The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI), alternative data and Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs) in India's investment landscape took centre stage at the sixth edition of the Indian Institutional Quant Conference (IIQC), organised by the Lambda Quantitative Strategies Association (LAQSA).
The day-long conference, held on July 17 at the Taj City Centre in Gurugram, brought together global academics, institutional practitioners, regulators and technologists to discuss emerging trends in quantitative and systematic investing. This marked the second time the conference was held in the National Capital Region.
The conference featured panel discussions, fireside chats and technical presentations, with participation from asset management companies, family offices, policymakers, global research firms and academia.
The event began with a welcome address by LAQSA co-founders Rishi Kohli of JioBlackRock AMC, Pankaj Mani of RealWorldRisk and Arvind Mathur of Private Equity Pro.
Among the other speakers were Prof. Chetan Ghate, Member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council; Sunil Ramrakhiani, Chief Business Officer at BSE; Prof. Sandeep Juneja, Founding Director of the Safexpress Centre for Data, Learning and Decision Sciences at Ashoka University; Lalit Taneja, Director of the GARP Delhi (India) Chapter; and Prof. Miquel Noguer I Alonso.
Agentic AI and alternative data in focus
One of the key sessions focused on "Agentic AI in Quant: Practical Applications", led by Prof. Miquel Noguer I Alonso. The discussion examined how autonomous AI agents and multi-agent systems could reshape areas such as portfolio management and systematic trading.
Another session, titled "Practical Uses of AI/ML and Alternative Data for India vs. Global Experience", featured Balakrishnan Ilango of LSEG and Aditya Sharma of S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The discussion highlighted differences between the adoption of AI globally and in India, particularly in the context of data availability and regulatory constraints in domestic markets.
SIFs gain prominence among wealthy investors
The growing relevance of Specialised Investment Funds was another major theme at the conference. A dedicated panel featuring Rishi Kohli of JioBlackRock AMC, Amit Goel of PACE 360, Vinayak Magotra of Centricity WealthTech and Puneet Jain of Karan Thapar Family Office discussed the rising appetite among ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices for systematic allocations through SIFs.
The conference also examined the regulatory outlook for quantitative strategies from a global comparative perspective, while Prof. Chetan Ghate provided a macroeconomic perspective on the structural challenges involved in economic policymaking at scale.
Commenting on the event, Pankaj Mani, Co-Founder of LAQSA, said the conference reflected how India's institutional quant ecosystem was progressing from strategy design towards implementation and greater technical rigour.
"The sessions on Regulating the Quant Ecosystem, Agentic AI in Quant, and Forex Strategies sparked exactly the kind of candid, practitioner-led dialogue we want to build across the ecosystem," Mani said.
Rishi Kohli, Co-Founder of LAQSA, said the sixth edition reinforced that India's quant community is expanding in both depth and maturity — linking global experience with India-specific market realities and strengthening the network of professionals building systematic capabilities.
As quantitative tools become more deeply embedded in investment processes, the boundaries between traditional and systematic investing are also becoming less distinct. Discussions at the conference indicated that developments ranging from Agentic AI and alternative data to the emergence of SIFs could play an increasingly important role in shaping India's institutional investment ecosystem.
(Note: The journalist was invited to the conference)
