Consulate General of India in Jeddah organized a one-day ‘India-Saudi Arabia Investment Connect’ event at the Lazurde Hall, Park Hyatt Jeddah, on 25 February 2025.
The event mainly aimed at providing valuable insights into the business and investment landscape of India, by sharing glimpses of enormous opportunities of untapped trade and investment avenues in India. At the outset, Consul General H.E Mr. Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri welcomed the esteemed guests and highlighted the significance of organizing such an event for strengthening the bilateral economic and commercial ties between India and Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Excellency Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan during his inaugural address, delivered virtually, said: “The scale of India’s transformation will shape the future, and deepening our partnership with Saudi Arabia is a win-win for both nations. India’s private sector has already realized this latent potential and invested over USD 3 billion in recent investments in Saudi Arabia, and this is only the beginning.”
Mr. Ahmed Al-Juraiyan, Central Office Director, Ministry of Investments for Saudi Arabia (MISA), who was the Guest of Honour for the event, delivered a special address echoing the sentiments expressed by Indian Ambassador by highlighting the immense potential for cooperation between the two sides and the enormous opportunities for Indian investors in Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati, a former Indian Foreign Service officer, a financial sector and derivatives specialist who has served for over a decade at the World Bank, and who is currently a Distinguished Fellow for Centre for Social & Economic Progress in New Delhi, delivered the keynote address on the ‘India Growth Story’ and made a compelling case for “Investing in India” from a macroeconomic perspective.
Ms. Manusmriti, Counsellor (Economic and Commerce), Embassy of India in Riyadh, Mr. Badri Narayanan and Mr. Lakshmikumaran from M/s Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan Attorneys, Mr. Vaibhav Kakkar from M/s Saraf and Partners Law Offices and Mr. Neeraj Agarwal from M/s Apex Invest, delivered expert presentations covering all the important aspects pertaining to the investments domain, including a detailed overview of India – Saudi Arabia economic and commercial partnership, sectoral investment opportunities in India, delineation of all the technical aspects related to legal and tax regulatory framework, mechanisms/routes for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India, exclusive opportunities for investors in GIFT City, and an overview of the startup ecosystem in India.
Mr. Kalyana Shivagnanam, Group CEO, M/s Petromin, Mr. Balakrishnan, CFO, M/s Abdul Lateef Jameel Motors, and Mr. Puneet Kataria, Head of Real Estate, M/s Gulf Islamic Investment shared their experiences and success stories of investing in India.
The conference also featured a specially curated panel discussion on the ‘Mechanics of Investing in India – Decoding Indian Investment Ecosystem’. The panel discussion was expertly moderated by Mr. Awaiz Patni, Group CFO, Saudi Bughshan Company, and the panelists were Mr. Soham Avlani and Mr. Raghav Bahl from Promaft Partners; Mr. L. Badri Narayanan from M/s Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan Attorneys. The panelists focused on the conducive environment for investments in India, deliberated on challenges and risk mitigation strategies, and delved into operational aspects of investing in India.
Various rising startups from India presented their investment pitches at the event and showcased innovative business ideas to attract potential investors.
The event was well attended by prominent Saudi businessmen and financial advisors from major business houses in Jeddah, and friends of India in Saudi Arabia. The event is part of the series of trade and investment promotion initiatives that are being undertaken by the Consulate.
