India’s export economy is entering a new phase, with businesses increasingly looking beyond selling into overseas markets towards establishing a sustained presence in them. Official data from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry puts India’s total merchandise and services exports at a record $863.1 billion in FY26 , with the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) adding momentum to the trade corridor between the two countries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) sits at the heart of that shift. For Indian exporters, it is no longer simply a destination market: its strategic location, logistics infrastructure and access to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Africa, Europe and the wider Middle East make it a potential base from which businesses can serve regional markets.
