A careful beginning India and the United States have announced a framework for an interim trade agreement. It’s a first step that could, over time, lead to a free trade deal. The framework focuses on a few practical goals: lowering selected tariffs, improving market access, and reducing long-standing frictions. India will cut or remove tariffs on several U.S. industrial goods and some food and...
Trump-era tariff rhetoric and renewed geopolitical friction have made global trade feel less optimistic than it has in a long time. It’s increasingly difficult to see positive developments that signal stability or long-term cooperation. In that climate, when Ursula von der Leyen announced the signing of a free trade agreement between the European Union and India — calling it the “mother of all...
The European Union released its Joint Communication on a New Strategic Agenda with India this September, a significant move to shape a stable, multi-polar order. For the EU, this is a comprehensive and high-confidence offer grounded in its regulatory power. For New Delhi, the process is both promising and a rigorous test of its strategic autonomy, regulatory adaptability, and negotiating agility...
The Era of Predictable Business Planning Has Ended There was a time when business planning followed a simple formula: analyse last year’s performance, project modest growth, and execute. That linear approach doesn’t work anymore. Today, a single policy announcement from Washington, a regulatory directive from Brussels, or a trade decision from Delhi can rewrite industry dynamics within hours...
As global engagement shifts, the India–U.S. relationship is entering a phase that calls for thoughtful observation and steady leadership. At InsightKraft, I often reflect on how global economic and strategic trends affect long-term partnerships. This post isn’t a forecast or a critique — it’s an attempt to make sense of recent signals. Things feel uncertain, and that’s precisely when it’s...
Overview: What Happened in June 2025 On June 6, 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its latest monetary policy decision with a significant 50 basis point cut in the repo rate to 5.5%. The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was also reduced in a staggered manner from 4% to 3%, injecting substantial liquidity into the banking system. The policy stance was changed from “accommodative”...
During my tenure at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), we had a clear mandate—to double UK-India bilateral trade from £12 billion to £24 billion in five years. Back then (2012), this felt like a stretch target. Today, we’re aiming for $130 billion by 2030. It’s a reflection of how close, complex, and commercially relevant the UK-India relationship has become. And now, as of May 6, 2025, the UK and...
Fed’s meeting minutes. It’s always stimulating to read the Fed’s meeting minutes.There’s a certain understated drama in them. The kind where a few lines quietly hint at how the world’s biggest central bank might steer the economy. For someone like me, who often lives between economic headlines and strategic footnotes, these documents are pure gold. And let’s be honest—Fed rate cuts, or even...
