In this guest column, Arkaprava Ray, SVP & Head of Marketing Strategy & Brand at HSBC India, explains how the bank is using music-led partnerships to strengthen cultural relevance and deepen loyalty among today’s global consumer
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HSBC Bank India is steadily strengthening its presence in the live entertainment space with a series of high–visibility music partnerships across genres and cities. The bank has been announced as a key sponsor for the upcoming Karan Aujla ‘P-Pop Culture India Tour 2026’, which will travel to Delhi, Mumbai and Pune in February–March 2026. HSBC is also supporting the Keinemusik showcase in Mumbai on March 27, 2026, offering exclusive pre-sale access for its cardholders.
These new partnerships follow a strong year of music-led engagements. In 2025, HSBC served as the official sponsor of the Ed Sheeran: +–=÷× India Tour, extending pre-sale benefits and offers to its customers.
The bank also partnered with the National Centre for the Performing Arts for the 10th edition of NCPA Bandish, a flagship classical music festival celebrating legendary composers. Beyond individual events, HSBC continues to expand its cultural footprint through its long-term association with District by Zomato, where it serves as the exclusive banking partner for a wide slate of cultural and music-driven experiences.
When you work as a part of a global bank, you learn very quickly that trust and relevance move in cycles. What worked ten years ago cannot carry you through the next decade. As the world shifts, so do the expectations of the people we serve. One of the biggest shifts reshaping premium brands today is that consumers are no longer satisfied with products alone. They seek cultural belonging, identity, and experiences that reflect their worldview.
This is why culture has become a strategic lever. It is no longer a peripheral, “nice-to-have” territory,it sits at the center of how modern, affluent consumers make sense of the world. And among all cultural forces, music remains the most powerful signal of identity, freedom and emotional resonance.
The rise of the Global Indian and a new cultural lens
Over the last few years, we have seen the rise of the Global Indian,individuals who live fluid, multi-market lives, cross borders with ease, and invest internationally with confidence. This new class of investors wants brands that are global in capability yet culturally rooted.
Music is one of the few universal codes that travels effortlessly across geographies. A song can shape memory in Mumbai and spark nostalgia in London at the same time. For a global bank that prides itself on connecting people to worldwide opportunities, music becomes a natural cultural bridge.
How music makes its way into strategy
India today is a dynamic blend of cultural depth and modern momentum. The rise of independent music, the growth of genre-led festivals and the accelerating live events ecosystem have created a youthful, participative cultural economy.
Affluent Indians, in particular, are seeking experiences that feel curated, intimate and culturally current. They are willing to travel for concerts, invest in premium access, and participate in lifestyle experiences that reflect their evolving identity. The demand for thoughtfully designed music experiences is only rising.
This gives banks the ability to build something that is both emotional and structured,curated showcases, cross-city tours, intimate gatherings for wealth clients, digital communities centered around music discovery, and loyalty benefits that feel meaningful rather than transactional.
Music as a long-horizon cultural asset class
Banking has always been tied to assets,but the idea of music as a long-term cultural asset class is new and powerful. These are not one-off sponsorships; they are enduring cultural properties that grow in value year after year. They create repeated engagement and emotional memory, becoming part of a client’s life story.
Music IPs behave much like financial portfolios. They offer stable, recurring returns in the form of affinity, loyalty and brand recall. They compound over time and bring communities together, allowing a bank to diversify its cultural presence across formats, cities and digital ecosystems.
In a fragmented attention economy, music is one of the few forces that commands focus without friction.
The shift towards experience leadership
It has become essential for banks to rethink how they show up in culture. Experiential leadership,especially through music,is becoming a defining pillar. Premium experiences that move beyond the transactional signal a brand’s intent to participate authentically in culture, not just observe it.
When brands engage with culture meaningfully, they build familiarity and warmth. When they help shape culture, they build long-term equity.
The future of loyalty built on sound and story
Looking ahead, music IPs will increasingly become long-term relationship assets for banks,fueling loyalty programs, inspiring digital communities and anchoring cross-market experiences for global clients. This is where signature moments will be created, moments that travel across cities, audiences and seasons.
Culture compounds just like capital. And if brands want to remain relevant to the next generation of affluent consumers, they must invest where identity lives. Music has always shaped emotion; today it shapes brand value too.
The time has come for banks to move beyond merely sponsoring music and instead, begin owning it. That is where the next wave of trust, loyalty and cultural resonance will be built.