Archive · 28 Sep 2026
India, UAE deepen trade and investment ties under CEPA
India and the United Arab Emirates want to strengthen their business relationship.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met senior UAE officials to discuss investment and trade.
He said Indian companies offer opportunities in many different sectors.
The two countries are using a trade agreement called CEPA to support this cooperation.
They want the UAE’s investment in India to grow from about $25 billion to $100 billion.
Possible investment areas include space, startups, ports and shipbuilding.
India and the UAE also want to work together on six parts of the maritime industry.
They are discussing energy projects and ways to increase trade using their own currencies.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal outlined India’s growth and sectoral opportunities for UAE investors under the CEPA framework.
Goyal met Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to discuss accelerating economic ties.
India and the UAE identified six maritime cooperation areas: ship ownership, ports, shipbuilding, ship repair, shipbreaking and container manufacturing.
The UAE aims to expand investments in India from about $25 billion to $100 billion, including in space, startups, ports and shipbuilding.
The two countries are also pursuing expanded local-currency trade and cooperation in crude oil storage, LNG, LPG and strategic reserves.
- Who
- India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, UAE officials, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
- What
- They discussed expanding India-UAE trade, investment and sectoral cooperation under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
- When
- The meetings took place on Monday; related cooperation plans were announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE in May 2026.
- Where
- New Delhi, with the discussions focused on India-UAE economic cooperation.
- Why
- To deepen economic ties, attract more UAE investment to India and make fuller use of the CEPA framework.
- Investment target
- The UAE aims to increase investments in India to $100 billion from around $25 billion or more.
- Trade framework
- The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement supports trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation.
- Maritime cooperation
- Six areas were identified: ship ownership, modern ports, ship manufacturing, ship repair and maintenance, shipbreaking and container manufacturing.
- Potential sectors
- UAE investors are looking at space, startups, ports, shipbuilding and India’s stock market.
- Local-currency trade
- India-UAE local-currency trade is already in double digits, according to Goyal, and both sides want to expand it faster.
- Energy cooperation
- The countries have plans involving crude oil storage, strategic reserves, LNG and LPG infrastructure, and long-term LPG supplies.