New Delhi / Paris : Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in an India–France Business Roundtable with leading French companies and financial institutions in Paris today.
Setting the context of a rapidly transforming global economy shaped by technological disruption, supply chain diversification, energy transition, and geopolitical developments, the Finance Minister highlighted that the India–France Strategic Partnership is uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of sustainable, resilient and innovation-driven growth.
She noted that India and France are trusted partners in shaping the emerging global Artificial Intelligence ecosystem, creating significant opportunities for cooperation in trusted AI, digital infrastructure, and next-generation technologies.
Highlighting strong momentum in bilateral economic ties, the Finance Minister underlined that India–France trade has doubled over the past decade, and appreciated the presence of nearly 1,000 French companies operating in India, reflecting deep economic integration.
Smt. Sitharaman emphasized that India’s Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem, including Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, ONDC, and India Stack, has made India one of the world’s leading digital economies, accounting for nearly 50% of global real-time digital transactions.
She further stated that India offers strong opportunities for cooperation in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, leveraging complementarities in life sciences, vaccines, APIs, clinical research, precision medicine, and digital health, to build resilient global healthcare value chains.
Highlighting India’s clean energy vision, the Finance Minister referred to the country’s ambitious targets, including 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, which together are creating vast investment opportunities in renewable energy, green hydrogen, battery storage, offshore wind, and smart grids.
She also showcased the role of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), which has emerged as a major global financial hub with over 1,200 registered entities as of June 2026, banking assets of USD 111 billion, and cumulative banking transactions worth USD 176 billion, expanding across banking, fund management, leasing, Global Capability Centres, reinsurance, and sustainable finance.
The Finance Minister also highlighted the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), which is offering long-term investment opportunities through its upcoming USD 3.5 billion Infrastructure Fund II and USD 1 billion Private Markets Fund II, providing exposure to infrastructure, digital infrastructure, green hydrogen, and energy transition sectors.
Inviting deeper collaboration, Smt. Sitharaman urged French businesses and investors to partner with India in its journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047, emphasizing stronger India–France economic cooperation and shared prosperity.
During the roundtable, representatives from leading French financial institutions shared their ongoing engagement in India, appreciated India’s decade-long reform process, and acknowledged efforts to reduce compliance burdens and improve ease of doing business. They also shared feedback, suggestions, and expectations to further deepen sustainable investment cooperation between the two countries.
