This opens a direct channel to global investors (including the forthcoming GFTN Capital), potential partners, and mentors. It also means their collective voice on policy hurdles will be amplified on a global stage, attracting sympathetic attention from international regulators. 

• For Global Investors and Corporations: The partnership acts as a filter and guide to India’s complex but high-potential startup landscape. Engagement with SPF’s curated portfolio through GFTN platforms reduces discovery risk and connects them to mature, scalable ventures. 

• For Policymakers in India and Abroad: Indian regulators gain a structured window into global regulatory innovation. Conversely, regulators worldwide can engage with India’s unique, scale-tested approaches to digital finance through a credible platform, fostering greater international regulatory coherence. 

A Forward-Looking Alliance 

As Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO of GFTN, stated, the goal is to ensure “digital finance can scale responsibly and inclusively”. Shweta Rajpal Kohli of SPF sees it as embedding “India’s startup ecosystem more deeply into global financial and technology networks”. 

Ultimately, the GFTN-SPF partnership is a bold experiment in ecosystem diplomacy. It acknowledges that in today’s interconnected world, the next leap forward in fintech will not come from a single country or company. It will emerge from the synergistic corridors built between diverse pools of capital, policy intelligence, and entrepreneurial grit. This collaboration lays the foundation for one of the most important of these corridors, with the potential to direct the flow of innovation for years to come.