Investment in India

Wealth Management Investment Guide for NRIs

What would you prefer: Rs 1, 00,000 right now or Rs 1, 00,000 five years from now?

It will be better if we should take Rs 1, 00,000 today because we know that there is a certain time value of money. The Rs 1, 00,000 received now will provide us with an opportunity to put it to work instantly and earn a certain return on it.

A single rupee today is worth more than a single rupee a few years down the line. Because of this, people who have surplus funds in the form of savings want to invest so that the value of the funds over the years does not go down.

It is also very important to determine your financial goals. You need to decide which type of investment strategies works for you. Your strategy will determine the extent of your success in the investment world whether you invest in India or overseas markets.

The strategies can differ greatly from a rapid growth strategy where an investor focuses on capital appreciation to a safety strategy where the focus is on wealth protection. The most important part of investment strategies is that it aligns with the individual's goals and is closely followed by the investor.

Investment options in India

There are various forms of investments options at the disposal of individuals in India. These include real assets like a house, a car, a television, or financial assets like stocks in companies, bonds, units of funds, etc.

Traditionally, term deposits in banks, post office savings schemes, bonds and common stocks are the most accessible forms of investments available to the investors. Term deposits, post office savings schemes and bonds give a fixed return over a period of time.

Several national priority level and state-specific projects are being implemented across the country by the Government of India. These offer huge potential for investors willing to invest in India. The Government is in fact, promoting Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in many projects opening up new vistas in sectors such as infrastructure, education, healthcare etc.

Wealth management services in India

There are individual investment avenues in India that help you enhance your individual wealth. These are offered by eminent banks in India, which have rich experience in servicing overseas Indians. Not only will you get to choose from a wide bouquet of investment products, but these can also be customised as per your individual needs.

Investment Toolkit

In an effort to ease the process of investing into the country, Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) has developed an online ‘NRI Investment Guide'.

The toolkit provides an entire range of investment guidelines, policies and procedures, suggests the range of compliance requirements and clearances, as desired, in synergy with the investor’s investment preferences. In other words, it is a simple, practical, and realistic online investment guide customised to the needs of overseas Indian investors.

Investment Facilitation Platform of OIFC helps NRI through the complete process of investing, right from choosing the correct investment opportunities and applying right investment strategies to actually making the investment.

Scope of Investment Environment in India

India is in the middle of fast economic and social conversion and it provides a constant, flourishing platform for businesses to grow. It also provides rich investment opportunities to non-resident Indians (NRIs). It is one of the quickest, easiest and successful cost-effective commitment locations to set up a company. In fact, India is the second-most successful location, according to UNCTAD's World Investment Leads Study 2010-2012.

Foreign Investments in India

Indian equities have attracted maximum investments by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) as compared to any other Asian market on the back of policy reforms undertaken by the Government of India to promote economic growth. Foreign investors in India remain substantially strong and have invested over US$ 13 billion into Indian stocks till September 2012. Some of the key investments and developments are:

• Overseas investors infused about US$ 645 million from October 1, 2012 to October 5, 2012 itself, while they invested more than US$ 3.5 billion in the month of September 2012, according to data released by capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
• FIIs also infused Rs 1,382 crore (US$ 260.47 million) in the debt market in the first week of October 2012
• As on October 5, 2012, the number of registered FIIs in the country stood at 1,753 while, the total number of sub-accounts were 6,329
• Another statement issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed that foreign exchange reserves stood at US$ 294.81 billion for the week ended September 28, 2012 wherein the value of gold reserves was recorded at US$ 28.133 billion and that of foreign currency assets (FCAs) was at US$ 259.96 billion

The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) projects that FII inflows would strengthen in the second half of FY13 at US$ 11.2 billion as India is looked upon as a viable long-term investment destination on the global canvas. Major FIIs like JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank are believed to drive the positive wave of foreign investments.

Government Initiatives

The Government of India is playing a vital role in attracting and providing an investment friendly climate to foreign investors in India. The policies have been liberalised to entice more and more cost-effective commitment methods. Some of them are as follows:

• The Government has created many policies and schemes to maximize investment opportunities for NRIs in the real estate sector of India
• RBI has allowed, both people residing outside India holding Indian passports and also person of Indian origin (PIO) to invest in residential as well as commercial properties in India
• RBI has granted general permission to NRIs/PIOs, for undertaking direct investments in Indian companies, under the automatic route purchase of shares
• NRIs/PIOs are permitted to invest in the foreign direct investment (FDI) scheme on a repatriation basis in equity shares/ Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS)/ Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) of an Indian company

Government’s involvement on policies, especially, tax rules and foreign direct investment (FDI) in areas like retail, aviation etc. will play an important part in driving large deals. India’s development tale continues to be unchanged and NRIs/PIOs can look ahead to see better financial commitment options in second half of 2012.

Major Government initiatives and investments in Retail Industry of India

Retailing in India is one of the pillars of its economy and accounts for 14 per cent to 15 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The Indian retail market is estimated to be US$ 450 billion and one of the top five retail markets in the world by economic value. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world, with 1.2 billion people.

Indian retail industry, considered as a sunrise sector, offers huge growth potential. The sector is expected to grow almost three times its current levels to US$ 660 billion by 2015, according to Investment Commission of India.

The foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in single-brand retail trading during April 2000 to June 2012 stood at US$ 42.70 million, according to the latest data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Cash and carry represents an opportunity worth around Rs 8,250 billion of the Rs 27,500 billion annual retail businesses in India.

Major Investment in Indian Retail Sector

Some of the major investments in Indian retail sector are as follows:

• Max Hypermarket India has partnered with French retail giant, Auchan Group to open franchise hypermarket stores in India. The existing stores of Max Hypermarket will be rebranded as 'Auchan' and shall operate under a franchise agreement. Max Hypermarkets and Auchan plan to open 12-15 new stores in a year across various geographies in India
• Sahara India plans to enter the retail sector and will invest Rs 3,000 crore (US$ 542.50 million) initially to set up the business. The company will start its retail business under the ‘Q’ brand name and plans to expand its reach in nearly 1,000 cities and towns by 2013
• BhartiWalmart plans to invest Rs 104 crore (US$ 18.81 million) in expanding its outlets across the country. In all, BhartiWalmart has about 17 stores in India

Government Initiatives

The Government of India is playing a vital role in making the Indian retail industry the most lucrative for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and person of Indian origin (PIOs). Some of the major initiatives by the Government are as follows:

• The Government of India has allowed 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail
• DIPP is likely to consider relaxing the sourcing norms for global retailers to establish shops in India, as IKEA is asking for further relaxation of mandatory conditions
• The Union Ministry of Finance has provided relief to the Rs 18,000 crore (US$ 3.25 billion) software industry by replacing a multi-level structure of tax deducted at source (TDS) on distributors with a single TDS. This would be deducted by the first distributor—one who directly purchases packaged software from a developer

The federation has welcomed the new FDI in retail announced by the Government of India. The Government has announced its decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail. In addition, the Government has also opened up the aviation sector and put up four PSUs for disinvestment.

The ISF said that FDI in retail sector will have a much wider impact on organised employment as compared to what happened in the IT sector over a decade ago. The federation also said that these measures will open doors for low-skilled people.

Emerging Investment trends in Indian Healthcare Sector

The Indian healthcare industry is expected to reach US$ 79 billion in 2012 and US$ 280 billion by 2020, on the back of increasing demand for specialised and quality healthcare facilities.

Further, the hospital services market, which represents one of the most important segments of the Indian healthcare industry, is expected to be worth US$ 81.2 billion by 2015.

Meanwhile, the Indian pharmaceutical market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.3 per cent during 2011-12 to 2013-14, as per Barclays Capital Equity Research report on India Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals.

India is the most competitive destination with advantages of lower cost and sophisticated treatments, highlighted the RNCOS report titled ‘Indian Healthcare - New Avenues for Growth’. The report further elaborates that several key trends are backing the growth of healthcare in India.

Emerging trends in Indian healthcare industry

The healthcare sector is one sector that has witnessed tremendous entrepreneurial activity over the last few decades across the entire value chain. The emerging areas (diagnostics, pharma retail, biotechnology and life sciences) within healthcare are playing a significant role in attracting global players to India to set-up a number of allied industries in partnership with domestic players. This is also providing Indian entrepreneurs considerable opportunities to invest in healthcare. The way the current financial climate is shaping-up, an entrepreneur needs to think out-of of-the-box prior to making investments, as identifying the correct sector and the most suitable business model is key to survival and growth in the current times.

Investment trends in Indian healthcare sector

Driven by increased domestic demand for high-end investment services as well as medical tourism, the healthcare sector has attracted huge investment in recent times. Healthcare in India is likely to see increased investment from US$ 34.2 billion in 2006 to US$ 78 billion in 2012 (CAGR of 15 per cent), with 80 per cent of investments from private players. The investments to this scale are expected to increase the bed ratio from 0.9 beds per 1000 people to 1.85 beds per 1000 people.

Moreover, large scale investments in infrastructure are required to make healthcare facilities at par with developed countries.

According to a survey conducted by consulting firm, Grant Thornton, India is expected to witness the largest number of merger and acquisitions (M&A) in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector in 2012. The survey that was being conducted across 100 companies stated that fourth of the respondents were bullish on acquiring companies in the pharmaceutical space.

"The expectations of M&A activity in the pharma and healthcare sector could be explained by factors such as the impending patent cliff in the US, the increasing attractiveness of India as a low-cost R&D destination and the increasing success of Indian firms in getting ANDA approvals," said Sunil Makharia executive VP (finance) Lupin Pharmaceuticals. Patent cliff refers to expiry of legal protection to top-selling drugs.

Government Initiatives

The healthcare sector in India is witnessing a growth trajectory. The Government has taken several steps required for non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in healthcare and to develop healthcare sector infrastructure within a short span of time. The Government has decided to increase health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) from the current 1.4 per cent.

Doing Business in India - A profitable opportunity for NRIs

The Indian economy continues to grow at a good pace and holds a strong position on the global map. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been growing at an average rate of 8.5 per cent for the last five years.

India’s economy is amongst the largest in the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity. It is today one of the most attractive destinations for business and investment opportunities with the available large manpower base, diversified natural resources and strong macroeconomic fundamentals. In FY 2011-12, the country attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) of around US$ 46.8 billion in various sectors.

Advantage India

• World's largest democracy with 1.2 billion people
• Stable political environment and responsive administrative set up
• Well established judiciary to enforce rule of law
• Land of abundant natural resources and diverse climatic conditions
• India's growth will start to outpace China's within three to five years and hence, India will become the fastest large economy with 9-10 per cent growth over the next 20-25 years, according to a report by Morgan Stanley
• Investor friendly policies and incentive-based schemes
• India's economy will grow five-fold in the next 20 years, as per a study by McKinsey
• Cost competitiveness; low labour costs
• Total labour force of nearly 530 million

Investment Options for NRIs in India

India offers a stable, prosperous foundation to grow one’s business. It offers rich business opportunities and markets to non-resident Indians (NRIs) for new products and services. It is one of the fastest, easiest and lucrative investment destinations in the world to set up business. India is the second-most profitable destination, according to UNCTAD's World Investment Prospects Survey 2010-2012.

India is in the midst of rapid economic and social transition and is giving a feel good factor to the NRIs, especially the real estate sector. Returns from real estate investments have consistently performed well and have even outperformed other businesses in India.

The health care sector has also opened new business opportunities in India for NRIs to invest in the country because of the rise in disposable income, penetration of health insurance and change in lifestyle of present generation.

There are many other exciting business opportunities in India, especially, for entrepreneurs dealing in outsourcing technology, internet ventures, software development, e-commerce, etc.

Government’s intervention on policy issues, especially, tax regulations and FDI in sectors like retail, aviation etc. will play an important role in driving large transactions, especially, inbound deals. India’s growth story remains intact and NRIs can look forward to see better investment options in the second half of 2012.

Success Stories

India has witnessed a number of success stories - both Indian and multinational firms have registered higher profits, increased turnover and higher sales over the years. This has prompted them to reinvest profits and inject fresh capital into their processes in order to reap the benefits of the India growth story.

Investments have been made by Corporate across the board and almost all the sectors have seen inflow of funds. Global players such as Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony, Amway, Tupperware, Pepsico, McDonald's, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Aviva, Nortel, and Nokia among others have benefited from their business in India and have made expansion plans for the country. The companies plan to expand by way of product diversification, setting up manufacturing base in India, increasing the existing production capacity, establishing research centres in India, etc.