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Grant Thornton's Anuj Chande sees India-UK FTA driving business growth
Indian companies in the UK surpassed £105 billion in turnover, according to the latest India Meets Britain Tracker.
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Ankita Baidya - Sat, 25, Jul 2026
- 05:16 EDT
- 16
Anuj Chande, Partner, Head of South Asia Group, Grant Thornton / Grant Thorton
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement is already translating into stronger business activity, with Indian companies expanding their presence, revenue and workforce in the United Kingdom, according to Anuj Chande, Corporate Finance Partner and Head of the South Asia Business Group at Grant Thornton UK.
Speaking at IGF UK-India Week 2026, Chande said the agreement has moved beyond negotiations and is entering an implementation phase that is expected to generate tangible economic benefits for businesses in both countries.
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"This is just the beginning, the train is leaving the station and it's going at a fast speed," Chande said in remarks shared by India Global Forum on X. "I'm excited that the fact that we have signed the agreement and it's coming into effect. I think we're now going to get into the execution phase where the real excitement happens, where the tangible benefits of the UK and the FTA that have been signed will actually come to fruition and I think it will be the beginning of the journey."
Chande said the momentum created during the two to three years of FTA negotiations had already encouraged greater investment by Indian businesses in the UK.
"What I was surprised at was that we've had a 60% increase in the number of Indian companies in the UK, so we're just under 2,000, contributing just over £100bn in turnover and employing over 200,000 employees," he said, citing findings from the latest India Meets Britain Tracker.
India Global Forum shared the remarks as part of its "Views You Can Use" series, highlighting perspectives from business leaders on the evolving India-UK economic partnership. The organization said the figures reflect growing confidence among Indian companies in the UK market as the bilateral relationship enters a new phase centered on investment, execution and long-term growth.
The India Meets Britain Tracker, produced annually by Grant Thornton UK in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and India Global Forum, monitors the performance of Indian-owned businesses operating in the UK.
According to the 2026 edition, the number of Indian-owned companies in the UK increased to 1,912, while their combined turnover reached £105.77 billion, up from £72.14 billion in the previous edition. Employment generated by these companies also rose sharply to 203,549, compared with 126,720 a year earlier.
The report also found that bilateral trade between India and the UK reached £47.4 billion in 2025, representing an 11.7 percent year-on-year increase during the year the two countries concluded the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
The 2026 India Meets Britain Tracker was launched in London by India's High Commissioner to the UK, P. Kumaran. At the launch, Kumaran said the India-UK relationship is increasingly being shaped by economic opportunity, with India contributing scale, talent, growth and ambition, while the UK offers innovation, financial expertise and global business leadership.
Chande said the latest figures suggest the free trade agreement has already begun encouraging business expansion, with its broader economic impact expected to become more visible as implementation.
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