Market insights: The view from India

Confidence is high among interpreneurs in India, which is expected to be the world’s fastest growing major economy this year, expanding 6.9% to overtake Japan in GDP output.⁸

They rated the current global expansion climate at 8.7 out of 10 on the positivity scale, and 93% think the outlook will become even more favourable in the coming years. Seven in 10 (69%) said expanding abroad is easy today, despite the geopolitical and economic situation. Just 17% felt it is difficult.

Accessing skills and talent (e.g. availability of local talent and openness to skilled talent immigration) is the main factor that would make a country an attractive prospect for international expansion: 58% say so, versus 43% globally. This is much higher than in 2024 when 46% said so.

A further seven in 10 (71%) reported that tariffs or trade disputes have significantly impacted their organisation’s global strategy over the past one to two years (compared to 57% global average), as US tariffs imposed on the country bite. Tariff-related cost increases are seen as the biggest threat to their overseas enterprise going forward, with almost half (48%) saying so.

Meanwhile, 86% said the impact of AI on global strategy is also significant (versus 74% in the rest of the world). This chimes with the finding that the strongest future opportunities lie in adopting advanced technology (61%), which is followed by accessing new customer markets (54%), and forming strategic partnerships or joint ventures (51%).

8. Euromonitor International, January 2026 Top Five Fastest Growing Economies in 2026 view article on https://www.euromonitor.com

I see that confidence among Indian entrepreneurs has clearly improved over the last few years, especially in mid-market and large businesses across multiple sectors.

Where I would differ slightly is on the “ease of expansion.” In practice, expanding beyond one’s home jurisdiction is still quite complex with regulatory, banking and tax matters often taking longer than expected. So while the intent is strong, execution capability and understanding local constraints still varies widely, particularly among first-time global businesses.

Global expansion is increasingly becoming part of growth strategy of many Indian businesses. The ambition is clearly there; the key differentiator will be how effectively that ambition is executed on the ground.

Manoj Sharma
Senior Partner,
Kreston SNR Advisors