GBS 2026: 'India has moved from incremental reforms to structural transformation,' says Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis | ET NOW Global Business Summit 2026

ET NOW Global Business Summit 2026: At a time when disruption is continuous and power is being re-distributed across technology, geopolitics, capital, and society, Times Group’s thought leadership dialogue, ET NOW Global Business Summit (GBS) 2026, set to take place on February 13 and February 14 at the Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi, embraces the theme “A Decade of Disruption. A Century of Change”. Today is Day 1 of the ET NOW Global Business Summit 2026.

Day 1 of the summit kicked off with profound insights, highlighted by a special address from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "We are living through such moment…20th century is defined by industrial scale factories, physical capital and manufacturing power. In this 21st century, the question is no longer whether the disruption will happen, the question who will lead it," CM said.

"India today is shaping a change. But in this century of change, nations compete and states execute. Global capital is no longer evaluating countries alone, it is evaluating ecosystems. How predictive is governance, how fast is execution, how strong is infrastructure, how deep is talent pool. In this emerging global order, sub-national economies will determine the competitiveness," he further said.

"Maharashtra has signed MoUs worth Rs 30 lakh crore. It contributes 14 per cent to the country's GDP and has strengthened India's global economic position. We are rapidly expanding highways, ports, and logistics corridors. He said that change is taking shape in India today," he added.

He said, "We live in a time... The 20th century was marked by industrial-scale factories, physical capital, and manufacturing power. In the 21st century, the question is not whether disruption will happen, but who will lead it."

He said that our road is very clear. By 2030, Maharashtra will become USD 1 trillion economy. By 2047, we aim scale to USD 5 trillion. This will be driven by USD 500 billion in manufacturing investments, USD 350 billion in services-led growth and new industry investment and services policy placing services at the centre of economic expansion. We are not choosing between manufacturing and services, we are integrating them. Artificial Intelligence will define this decade. Some see disruption, we see productivity.

ET NOW Global Business Summit 2026

At a time when disruption is continuous and power is being re-distributed across technology, geopolitics, capital, and society, Times Group’s thought leadership dialogue, ET NOW Global Business Summit (GBS) 2026, set to take place on February 13 and February 14 at the Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi, embraces the theme “A Decade of Disruption. A Century of Change”.

This year’s edition reflects the scale, speed, and significance of transformations reshaping global economies, from technological acceleration and geopolitical realignment to sustainability imperatives and new governance models.

The GBS 2026 will evaluate a range of themes, including economic disruption, Industry 5.0, globalisation, workforce transformation, energy security and business diversification.

The Times Group’s ET NOW Global Business Summit (GBS) is not a reflection on the past; it is a platform built to shape what comes next. As Asia’s most influential global leadership forum, it convenes the architects of economies, institutions, and enterprises to script the forces that will define the century ahead.

Conceived as a space where leaders confront uncertainty before it becomes inevitability, GBS convenes the world’s most influential voices to interpret disruption, design direction, and script long-term impact.

As economies, technologies, and governance systems undergo accelerated transformation, GBS serves as a centre of global conversations, where emerging realities are debated, strategic responses are forged, and the foundations of future growth are laid.