US visit: FM Sitharaman to engage US investors, attend G20 meetings in multi-city tour

Washington: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in the United States for a six-day visit to participate in the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting and engage with corporate leaders and chief executives to explore investment opportunities in India.

Sitharaman landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Thursday, following a three-day trip to Canada, where she took part in the inaugural India-Canada Economic and Financial Dialogue. She was received 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.

The visit forms part of a nine-day joint tour across Canada and the United States scheduled to conclude on 2 September.

During her stay in Chicago, the minister will participate in a roundtable conference with prominent investors and hold discussions with leading chief executives, presidents and senior private-sector representatives. Talks will focus on India's economic outlook, investment opportunities and strategies to strengthen business partnerships between India and the United States.

Sitharaman is also scheduled to visit the Polsky Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago to exchange views on entrepreneurship, technology commercialisation and building stronger links with India's expanding start-up ecosystem. She will later meet members of the Indian diaspora in Chicago.

The finance minister will subsequently lead the Indian delegation at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, held under the United States presidency. Scheduled for 31 August and 1 September, the meetings will bring together finance ministers, central bank governors and senior financial officials from G20 member nations to discuss key global economic issues, following the G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting on 29 and 30 August.

India's involvement in the G20 Finance Track serves as an important forum to contribute to dialogues on global economic stability, international financial cooperation and key issues affecting both emerging and advanced economies, the official statement noted.

Following her engagements in North Carolina, Sitharaman will travel to New York for an Investor Roundtable with senior representatives and chief executives of major local firms. She will hold individual meetings with financial sector executives to discuss India's economic landscape and institutional linkages.

During her time in New York, NASDAQ will host Sitharaman for a bell-ringing ceremony, offering insights into technology-driven capital markets.

The US leg follows her three-day visit to Canada that commenced on 25 August, where she attended the India-Canada Economic and Financial Dialogue in Toronto and met business leaders from sectors including energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

PTI