Prospects of Indian direct investments in Russian economy

The article examines major trends and prospects regarding the Indian direct investment in the economy of the Russian Federation. The authors comprehensively analyze key factors, the scale, regional and sectoral composition of the Indian direct investment in the Russian economy, scrutinize the evolution of sectoral and regional composition of the Indian FDI, as well as define main challenges and obstacles that investors from India face in Russia and identify medium-term prospects for the Indian capital in the Russian Federation. The research shows that in the current circumstances the significance of the Indian capital in form of direct investment for Russia is substantially growing; its regional presence is steadily increasing; the sectoral diversification of the Indian investment is intensifying. The important indicator in this case is the quality of the Indian capital, its gradually increasing high-technology component. Not only the scale of the Indian direct investment in the Russian economy is changing, but also there is the rise in number of companies investing in Russia. At the same time, if in the early 2000s those companies were mainly large Indian MNCs, nowadays there is an increased interest in Russia among small and medium-sized high-technology enterprises of India that promote innovative development of the Russian regions. Of utmost importance is the fact that the Indian capital is also invested in small-scale industry, promoting upgrade of technological equipment of small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia. These noticeable changes in the Indian capital movement will substantially contribute to enhanced economic cooperation between the two countries.