1 Finance Hosts Global Financial Planners Summit 2026 To Explore Financial Planning Beyond Investments

Mumbai, 29 October 2026: 1 Finance hosted the fourth edition of the Global Financial Planners Summit 2026, bringing together leaders from India's financial advisory, investment research and regulatory ecosystems to discuss the evolving role of financial advice and the importance of demonstrating its value beyond investment returns.

Held under the theme ‘Beyond Investments: The Rise of Holistic Financial Planning,’ the summit featured six sessions examining different dimensions of financial planning, including the future of the financial industry, retirement preparedness, money and behaviour, estate planning, and borrowing and debt.

The session ‘The Decade Ahead’ brought together Maninder Cheema, Executive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Saugata Chatterjee, President and Deputy CEO, Nippon India Mutual Fund; Dr. Soumya Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India and Utpal Sheth, Founder and Mentor, TRUST Group. ‘The Retirement Mandate’ featured S. Ramann, Chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), and Keval Bhanushali, CEO and Co-Founder, 1 Finance. A separate conversation on money and behaviour featured Prof. Meir Statman, Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University, California, US.

The summit also addressed estate and succession planning through a panel featuring Bijal Ajinkya, Partner, Khaitan & Co.; Dr. Deepak Jain, Director, AAFM India & Nexgen; and Sadia Khan, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. The session on borrowing and debt brought together Bharat Lamba, President, DSP Finance; Devyani P., Founder and CEO, Mera Kal; Sachin Seth, Regional Managing Director, India and South Asia, CRIF India and Mohan Parsuramka, COO, 1 Finance.

A key session, titled ‘Value of Advisory,’ explored how the contribution of financial advice can be assessed beyond investment performance, considering its role in shaping investor behaviour, improving financial decisions and helping families progress towards their long-term goals. The panel featured Amit Kukreja, Chairperson, Association of Registered Investment Advisers; Dhirendra Kumar, Founder and Chief Executive, Value Research; Harsh Roongta, Founder, Fee Only Investment Advisers LLP; and G. Ram Mohan Rao, Executive Director, SEBI. The discussion was moderated by Jeet Marwadi, Founder and Managing Director, 1 Finance.

The discussion drew on 1 Finance’s 2026 research report, What Personalised Financial Advice Is Actually Worth. The report’s analysis of four Indian households found that behavioural coaching was the largest contributor to the estimated value of financial advice in each case, highlighting the role of financial planners in helping clients make informed decisions and stay aligned with their long-term goals.

Across the sessions, discussions highlighted how financial planning extends beyond investment selection to encompass retirement preparedness, estate and succession planning, responsible borrowing and financial behaviour. Together, these themes underscored the importance of coordinating decisions across different aspects of a client’s financial life, rather than evaluating financial outcomes through portfolio returns alone.

Keval Bhanushali, CEO and Co-Founder, 1 Finance, said, “Financial planning must go beyond investment selection to address the complete financial needs of a family. Decisions around investments, loans, insurance, taxation and succession are interconnected, and a holistic approach is essential to helping families make informed decisions and achieve their long-term goals. At 1 Finance, we are building an integrated infrastructure layer to support financial planners across India, bringing together solutions across personal finance through 1 Finance, 1 Finance P2P, 1 Finance Tax Services, Will and Estate planning, and Mutual funds AMC. Our vision is to enable financial planners to deliver more comprehensive, coordinated advice that extends beyond investments to the many financial decisions that shape a family’s financial well-being.”

The 2026 edition of the Global Financial Planners Summit received around 2,000 registrations and brought together approximately 1,000 attendees from across the financial services ecosystem. More than 500 attendees were registered on SEBI or AMFI public records, while 40% travelled from outside Mumbai. The diverse participation reinforced the importance of industry collaboration in advancing holistic financial planning and recognising the value of financial advice beyond investment returns.