UAE-India bilateral trade crossed $101.25 billion in the financial year 2025-26, surpassing the $100 billion milestone for the second consecutive year under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that took effect in 2022, confirming that CEPA has delivered durable structural trade acceleration. Non-oil trade now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the bilateral total, spanning manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, technology, financial services, and logistics. The milestone was announced alongside a new joint target of $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2032, underlined by the most substantive high-level engagement between the two countries in years: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2026.
Modi Abu Dhabi Visit: $5 Billion Investment and Seven Agreements
Abu Dhabi committed $5 billion in fresh investment into India during the Modi visit, spanning renewable energy, infrastructure, and digital sector assets, and both governments signed seven bilateral agreements. Sectoral coverage ranged from space infrastructure cooperation (covering joint launch facilities, manufacturing zones, incubation centres, and training institutions) to LNG supply, digital technology, and financial services. The visit represented the most commercially substantive bilateral engagement since CEPA took effect, and the $5 billion investment commitment from Abu Dhabi reflects the UAE’s recognition that India’s 8-plus per cent GDP growth trajectory makes it one of the most important long-term capital deployment destinations for Gulf sovereign wealth.
ADNOC Gas Signs 10-Year, 0.5 MTPA LNG Supply Deal With India
On January 19, 2026, ADNOC Gas and India finalised a long-term LNG supply agreement under which ADNOC Gas will supply 0.5 million metric tonnes of LNG annually to India over a ten-year period, addressing India’s growing gas import requirement as its industrial sector expands and its power generation mix shifts toward cleaner fuels. For ADNOC, the India deal adds a significant long-term offtake relationship that diversifies the customer base beyond traditional Asian LNG buyers. The energy dimension of the UAE-India partnership now spans oil supply agreements, LNG contracts, renewable energy investment, and refinery collaboration, a depth of energy trade integration that underpins the broader $200 billion bilateral trade target with a strong structural foundation in both countries’ long-term energy needs.
Primary source: the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, the ministry responsible for the country’s trade agreements.
