India and the UK are on the brink of finalizing a trade deal as negotiations have significantly narrowed differences on key issues such as business mobility, Scotch whisky, and automobiles. Both sides are working on granting access to Indian professionals for short-term business visits, aiming for a reciprocal agreement. Although some matters require political approval, high-level talks continue. The UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak might visit India later this month to endorse the agreement if negotiations covering 26 chapters conclude positively. However, the narrowing window due to upcoming elections in both countries adds urgency to finalizing the deal.

The India-Europe Global Networking Meet 2023 organized by the Indo-European Business Forum (IEBF) on October 10 brought into focus the growing strategic economic alliance between India and Europe. The high-profile event held at the House of Lords in London centered around the theme of "Unicorns and Sustainable Development." IEBF Founder Vijay Goel stated the meet highlighted the "soaring partnership between Europe and India." Co-Founder Sunil Gupta emphasized "India and U.K. can collaborate for one earth-one family-one future." Speakers included business leaders, diplomats and policymakers. The event promoted bilateral trade and investment, sustainability, tech links, and supply chain networks. It underscored the vast potential for win-win partnerships between India and Europe across sectors to enable global progress. Click on on the link below to read the full report.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Marrakech, Morocco on Thursday. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 4th G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting and IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. The ministers discussed issues of mutual interest, including the Bilateral Investment Treaty. Sitharaman thanked Hunt for the UK's strong support for India's G20 Presidency, particularly as co-chair of the Framework Working Group.

India and the UK are expected to sign their proposed free trade agreement by the end of October 2023, as per reports. This comes after UK PM Rishi Sunak reiterated commitment to boosting India-UK ties. Bilateral trade was worth an estimated £36 billion in 2022. A UK delegation is in India currently to resolve remaining issues and conclude talks soon. India and the UK aim to finish the proposed deal, under negotiation since last year, within the next few months. It would boost trade and investment between the two countries. Rules of origin norms and an investment treaty are also being discussed separately.

Adani Ports, which acquired Israel's Haifa port this year, said Monday its business remains safe amid the Hamas attack and conflict. It stated the action is concentrated in southern Israel while Haifa port is in the north. Adani shares dropped up to 4.7% as investors expressed concerns about escalation. The company confirmed all employees are secure and it has a business continuity plan. Haifa port handles 99% of Israel's maritime goods but only accounts for 3% of Adani's overall cargo volume. The Hamas assault marked the deadliest in decades, fueling longstanding conflict. It has increased investor worries about geopolitical risks, pressuring Israel-related stocks and oil prices as the conflict's spread poses substantial risk.

Sky Media announced Remitly and Simba as co-sponsors of Channel 5’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup highlights. Remitly's sponsorship leverages cricket's significance for its South Asian clients and Remitly's mission of connecting customers globally through money transfers, making the World Cup partnership a natural fit. Pankaj Sharma, EVP at Remitly stated: "We are energized by opportunities to share in activities meaningful to our customers, and we know cricket is an incredible cultural passion." Their sponsorship came through their long-standing relationship with multicultural marketing agency Here and Now 365 and Sky Media. Debarshi Pandit, Head of Multicultural Business, Sky Media said: “Cricket elicits unmatched passion among South Asian communities that make up a significant portion of Remitly's client base." With this sponsorship, Simba is also building on its existing Channel 5 partnership. The sponsors aim to connect with cricket's diverse UK fanbase through Channel 5's free-to-air broadcast of daily highlights.

The India Property Show will take place on October 14-15 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. Organized by Maxpo Exhibitions in associations with CREDAI, the 2-day event will display multiple housing/commercial/plots / budget properties from India for all sections of people to choose. With over 5000 projects on display and home loan options from banks, the show provides attractive housing and investment opportunities. A significant aspect that all the projects on display are RERA approved besides funding institutions like banks extending home loans to the investors in the respective projects. The realty expo is coming at a time when prices have stabilized with flexible repayment options for investors.  Indian realty sector is slated to grow at 30% over the next decade for a market size of around $180 billion by 2022 from $93.8 billion in 2017. As of February 2023, Developers expect demand for office spaces in SEZs to shoot up after the replacement of the existing SEZs act.

Air India has introduced a new policy allowing solo female travelers and mothers to opt for preferred seating on flights. In a directive issued on October 3rd, the airline stated such passengers can now choose aisle or window seats for a more comfortable journey. Cabin crew have been instructed to discreetly offer reseating to women traveling alone currently assigned middle seats between male passengers.Mothers with infants seated in middle seats will also be relocated to more convenient bassinet or window spots if available. While not commenting publicly, officials said the move aims to avoid issues arising between male and female travelers.Air India noted some solo women passengers expressed discomfort at being allocated middle seats. Hence, under its new gender-sensitive policy, the airline will ensure no middle seats are given to unaccompanied women when flanked by men in aisle and window seats.

According to reportes, the Reserve Bank of India likely sold dollars to prevent the rupee from sliding near an all-time low on Wednesday amid external pressures. The RBI is estimated to have offloaded $500 million to ease the rupee's fall, as it came close to breaching the previous record low of 83.29 before closing slightly weaker at 83.24. Analysts said the RBI action calmed market nerves and limited the downside. This helped the rupee outperform regional peers despite rising US yields weighing on currencies globally. While Indian bonds held steady, benchmark stocks dropped over 0.5% each to over one-month lows due to broad-based foreign selling.

In a major achievement for Indian distilleries, homegrown whisky brand Indri has been awarded the prestigious 'Double Gold Best In Show' title at the 2023 Whiskies of the World Awards. The Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023 emerged victorious after rigorous blind tasting rounds judged by global experts. Outcompeting over 100 international whisky labels, Indri has put India on the global whisky map. This marks the first time an Indian whisky has won the coveted top prize at the influential annual competition.