Investments from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to India remain negligible relative to trade flows and represent just a small percentage of total FDI from the region to the world, says a report.
Singapore's competition regulator CCCS on Tuesday said it has given conditional approval for the proposed merger of Air India and Vistara, more than a year after the announcement of the deal. This was one of the key approvals required for the transaction. The merger of Vistara with Air India under a deal, wherein Singapore Airlines will acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, was announced in November 2022. Vistara is a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Group.
India's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) nearly halved to $3.39 billion in April on an annual basis, as per data released by the RBI on Monday. The OFDI stood at $6.71 billion in April 2021. On sequential basis too, the outward investment from India in April was lower compared to $3.44 billion in March 2022.
'Traders must adopt digital payments as soon as possible within a set timeframe, as the nation is moving rapidly towards digitisation.' 'Ignoring digital systems is not an option for strengthening trade.'
The world's third largest tobacco company by sales volume, Japan Tobacco Inc, has invested $65 million (Rs 293 crore) in its Indian unit without increasing its shareholding, just days ahead of a government decision to ban foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing.
Clarifying norms for single brand retail trading, government on Tuesday allowed foreign investors to conduct business through more than one joint venture in India.
While Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has set the target for FDI at $12 billion for 2006-07, outbound investment for January-September 2006 has touched $18.73 billion compared with $8.84 billion in the same period last year.
'The problem is that the bubble may not only be in valuations, but also in investors' minds.'
Officina Farmaceutica Italiana mainly deals in large-scale contract manufacturing for cosmetics and drug majors
The industry ministry and the finance ministry are holding consultations on whether to bring the banking sector under the purview of new FDI (foreign direct investment) rules, which will categorise some Indian banks -- like ICICI Bank -- as foreign banks.
A group of ministers will soon meet in New Delhi to decide on allowing foreign entities to pick up stakes in the airline sector in India, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday.
SpiceJet has held "preliminary discussions" with a Gulf airline for potential investment in the Indian budget carrier, a news report has said.
Internet shutdowns by law enforcement agencies like the one in Manipur and Punjab cost $1.9 billion to the Indian economy in the first half of 2023, a report said on Thursday. The shutdowns also led to a loss of nearly $118 million in foreign investment and triggered over 21,000 job losses, the global non-profit Internet Society said in its report 'Netloss'. The non-profit arrived at the financial impact of the shutdown going beyond the loss of output and included factors like change in the unemployment rate, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) lost, risks of future shutdowns, population in the working age etc.
UK's largest retailer Tesco, Singapore Airlines and Etihad queued up to invest in India as a persistent UPA threw open more sectors to foreign investments with indications of more big ticket deals to be announced in the new year.
Sectors which attracted maximum foreign inflows during April-June 2019-20 include services (USD 2.8 billion), computer software and hardware (USD 2.24 billion), telecommunications (USD 4.22 billion), and trading (USD 1.13 billion), the commerce and industry ministry data showed.
The share of foreign companies in private sector investments, directed towards building new factories and other facilities, has declined over the past six months. A mix of large domestic announcements and relatively lower growth in foreign capital expenditure (capex) plans have played a role, although foreign investments remain near record levels. The share of foreign companies in the overall private sector investments over the four quarters ended June 2023 has dipped to 14.9 per cent, as shown by a Business Standard analysis of data from the project tracker Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.
Debt mutual fund (MF) schemes are set to register the best calendar year (CY) performance in the last four years despite no changes in the interest rate. An analysis of one-year performance of debt funds show that many of the schemes are set to deliver double-digit returns in CY 2024.
The government had last week hinted that it was open to a review of the 25 per cent public shareholding norm, but as of now, the rules remain in force.
'Historically, equities have consistently outperformed debt, gold, property, and other assets over a reasonable period.'
Foreign direct investment restrictions in financial services, insurance, banking and retail are impeding the volume of capital invested in India by British companies, British High Commissioner Sir Michael Arthur said on Friday.
Cap in single-brand retail likely to be 74%.
The drop was the result of the change in FDI rules, which was amplified by the border standoff between India and China.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows in India declined 24 per cent to $20.48 billion in April-September 2023, dragged by lower inflows in computer hardware and software, telecom, auto and pharma, according to government data. FDI inflows stood at $26.91 billion during the first six months of the last fiscal. Inflows during January-March 2023 also contracted 40.55 per cent to $9.28 billion.
The government has amended rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), paving the way for up to 20 per cent foreign direct investment in the insurance behemoth LIC. The government is planning to dilute its stake in LIC through the the Initial Public Offering (IPO). LIC in February had filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) before the markets regulator Sebi for the IPO.
China's foreign trade in 2004 is expected to reach an all-time record $1.1 trillion, up 30 per cent from the previous year, making the nation the third largest trade power in the world, minister of commerce Bo Xilai said.
'Markets are not expensive; they are fairly priced.'
Department of Telecom is considering to move a Cabinet note suggesting that telecom companies with no foreign direct investment should be allowed to have foreign chief executives.
Moody's Investors Service on Thursday said India is likely continue to face challenges in raising longer-term growth potential and creating enough jobs for its young population in the absence of higher trade openness. In its report on South Asia sovereigns, Moody's said compared with other South Asian economies, India appears to be in a better position to deepen its integration in global value chains, attract FDI and increase exports. The country has better macroeconomic fundamentals, more stable politics and a more developed export sector.
Investments in the country are set to leap-frog this year with top 300 companies lining up projects worth Rs 2,00,000 crore (Rs 2,000 billion).
Pointedly blaming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for the United Progressive Alliance's government's nod to Foreign Direct Investment in retail, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati made it clear on Saturday that she would oppose the move tooth and nail."The Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a strong movement against the policy in case the UPA government manages to get the approval of Parliament," she declared.
In its comment on the industry department's discussion paper on foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, the joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart, said though 100 per cent FDI should be allowed in the sector, it would endorse a calibrated opening.
India Inc's investments abroad in April-June 2015 have once again risen to $1.3 billion.
The new Foreign Trade Policy, to be unveiled on April 7, would focus mainly on attracting foreign direct investment and generating employment for the youth.