Maximising trade with India

21 Oct 2026 01:05 PM

Scotland’s trade mission to India is an opportunity to capture significant new inward investment, First Minister John Swinney has said.

As he arrived in Delhi, the First Minister welcomed new analysis from the EY Attractiveness Survey 2026 which shows there are significant opportunities for Indian investment in technology, financial services, professional services, clean energy and innovation-led sectors.

The analysis cited Scotland’s talent base and world-class universities as key strengths to help attract additional projects from the world’s sixth biggest economy.

Mr Swinney said Scotland is ‘uniquely placed’ to work with businesses in India to attract investment and realise two way trade opportunities as he pledged to work with sector leaders to showcase the talent, universities and industries that Scotland has to offer.

First Minister John Swinney said: 

"India's businesses are investing in Europe on a huge scale and as this new EY report confirms, Scotland can provide a home for some of that investment. Our strengths - particularly in technology, financial services and clean energy – make us uniquely placed to match India’s priorities.

“This year’s EY annual attractiveness survey showed that Scotland once again remains the UK’s top destination for foreign direct investment outside London. It also showed that one in three global companies planning to invest in the UK are now considering Scotland - up from one in four the previous year.

“Foreign direct investment from India has historically been lower, however, it is clear there is untapped economic potential, with our own independent analysis showing Scotland and India’s trading partnership could be worth more than £3 billion a year by 2030.

“That is why I am in India to help fly the flag for Scottish people, institutions and sectors, making the case for trade and investment to help deliver jobs and growth.”

Sue Dawe, EY Scotland Managing Partner, said:

“India has firmly established itself as one of the UK’s most important sources of foreign direct investment, now attracting almost one in every two Indian investment projects coming into Europe – a position unmatched by any other European economy. For Scotland, that presents a significant opportunity.

“As Scotland looks to strengthen its economy and broaden its international connections, a more targeted approach to high-growth markets such as India could help unlock new investment, jobs and knowledge exchange. Between Scotland’s exceptionally robust track record in attracting international investment and the strength of the wider relationship with India there is a strong platform for Scotland to build on.”

Background

EY report: https://www.ey.com/content/dam/ey-unified-site/ey-com/en-uk/generic/documents/ey-attractiveness-2026-india-fdi.pdf

Scotland-India Strategic Market Insight Report

For the eleventh year, Scotland remains the largest destination for foreign direct investment in the UK outside London and the southeast and is the eighth largest destination in Europe. Two Scottish cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, are in the UK top four. Swinney hails record inward investment success for Scotland - gov.scot

Of the 108 investment projects secured by Scotland in 2025, only one came from India, in the software sector, despite strong alignment between Scotland's strengths and India's investment priorities.