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New Delhi: At a time when India’s net foreign direct investment recorded a loss of around $17 billion this year so far, it has been seen that some of the world’s biggest financial institutions such as Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company (IHC), Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Blackstone, Dubai’s Emirates NBD, and Zurich Insurance have signed deals to acquire stakes in Indian banks, insurers and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
The Indian banking sector has been a tightly controlled government sector. However, of late the banking sector has seen huge investments by big global players. On October 24, 2025, Blackstone confirmed acquiring a 9.99 per cent stake in Kerala-based Federal Bank.
In October 2025, Dubai-based Emirates NBD sealed a $3 billion acquisition deal of a 60 per cent stake in RBL Bank. Prior to this deal, Japan’s SMBC spent more than $1.6 billion to acquire about 25 per cent in Yes Bank, and Zurich Insurance purchased a 70 per cent majority stake in Kotak General Insurance for $670 million.
Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company also invested around $1 billion in Sammaan Capital (formerly Indiabulls Housing), an NBFC. Bain Capital will pump in Rs 4,385 crore to acquire an 18.0 per cent stake on a fully diluted basis via preferential allotment of equity & warrants in Manappuram Finance.
Global investors are getting attracted towards India as the country’s economy continues to be the fastest-growing major economy. The formal financial system is trying to cash in as credit demand skyrockets across the retail, housing, and small business sectors.
India is fast developing a world-class digital infrastructure, which includes Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar. All these aspects have transformed India’s banking sector as well as helped Indians to easily conduct financial transactions. Global financial institutions have sensed opportunities in the digital friendly infrastructure of the Indian banking system which would help it clock enormous growth.
“Geopolitical risks have accelerated financial and supply chain risks, and foreign investors are looking for alphas in countries that minimize them. “India’s domestic focus and low correlation with the global economy make it a lucrative entry point,” Vivek Ramji Iyer, partner and leader in financial services practices at Grant Thornton Bharat, told Bloomberg.
