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Indian envoy to US Vinay Kwatra rings Nasdaq bell, hails economic ties between nations

First opened in 1971, the Nasdaq is one of the world’s two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization alongside the New York Stock Exchange. 

Updated on: Sep 2, 2026, 22:13:19 IST
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Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra rang in the opening bell at America’s Nasdaq stock exchange on Wednesday to honour the India-US economic partnership.

Vinay Kwatra was accompanied by Atul Keshap, president of the US-India Business Council and former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka at the event. (File Photo/PTI)
Vinay Kwatra was accompanied by Atul Keshap, president of the US-India Business Council and former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka at the event. (File Photo/PTI)

“It’s a pleasure to ring the opening bell at Nasdaq this morning to mark the growing strength and promise of the India-USA partnership," Kwatra said in a post on X.

"India is undergoing a significant economic and technological transformation, driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The companies listed here are one of the great pillars of that partnership,” he added.

The Indian envoy was accompanied by Atul Keshap, president of the US-India Business Council and former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

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First opened in 1971, the Nasdaq is one of the world’s two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization alongside the New York Stock Exchange. Nasdaq is also known for listing some of America’s fastest growing technology companies, including NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet.

Welcoming the Indian ambassador, Nasdaq wrote on X, “Nasdaq is honored to welcome @AmbVMKwatra of the @IndianEmbassyUS and a champion of the deepening partnership between two of the world's largest democracies, to opening bell."

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The stock exchange also celebrated “the enduring connection between India and the world's most innovative markets, a bond that continues to drive global progress and shape the future of finance".

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Nasdaq presently maintains a strategic partnership with India’s National Stock Exchange, which was signed in 2018. The US exchange agreed to work with NSE to “deliver a customized real-time clearing, risk management and settlement technology”.

Indian diplomats have also rung the opening bell at America’s prominent stock exchanges in the past. In 2017, then-Consul General in New York Sandeep Chakravorty rang the opening bell at Nasdaq on August 15 to celebrate India’s Independence Day. His predecessor Riva Ganguly Das also rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in January 2017 to mark India’s Republic Day.

  • Shashank Mattoo
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shashank Mattoo

    Shashank Mattoo is the Washington DC-based US Correspondent for Hindustan Times. Shashank covers the Trump administration, the India-US relationship and America's policies towards South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.Read More

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