Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) was established in 1927 following a resolution at the fourth session of the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress held in Calcutta, which was moved by Sir Purshottamdas Thakurdas and supported by leaders such as Prof. Benoy Kumar Sarker and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. The federation formally began functioning on 1 February 1927 with its first office located in Bombay at the premises of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber, and two years later its name was changed to include ‘Industry’ as well as ‘Commerce.’ The founding members included prominent chambers and trade associations such as the Indian Chamber of Commerce (Calcutta), Southern India Chamber of Commerce (Madras), Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association, and East India Jute Association. By 1936, the Secretariat shifted to New Delhi, and after independence, FICCI expanded its institutional presence with dedicated headquarters, including the building inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958. Since its inception, FICCI has served as a key body for representing Indian business interests and influencing economic policy in both colonial and independent India.

It is the largest, one of the oldest and the apex business organisation in India. It is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation. FICCI draws its membership from the corporate sector, both private and public, including SMEs and MNCs. The chamber has an indirect membership of over 250,000 companies from various regional chambers of commerce. It is involved in sector-specific business building, business promotion and networking.

Currently, it is headquartered in the national capital New Delhi and has a presence in 12 states in India and 8 countries around the world.

Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI) caters to the Indian food Industry. It deals with policies, trade affairs and capacity building. CIFTI provides institutional support and partners with the Government and the Indian private sector in promotion and development of Indian food processing industry. CIFTI was established by FICCI in 1985. It is currently led by Sanjay Khajuria who serves as its president.

FICCI Arbitration and Conciliation Tribunal (FACT) provides arbitration services for settling commercial disputes. FACT was established in 1952 and aims at settling business disputes outside the traditional framework offered by courts of law through arbitration and conciliation, as the case may be.

FICCI Alliance for Consumer Care (FACC) is a dedicated centre set up by FICCI along with Department of Consumer Affairs (India) to enhance consumer care practices and facilitate stakeholder interaction. It facilitates prompt redressal of consumer grievances, a dialogue between the business and consumers and promotion of responsible business practices.

FICCI Ladies Organisation was established in 1983 to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women in India.