rr2 Courtesy: World Economic Forum/Flickr
16 December 2013

Decoding RBI’s invite to foreign banks

The recent statement by the governor of the RBI that foreign banks might be allowed to take over Indian banks, has rekindled the debate on the status of foreign banks. What has prompted the RBI’s new position and how does it weigh against the existing policy landscape? Why are foreign banks waiting and watching?

pena nieto singh wikimedia Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
22 November 2013

Mexico: A new frontier for India

Mexico is now being increasingly referred to as the ‘China of the Americas.’ With the Mexican government introducing reforms in several sectors, and thereby easing the scope of business, how can India –which is slowly expanding its footprint in Latin America – benefit from Mexico’s rise?

manmohan nursultan Courtesy: Prime Minister's Office, India
20 November 2013

India-Kazakhstan relations: Challenges and opportunities

The current political, strategic and economic scenarios, both regionally and internationally, present immense potential for India and Kazakhstan to enhance their engagement, qualitatively and quantitatively. Why must New Delhi and Astana forge stronger and deeper relations with each other?

forex Courtesy: epSos.de/Flickr
25 October 2013

Libor, Brent and now…FX

The foreign exchange market is considered the most liquid and transparent in the world. However, recent investigations into alleged manipulation of the foreign exchange rates is a reminder that transparent exchange-based systems alone are not enough to ensure fairness

obamaxi Courtesy: Systemman, Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Wikimedia Commons
21 October 2013

U.S. government shutdown, China’s gain

The U.S. government shutdown and President Obama’s absence gave China immense diplomatic and political space at the APEC and East Asia Summit meetings. China’s declaration of a “de-Americanised” world may be premature but the crumbling old order is doing little to dispel this notion

Manmohan Humala flickr Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
12 September 2013

Peru: India’s new billion-dollar trade partner in Latin America

Today, despite Indian exports to Peru expected to cross the $ 1 billion mark in 2014, we are at a disadvantage vis-a-vis the exports from Peru's free trade agreement (FTA) partners. Why is it imperative for New Delhi to initiate negotiations with Lima and address the disadvantages of our exporters to their markets?

g20akshay Courtesy: The Prime Minister's Office/Flickr
12 September 2013

G20: The new Bretton Woods?

Global institutions responsible for price discovery and speculation in commodities are suspected of fuelling price hikes. With the world experiencing turmoil in the food and energy markets, fixing the global pricing architecture for commodities should be the priority for the G20

merkey steinbruck Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
6 September 2013

What does Germany want?

German foreign policy can be described as one anchored in the European and NATO alliance while being the economic centre of Europe. Yet, any government that comes in after the September 22 elections will be challenged by rapid developments in West Asia and elsewhere in a politically and economically turbulent world

manmohanchidammontek Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
26 August 2013

Dreams out, reality in

The economic mismanagement by the ruling UPA in the past few years – by putting politics and polls ahead of economy and prosperity, and slavish obedience to political masters – has created an environment of crisis and desperation in India. Where did the country’s so-called economic ‘dream team’ go wrong?