Standard Chartered Bank’s market outlook has highlighted opportunities across bonds, equities and gold even as panelists spotlighted India’s structural growth story.
Rising initial public offering activity, greater participation by second-generation businesses, deepening capital markets, economic growth of around 6% and lower inflation were the highlights of India’s growth, panelists said at a gathering organised by the Indian Business & Professional Council Dubai (IBPC Dubai) and Standard Chartered.
Swarup Anand Mohanty, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt. Ltd highlighted that India can provide investors with diversification beyond AI-led themes.
Potential for private equity
The panel also discussed the opportunity to deepen investment flows between the Middle East and India. Citing a UBS survey of approximately 300 family offices across more than 30 markets, Mehta noted that 50% of Middle Eastern family capital is allocated to North America, 20% to Europe and less than 1.5% to India. While UAE firms have deployed approximately $25 billion into India over the past decade, mainly through sovereign investment, the panel identified further potential for private equity, venture capital and family office participation.
The meeting brought together a distinguished gathering of senior business leaders, investors and wealth professionals for Outlook H2 2026: Navigating Shifting Sands, a market outlook focused on the forces shaping investment decisions through the second half of the year.
Manpreet Gill, Chief Investment Officer, Africa, Middle East and Europe, Standard Chartered said with 10-year real yields close to their highest levels since 2008, there is an opportunity for investors to lock in yields, while high-quality corporate bonds remain attractive.
Demand for computing capacity
Standard Chartered remains constructive on global equities, supported by resilient earnings. Gill said rising AI adoption continues to drive demand for computing capacity but cautioned against concentrating portfolios in a single theme.
He favoured broader exposure, including financials in the US, Europe excluding the UK and Japan, while seeing improving potential in India and China. The bank expects the USD Index to ease to 98 over three months and 96 over 12 months. Gold has also been upgraded, supported by emerging-market central bank buying, a weaker US dollar and a steeper yield curve.
Opening the session, Sunny Narang, Convener, Financial Services & Capital Markets (FSCM) Focus Group, IBPC Dubai, set the agenda around two central questions: where should we invest, and what does the future hold? He called for a long-term perspective beyond short-term market noise, focusing on the structural forces shaping opportunities through the second half of 2026 and beyond.
The discussion examined how artificial intelligence, elevated interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty and changing currency dynamics are influencing global capital allocation. It also considered the longer-term potential of India and the UAE as wealth and investment hubs, particularly for internationally connected Global Indians.
Purposeful decisions
Rajesh Kannan, Head, Wealth and Retail Banking, UAE; Head, International Banking, EMEA; Jersey (UK) and Global Indian, Standard Chartered, said: “True resilience is more than the ability to withstand disruption; it is the ability to continue making purposeful decisions through change, protecting what matters, preserving flexibility and remaining ready when opportunity emerges. We see this in the UAE’s capacity to turn uncertainty into opportunity, in the deepening India-UAE relationship and in the way internationally connected Global Indians manage wealth across markets and generations. Our role is to help clients navigate that complexity with confidence through thoughtful advice, diversification and access to our international network.”
The outlook was followed by a panel moderated by Rashi Mohnot, Director, Product Manager, Investments, Middle East, Standard Chartered, with Manpreet Gill;; and Nandi Vardhan Mehta, Chief Financial Officer and Investment Committee Member, KAAF Investments LLC.
Creating platforms
Siddharth Balachandran, Chairman, IBPC Dubai, said: “The UAE has consistently demonstrated its ability to turn periods of uncertainty into opportunities for renewal and growth. As capital becomes increasingly global and interconnected, strengthening the India-UAE economic relationship and creating platforms for informed, high-quality dialogue becomes even more important. Through partnerships such as the one with Standard Chartered, IBPC Dubai remains committed to connecting our business community with the insights, expertise and opportunities needed to navigate change with confidence.”
Ayesha Abbas, Head of Affluent and Wealth Solutions, Deposits and Mortgages, EMEA and UAE, Standard Chartered, said: “This event highlights our commitment to helping clients turn insight into action. In an environment where markets rarely move in a straight line, disciplined diversification, trusted advice and access to opportunities across borders remain central to building resilient portfolios.”—TradeArabia News Service
