UK-India Infrastructure Finance Bridge marks one-year milestone in London

London, Sep 8 (PTI) India must adopt an investor-centric approach to unlock global funding for its growing sustainable infrastructure targets, a UK-India finance group said in a report to mark its one-year milestone in London on Monday.

The UK-India Infrastructure Financing Bridge (UKIIFB), co-chaired by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and City of London Corporation, issued a set of recommendations to bridge the gap between global interest and tangible infrastructure investments under the pact signed in September last year.

Since then, the strategic steering board of the group has consulted on a raft of key projects, including national highways and regional rapid transport in India, resulting in wide-ranging proposals and recommendations in the form of a report.

“The transformative UK-India Infrastructure Bridge, jointly steered by India’s visionary policy think-tank NITI Aayog and the historic City of London Corporation, is unlocking vast international capital for India’s infrastructure revolution,” said B V R Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog and Co-Chair of the UKIIFB.

“This landmark partnership draws on India’s unmatched capacity for high-growth, sustainable ventures and aligns it with the UK’s proven skills in project finance and strategic execution,” he said.

“Together, we are crafting a robust framework to accelerate India’s ambitious goals in smart cities, renewable energy, and connectivity,” he added.

The NITI Aayog chief said the collaboration under the UKIIFB fortifies India’s journey towards becoming a global economic powerhouse, ensuring a greener, more inclusive future fuelled by domestic leadership and international cooperation.

The UKIIFB is tasked with building bilateral collaboration in the development of an international project finance sector to meet the demand for sustainable infrastructure growth and Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation and Co-Chair of the UKIIFB, highlighted its "vital role" in mobilising capital for India’s critical infrastructure.

“This report makes a powerful case for action, outlining practical steps to make Indian infrastructure projects more attractive to global investors,” said Hayward, as he released the one-year report with Subrahmanyam.

“At its heart, the findings highlight a clear truth: international investors need clarity, confidence, and consistency – and India’s growth ambitions deserve a financing model that matches their scale,” he said.

India’s infrastructure demand is underpinned by rapid urbanisation and a rapidly growing middle class, resulting in substantial infrastructure deficits as well as opportunities, the report said.

It is recognised that its target of an estimated USD 4.5 trillion investment in infrastructure by 2030 cannot be met through domestic investment alone.

Against that backdrop, the UKIIFB's one-year report lays out a set of key proposals for the second year, including adopting an “investor-centric approach” that helps align with investor priorities of risk, value and returns while addressing outdated perceptions of India’s infrastructure sector.

It calls for aligning with global standards by focusing on making India's infrastructure projects more appealing to international investors and adopting globally recognised frameworks and principles.

Enhancing transparency and risk management by addressing the critical need to build investor confidence by providing transparent, predictable, and well-managed processes and fostering a robust ecosystem by creating a supportive and competitive environment for infrastructure development, through building strategic relationships with local industry, are among the other recommendations in the report.

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of London's financial district known as the Square Mile, dedicated to supporting and nurturing the UK capital’s growth and interests.

The UKIIFB, agreed as part of the UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), was operationalised with a steering committee made up of representatives from the UK government’s Treasury department, construction giants, engineering and legal firms operating across both countries to drive forward the aims of getting mega infrastructure projects bid-ready.

For year one, the steering committee had been charged with providing policymakers with recommendations on how to address barriers to international private sector investment in Indian sustainable infrastructure and pushing projects towards the “last mile” to attract those investments. PTI AK GSP GSP