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Emirates NBD clears hurdle for its RBL Bank acquisition in India amid a host of agreements between UAE and India
Unicommerce joins hands with Naqel Express | India to expand MENA oil purchases
Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Good afternoon, folks
India’s competition watchdog has cleared Emirates NBD’s USD 3 bn bid for private lender RBL Bank, paving the way for the biggest foreign acquisition of an Indian bank.
Today at a glance
India Focus
Investment Watch
The Big Story
Emirates NBD clears hurdle for acquisition of Indian lender RBL
The transaction is expected to close in 1Q FY 2026-27
India reduces minimum public float to 2.5% in IPOs for large companies
Coca Cola’s India unit is planning a USD 1 bn listing
INDUSTRIES
Automotive
Zoho Corporation launches data centers in the UAE
Maruti expands footprint as India looks to become Suzuki’s next…
Aviation
UAE, Telangana join hands to develop Bharat Future City
Plus: SpiceJet to begin direct flight from Ahmedabad-Sharjah
Banking
RBI bins 9.4k regulatory circulars in a bid to make it easier to do business
New framework covers 11 regulated entity categories across the financial…
Construction
L&T bags major orders in Saudi Arabia
With a surge in contracts, L&T continues to take on…
Energy
India’s crude purchases are gradually tilting back to Middle East
Indian refiners are locking in on MENA supply as US…
Financial Services
Saudi Re sets up Gift City base, cites India as key growth engine
The Saudi reinsurer brings India operations onshore at Gujarat International…
Startups
Interior design startup Flipspaces plots Gulf expansion armed with tech
Backed by Sharjah-based CE-Invests, Flipspaces is positioning the UAE as…
POLICY
India’s export flows tilt toward GCC and Asia
Maersk to resume Middle East India Suez Canal
India plans nuclear-sector reset with potential USD 214 bn in investments
India is preparing a new space station, with aims to raise its global commercial space share from less than 2% to 8-10%…
