The ET Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0: The Great Reallocation is scheduled for October 8, 2026, at ITC Maratha in Mumbai, bringing together high-net-worth individuals, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, founders, investors and capital allocators for discussions around wealth creation and capital allocation forces. According to reports from The Economic Times, the summit will focus on the changing architecture of wealth creation, with AI identified as one of the emerging new alpha levers alongside global investments, GIFT City and private credit. The comprehensive agenda spans global capital flows, smart money, private credit, family offices, GIFT City, SIFs, AI and the future of wealth creation, providing a comprehensive forum for market practitioners actively engaged in portfolio management, research and wealth creation.
Praveena Rai, MD and CEO of MCX, highlighted at the summit that commodities are steadily gaining traction as a crucial component of investment strategies, with the growing financialisation of household savings pushing Indian investors beyond traditional bank and fixed deposits. As reported by The Economic Times, Rai noted that Indian markets have matured significantly over the past five years, with broader retail participation and greater awareness of different asset classes. She emphasized that the investment universe now spans REITs, InvITs, private credit, private equity, fixed-income markets and commodities, with commodities acting as a counter-cyclical component in a portfolio because they follow fundamentals that are somewhat different from equities. Rai explained that gold, for instance, has benefited from global uncertainty and its role as a safe-haven asset, with central banks acquiring around 300 tonnes of gold over the last year or two.
India holds significant positions in global commodity markets, with Rai highlighting the country's position as the second-largest producer of aluminium, coal and iron, while also being the second-largest consumer of gold and the third-largest consumer of crude oil. As reported by The Economic Times, commodities are closely linked to several major economic themes, with artificial intelligence requiring data centres, while manufacturing, infrastructure and construction generate demand for commodities such as copper, aluminium and energy. Industrial commodities like copper stand to benefit from electrification, the expansion of power grids and the construction of data centres, while power is another important commodity given its role across industries, with energy costs accounting for a significant portion of industrial cost bases. Rai noted that improvements in battery technology could help address variability in solar power availability.
Investors can gain commodity exposure through professionally managed products such as multi-asset funds, SIFs, Category III AIFs, hybrid funds and life-cycle funds, where ETCDs, or exchange-traded commodity derivatives, are permitted. According to The Economic Times, these products allow investors to participate in commodity markets without directly owning the physical commodity. Rai highlighted that MCX offers an individual investor product allowing delivery of gold in quantities ranging from one gram to larger quantities, with several metals and agricultural commodities traded on the platform having a physical delivery element, including copper, aluminium, zinc, lead, nickel, cotton and cardamom. For commodities such as copper, aluminium and zinc, physical delivery takes place on specified days, primarily involving industry participants, with the futures price being closely aligned with the physical market.
Nilesh Shah of Kotak Mutual Fund highlighted at the summit that bear markets can breed the best investment ideas, noting that the equity market has delivered neither strong nor negative returns over the past two years. As reported by The Economic Times, Shah emphasized that he remains confident that India's growth story is a compounding one, contrasting India's potential with South Korea where growth is expected to see greater ups and downs. Shah pointed to India's remarkable talent pool and infrastructure, stating that "Many Indian startups are doing, albeit on a much smaller scale, what SpaceX is doing." He highlighted India's progress in infrastructure, including roads, ports, airports, power and telecom, adding that the country has doubled or more than doubled its infrastructure over the past 20 years. Shah noted that in the last six months, PMS has built about three times, and advised against buying unnecessary gold while correcting investor perceptions.
A dedicated panel titled 'Smart Money Investment Strategies' will explore how high-net-worth individuals are approaching alternative investment opportunities. The session will feature Ashish Shanker, Managing Director and CEO, Motilal Oswal Wealth; Pranob Gupta, Managing Director, Lighthouse Canton; Rahul Jain, President & Head, Nuvama Wealth Management; Ashish Khandelia, Founder, Certus Capital; and Sandeep Das, MD and CEO, Centrum Wealth Ltd. According to The Economic Times, these sophisticated investors are increasingly moving beyond listed equities and traditional bonds into private credit, venture debt, co-investments and alternative strategies. While these avenues can offer opportunities that public markets may not, they can also come with longer holding periods, lower liquidity and more complex risks. The panel will examine how HNIs are seeking differentiated sources of alpha and understanding the thinking behind their decisions.
A separate session titled 'Man or Machine? Decoding Future of Investing' will be led by Sandeep Tandon, Founder, Quant Group, examining the evolving relationship between human decision-making and technology. According to The Economic Times, these sessions are part of a wider summit agenda that will cover global capital flows, alternative assets, structured debt, family-office investing, GIFT City, REITs and new investment strategies, providing a forum for market practitioners actively engaged in portfolio management, research and wealth creation. The summit will conclude with Karan Bhagat, Founder, MD and CEO, 360 ONE, delivering the closing address, 'India's Next Wealth Playbook: Creating, Compounding and Preserving Wealth'.
