Foreign Institutional Investors

Overview

Last updated: Jan, 2025

Introduction

Foreign Investments are considered crucial for nations, especially for an emerging economy like India. Foreign Investors can be classified majorly as Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs). FDIs are investments to acquire a substantial ownership stake in a company or project by an investor, company, or government from another country that directly augments the production of goods and services in an economy. FPIs investments by non-residents in Indian financial assets shares, government bonds, corporate bonds, convertible securities, and infrastructure securities. FPIs comprise investment groups such as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), Qualified Foreign Investors (QFIs), and subaccounts. FIIs are big investor institutions Pension Funds, Mutual Funds, Insurance Companies, etc.

In India, both domestic and foreign investments are vital and contribute enormously to the nation's expansion. India is considered one of the fastest emerging economies in the world and a leading country in attracting foreign investments. India has several investment opportunities in its equity market for local and Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). Since its inception in 1992, India’s FII investments have largely remained positive.

The FIIs poured a massive US$ 60.31 billion into Indian equities from March 2009 to November 2010 and lifted the Nifty from around 2,500 to 6,300. Similarly, during the Covid crisis, when the Nifty recovered and surged from around 8,000 (April 2020) to 18,600 (October 2021), the Indian markets saw investments of US$ 38 billion by FIIs. Moreover, FPIs have cumulatively invested US$ 20 billion between March-August (2023) before becoming net sellers in Asia's third-largest equity market in September. For FY24, FII investment stood at Rs. 17.27 lakh crore (US$ 206.7 billion). The government has also liberalized regulations for foreign capital. All these factors have further strengthened India’s position in global markets.

Recent Developments

India has taken several initiatives recently to attract more foreign capital to the country. These initiatives have made it an attractive destination for investments. India-focused offshore funds have been able to generate more returns compared to other funds in emerging markets, which has attracted foreign investors to the country. Some of the recent developments in foreign investments are listed below:

In the second quarter of FY24, private equity investments in the Indian real estate sector surged to a three-year peak, reaching a total of US$ 2.5 billion, as outlined in a recent report by Colliers, a prominent real estate consultancy. The industrial and warehousing segment notably dominated the investment landscape, constituting 61% of the total investments, amounting to US$ 1.5 billion.
Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Trusts raised billion Rs. 1.3 lakh crore (US$ 15.60 billion) in 4 years until March, aided by SEBI's regulatory reforms enhancing retail participation and investment opportunities.
In June 2024, foreign investors turned net buyers by infusing Rs. 26,565 crore (US$ 3.18 billion) into the Indian markets. This contrasted with the net outflow of Rs. 25,586 crore (US$ 3.06 billion) recorded in May. The positive inflow was driven by factors such as political stability and a sharp rebound in the domestic equity markets.
According to a report by Colliers, between 2019 and 2023, foreign inflows comprised of 77% of the total institutional investment in Indian real estate sector with an average annual investment of US$ 4 billion.
In FY25 (until 18^th July 2024), the net investment by FPIs were US$ 5.38 billion.
During FY25 (Until 18^th July 2024), foreigners bought US$ 2.16 billion of Indian equities.
According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), India's cumulative FDI inflow stood at US$ 1,033.40 billion between April 2000-September 2024.
India also had major FDI inflows during April 2000-September 2024, coming from Mauritius at Rs. 10.67 lakh crore (US$ 177.18 billion) with a total share of 25%, followed by Singapore at 24% recording Rs. 11.54 crore (US$ 167.47 billion), the USA at 10% with Rs. 4.68 lakh crore (US$ 67.77 billion), Netherlands at 7% with Rs. 3.54 lakh crore (US$ 52.26 billion), and Japan at 6% Rs. 2.72 lakh crore (US$ 43.11 billion).
Private Equity-Venture Capital (PE/VC) funds invested US$ 31.50 billion in H1 2024, an 8% rise YoY basis, (across 100 deals) in India-based companies.
India's National Stock Exchange (NSE) had the seventh-largest market capitalization in the world, with a total market value of Rs. 419.09 lakh crore (US$ 4.84 trillion) as of January 22, 2025.
Till January 22, 2025, the NIFTY 50 traded near the 23,155 mark and Sensex surpassed 76,404 on the back of strong inflows from Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).
Around 240 SME companies went public in CY 2024, raising a total of Rs. 8,757 crores (US$ 1.01 billion) through IPOs.

Government/Regulatory Initiatives

The Government of India has taken several initiatives to improve regulations and attract foreign capital. India has set up an international stock exchange for assisting foreign investors investing in the country. It also plans to launch the first India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) at GIFT City. Apart from these, the government has undertaken several initiatives to attract foreign capital. Some of the recent government initiatives and regulations in the FII space are as follows:

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) announced disclosure norms for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) which will come into effect from November 1, 2023. Under these regulations, overseas funds that hold more than 50% of their equity investments in a single Indian corporate group or have more than Rs. 25,000 crore (US$ 3.01 billion) of equity Assets Under Management (AUM) in the Indian market, will have to provide detailed information about their beneficial owners.
The Reserve Bank of India has taken a number of actions to increase foreign exchange inflows. These actions consist of:
- Exempting additional Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] and Non-Resident (External) Rupee (NRE) deposits from Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
- Authorization for banks to accept new FCNR(B) and NRE deposits without regard to current interest rate regulations until the end of October 2022.
- Inclusion of all new issuances of 7-year and 14-year G-Secs under the Fully Accessible Route (FAR) for FPls.
- Exemption from the short-term limit for FPls' investments in G-Secs and corporate debt made until October 31^st, 2022.
- Permitting FPI in commercial paper and non-convertible debentures with an original maturity of up to one year.
- A temporary increase in the limit for External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) under the automated route from US$ 750 million or its equivalent per fiscal year to US$ 1.5 billion.
- Increase in the all-in cost ceiling under the ECB framework by 100 basis points, subject to the borrower having an investment grade rating.
- Permission for AD Cat-I banks to use foreign currency borrowings made abroad to fund foreign currency loans to organisations for a variety of end uses other than exports.

Liberalisation of Forex Flows was revised on 6th July 2022 to expand India’s external sector, diversify the sources of forex funding to mitigate volatility, dampening global spill overs and supporting exports of goods and services and rising remittances. Some measures are taken with the vision of enhancing India’s robust forex inflows while ensuring overall macroeconomic and financial stability.
The Government of India increased FDI in the defence sector by increasing it to 74% through the automatic route and 100% through the government route.

Road Ahead

India has emerged as one of the most important global investment hubs in recent years. Despite various challenges such as rising interest rates, excessive inflation in global commodity prices and the threat of a global recession, the Indian economy and markets have shown to be incredibly robust. Indian markets have provided good returns compared to other emerging markets. India is also one of the most attractive FDI destinations. As of December 2024, India was able to attract FDI of Rs. 86.44 lakh crore (US$ 1 trillion) since April 2000. This is expected to buoy investors’ sentiment and increase global private investments. India also has a strong start-up ecosystem: the number of Indian start-ups has increased from 471 in 2016 to 1,40,175 in October 2025. India also had one of the best-performing IPO markets in 2024. Favourable government policies, increased infrastructure investment, relaxation of norms and improvement in financial infrastructure can further boost the inflow of foreign capital in the country in future.