Maharashtra’s Minister of Electronics, IT, AI & Cultural Affairs, Ashish Shelar addressed industry leaders at Unchained Summit India, held in Mumbai on 5–6 November, speaking about the role of emerging technologies in India’s digital future, the importance of stronger legal frameworks, consumer protection and accountability, and the need to ensure that innovation delivers practical economic value.
Organised by Aeternum at Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport, the two-day summit brought together participants from financial markets, digital assets, investment, technology and Web3 to discuss developments in digital asset markets, real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation, stablecoins, financial infrastructure and institutional adoption.
Maharashtra’s Digital Future: Innovation, Investment and Financial Transformation
Delivering a special address titled Maharashtra’s Digital Future: Innovation, Investment and Financial Transformation, Shri Ashish Shelar spoke about the economic value of emerging technologies and the importance of building trust in their adoption.
He highlighted the need for clear legal rights, consumer protection and accountability, emphasising that technological innovation must address practical problems and deliver measurable economic value.
He also discussed the potential of AI and blockchain to improve processes and financial systems, while underlining the importance of secure custody, sound governance and enforceable rights in tokenised assets.
“A token cannot strengthen a weak asset, guarantee liquidity or eliminate risk,” he said, highlighting the need for credible legal frameworks, customer protection and effective mechanisms for redressal.
RWA Tokenisation: From Pilots to Adoption
A key industry discussion at the summit was the roundtable RWA Tokenisation in India: From Pilots to Adoption, which brought together leaders from legal services, financial infrastructure, institutional investment and blockchain technology.
The discussion examined the requirements for taking tokenisation beyond pilot projects, including viable asset classes and use cases, enforceable ownership rights, investor protection, custody, settlement and interoperability.
The roundtable featured:
- Jaideep Reddy, Partner, Trilegal
- Sanmesh Kalyanpur, Director, Finternet
- Dilip Chenoy, Chairperson, Bharat Web3 Association
- Kunaal Patel, Head of Institutional – Asia & MENA, Ondo Finance
- Parth Chaturvedi, Director of Business Development, Canton Foundation
- Ashutosh Dubey, Head of Innovation, Jio Financial Services
- Prasanth Kalangi, Founder and CEO, Zoniqx
- Dinesh Dahiya, Vice President, OpenZeppelin
- Pramod Mishra, Director – Tokenisation and Programmable Money Lead, PwC
- Garima Singh, CEO and Director, BitViraj Technology
Sharath Kumar, Founder and CEO of Aeternum, the organiser of Unchained Summit, said:
“Over these two days, we brought together perspectives from across India’s financial and Web3 ecosystems to discuss where the industry is headed and what it will take to get there. We also hosted a roundtable on RWA tokenisation, with participation from organisations including PwC, Ondo Finance, OpenZeppelin, Trilegal and Jio Financial Services. These conversations are important to moving beyond potential and towards practical applications, stronger infrastructure and wider institutional participation.”
The 5-Step Tokenisation Playbook
The summit also featured The 5-Step Tokenisation Playbook, a dedicated workshop led by Cristian Ulloa, Co-Founder of Crave Management and Liquid Loans.
The workshop covered the strategic, structural and operational considerations involved in tokenisation, including common implementation challenges and the risks organisations should assess before pursuing tokenisation projects.
Connecting Financial Markets with Web3 Infrastructure
The wider programme covered digital asset investment, regulatory developments, institutional participation, stablecoins, payments and settlement, custody and liquidity.
Sessions also explored blockchain scalability, interoperability, AI and decentralised applications, examining how emerging technologies could support financial services and enterprise applications.
The programme brought together perspectives from exchanges, investment firms, financial institutions, legal professionals and technology companies working across the digital asset ecosystem.
The summit was supported by CoinSwitch and KoinX as Gold Sponsors; Liquid Loans, WazirX, KoinBX, Avail, Tangem, NEAR Foundation and MST Blockchain as Silver Sponsors; A7 International, Equiniti India and Bitget Wallet as Bronze Sponsors; Securosys, Sumsub, World Gaming Council, Calip.io and Minds by Animoca Brands as Exhibitors; HedgerX as a supporting partner and Coin Edition as Official Media Partner.
For more information, visit: unchainedsummit.com/india
About Aeternum Consulting Ltd:
Aeternum organizes business-to-business events in the emerging tech space, provides strategic consulting, and tailored services to a diverse range of clients, from corporations to governments and startups to individuals. Aeternum specializes in crafting impactful B2B platforms that foster meaningful connections, drive business growth, and facilitate knowledge sharing through conferences, exhibitions, and bespoke networking opportunities.
For more information visit: aeternuminc.com
For further details about the announcement,
please contact:
Maya K V
media@aeternuminc.com | +91 95383 91838
Partnerships Associate, Aeternum
