Eight Indian Americans Named to 2026 Most Powerful Women Lists
NEW YORK — Eight Indian American financial executives are among the women recognized across American Banker’s 2026 Most Powerful Women in Banking program, spanning senior leadership in banking, investment banking, payments, digital assets and consumer finance.
The honorees include U.S. Bancorp Chairman and CEO Gunjan Kedia, Citi commercial banking chief Tasnim Ghiawadwala and J.P. Morgan investment banking leader Anu Aiyengar, along with Sandy Kaul, Jo Jagadish, Debopama Sen, Ambreen Sayed and Yasmin Tailor.
American Banker’s program divides its honorees among several categories, including Most Powerful Women in Banking, Most Powerful Women in Finance, Women to Watch and NEXT, which recognizes rising leaders.
The recognition comes ahead of American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking conference, scheduled for Oct. 20-21 at the Altman Building in New York City. The annual awards gala will be held separately on Oct. 22 at the American Museum of Natural History.
Gunjan Kedia among banking's top leaders
Kedia ranks No. 2 on American Banker’s 2026 Most Powerful Women in Banking list, behind Citi Chair and CEO Jane Fraser.
Kedia became CEO of U.S. Bancorp in April 2025 and was appointed chairman in 2026. She oversees one of the largest commercial banks in the United States and has about three decades of experience in financial services, including previous leadership roles at State Street, BNY Mellon and McKinsey.
U.S. Bank said Kedia's first period as CEO included record revenue, completion of the acquisition of investment bank BTIG, winning Amazon's small-business credit card business and entering a partnership with the National Football League. The company said 2026 marks her ninth consecutive recognition in American Banker’s program.
Tasnim Ghiawadwala named a Woman to Watch
Citi's Tasnim Ghiawadwala is among American Banker’s 2026 Women to Watch.
Ghiawadwala is global head of Citi Commercial Bank, which serves midsized companies and focuses heavily on businesses operating across international markets. She returned to Citi in 2021 after serving as UK Corporate Bank head at Barclays.
American Banker currently places Ghiawadwala on its Women to Watch list, rather than its main Most Powerful Women in Banking ranking.
Anu Aiyengar recognized in finance
J.P. Morgan's Anu Aiyengar ranks No. 9 on American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance list. The publication identifies her as global head of Advisory and M&A.
Aiyengar has worked at J.P. Morgan since 1999 and has advised domestic and international companies on transactions valued collectively at more than $1 trillion, according to the bank.
Her role has continued to evolve. In May, J.P. Morgan announced a broader investment-banking leadership reorganization under which Aiyengar moved into the position of global chair of investment banking and M&A.
Kaul, Jagadish and Sen among Women to Watch
Three other executives identified in the supplied list — Sandy Kaul, Jo Jagadish and Debopama Sen — appear in American Banker’s 2026 Women to Watch category.
Kaul is executive vice president and head of Digital Assets & Innovation at Franklin Templeton. Her work places her at the intersection of traditional asset management and emerging technologies including tokenization and digital assets. She is also scheduled to participate in an Oct. 20 conference session examining AI, tokenization and changes in financial markets.
Jagadish is listed by American Banker as head of Digital Banking, Payments & Contact Centers at TD Bank U.S., while Sen is head of Payments, Services at Citi.
Their inclusion highlights the growing importance of digital banking, payments and technology leadership within the financial sector.
Ambreen Sayed tops NEXT list
Morgan Stanley executive Ambreen Sayed ranks No. 1 on American Banker’s 2026 Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT list.
American Banker identifies Sayed as an executive director in Technology Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. The bank also publicly congratulated her for taking the top position in the 2026 NEXT ranking.
Yasmin Tailor, executive director and Consumer Banking CFO at Ally Financial, ranks No. 8 on the NEXT list.
Together, the eight executives represent Indian-origin leadership across some of the biggest names in American and global finance, including U.S. Bancorp, Citi, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Franklin Templeton, TD Bank and Ally Financial.
Their recognition also reflects the breadth of Indian diaspora leadership in U.S. financial services — extending beyond traditional banking into mergers and acquisitions, digital assets, payments, technology investment banking and digital consumer finance.
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