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India market and business update: March 2026

16 March 2026
India is strengthening its position as a global growth market, driven by technology adoption, energy transition and investor engagement.

Recent policy initiatives, investment activity and market data point to notable developments across various technological and economic sectors. Developments across artificial intelligence, clean energy and venture capital will help pave the way for India’s competitiveness in the years to come, reflecting a maturing economy that is scaling domestically while positioning itself as a global partner for innovation, sustainability and long‑term growth.

Expanding artificial intelligence

The Indian government recently hosted the AI Impact Summit (16 – 20 February), which brought together global technology leaders, policy makers and investors for conversation on responsible and inclusive AI usage.  During the summit, there was a strong emphasis on investing in India’s AI infrastructure, with leading global tech firms committing investment and entering strategic partnerships with Indian groups, including OpenAI and the Tata Group. This momentum comes as India consolidates its position as a leading AI hub, currently ranking third in a global AI power index compiled by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-centered AI.

This momentum is reinforced by a government‑led strategy to position AI as digital public infrastructure. Via the IndiaAI Mission, India is investing in shared GPU access and multilingual AI platforms to create secure, reliable sovereign AI platforms. This signals a long‑term commitment to inclusive, population‑scale AI adoption as a core pillar of its economic and technological growth.

Renewable energy growth

Clean energy remains central to India’s growth strategy, with renewable sources reportedly accounting for 75% of the country’s new power capacity additions this financial year. Installed solar capacity has reached approximately 135 GW, while wind energy capacity stands at just over 54 GW, reinforcing India’s position as one of the world’s largest renewable energy markets.

Additionally, India is advancing several pilot projects under its National Green Hydrogen Mission, which supports broader decarbonisation objectives, including sourcing 50% of energy capacity from non‑fossil fuels and achieving 500 GW of fossil fuel–free generating capacity. Together, these initiatives reflect the Indian government’s ambition to accelerate the clean energy transition and establish India as a global leader in renewable and green hydrogen technologies.

Venture capital developments

India’s venture capital landscape is also gaining traction, with both deal volumes and values rising in 2025 despite a global dip in deal counts. The government has recently approved a USD 1.1 billion state-backed venture capital program, with a focus on advanced manufacturing and deep tech.  This policy support is increasingly aligned with national priorities such as AI and deep tech, sectors that continue to outperform broader venture markets. In 2025, AI became a key focus in the venture capital space, with its share of India’s venture capital funding rising to around 12%, up from below 5% in 2020, as reported by the India Deep Tech Alliance. That same report also found that about 15% of all VC activity in India related to deep tech, not just including AI, but also space technologies, energy systems, defence and more, highlighting a shift toward technology‑driven investment. This indicates that India's venture capital market is presently demonstrating alignment between private investment activities and public policy, reflecting the nation's strategic priorities.

About us

DWF is a leading legal adviser to Indian and India-focussed companies, financial institutions and high net worth individuals and families. Our India Group, consisting of 108 lawyers from 9 countries, 16 practice areas and 9 sector groups, is the largest India group of any international law firm located outside India.  

Dhruv Chhatralia BEM, the Head of the DWF India Group, was named to the India Business Law Journal’s International A-List 2024 featuring the world’s top-tier international lawyers outside India, based on recommendations by general counsels and lawyers at Indian law firms, for his work on cross-border aspects of India-related matters.  DWF was ranked as an International Firm to Watch by the IBLJ in 2025.  DWF was also shortlisted for the award of “Legal Practice of the Year” at the 6th Annual UK-India Awards in 2024 based on the achievements of the DWF India Group.  Further details about the DWF India Group can be found on the following webpage: https://dwfgroup.com/en/services/india-group.  

We would like to thank Alex Alaniz, Gianni Vettorello and Amrish Sharma for their contributions to this article.

While we do not practice Indian law as per the country’s current regulatory framework, we have strong relationships with leading Indian law firms with whom we collaborate to provide a seamless service to our clients.  If you have queries on any of the issues covered in this article, please do get in touch with me.

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