4th Invest India Derivatives Forum, 2002
06 and 07 December 2002, Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, India

Markets for financial derivatives in India are now a reality. However, while we have a currency forward market, a commodity derivatives market that is slowly growing and a strong exchange-traded equity derivatives market, derivatives continue to play a only peripheral economic function and these markets have a long way to go before they perform their optimal functions in our economy. At the moment, our firms do not have positions in derivative markets that are commensurate with their size; our farmers do not hedge away their price risk using these instruments; and our financial institutions and banks have kept away from using derivatives despite the increasing levels of risk. There are several impediments that limit the ability of the derivatives market to perform such functions for the economy - ranging from pending policy imperatives to weaknesses in IT systems and human resources.

The 4th Invest India Derivatives Forum will bring India's derivatives policy, regulatory and business community together, to shed new light on the problems, challenges and opportunities in the derivatives markets, and to throw up ideas which could lead to improved decisions in the future. Over 100 CEOs and policy makers from domestic and overseas markets representing Government departments, regulatory bodies, exchanges, institutional investors, brokerages and economists will participate in the discussions.

The conference is closely associated with a book project commissioned by Invest India and being edited by Dr. Susan Thomas of IGIDR. The conference and the book follow in the footsteps of the highly successful book 'Derivatives Markets in India' edited by Dr. Thomas, which was published under the Invest India / McGraw Hill Series in 1997, and associated with 'The 1st Indian Derivatives Forum 1997' organised by Invest India Economic Foundation.