The 14th meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (HLJTFI) was held in Mumbai on September 28, 2026, co-chaired by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE Dr. Thani bin Al Zeyoudi also participated.

Established in 2013, the HLJTFI serves as a platform to strengthen trade and investment ties and address issues faced by investors in both India and the UAE.

The two sides reviewed the progress made under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and other agreements, while reaffirming their shared ambition of reaching Rs.18.99 lakh crore (US$ 200 billion) in bilateral trade by 2032.

In FY26, bilateral trade reached Rs. 9.61 lakh crore (US$ 101.25 billion), while non-oil trade stood at Rs. 6.64 lakh crore (US$ 76.18 billion) in 2025.

The meeting also reviewed joint investment projects and emerging areas of cooperation, including energy, infrastructure, technology, artificial intelligence, logistics, space, food security, agricultural innovation and startups.

The two sides welcomed recent UAE investments, including Emirates NBD’s approximately Rs. 28,491 crore (US$ 3 billion) acquisition of a majority stake in RBL Bank and International Holding Company’s Rs. 9,497 crore (US$ 1 billion) investment in Sammaan Capital. They also noted a Rs. 1.09 lakh crore (US$ 11.5 billion) joint investment intent for an integrated aluminium complex in Odisha and the expected operationalisation of the Invest India office in the UAE before the end of 2026.

Discussions further covered civil aviation connectivity between Abu Dhabi and India and opportunities to develop an aviation and logistics hub in Dholera, Gujarat. The UAE-India Fast Track Mechanism was also reviewed to address outstanding investment-related issues. Financial-sector cooperation covering local-currency settlement, payment and messaging systems and central bank digital currencies was also taken up for discussion. – editor@nrifocus.com