Stories
Airtel Money IPO in London Signals More India-UK Deals, Says Barclays CEO
- •Airtel Money is preparing for its IPO in London within weeks, a move highlighted by Barclays Group CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan as indicative of increasing India-UK business flows.
- •Venkatakrishnan cited Bharti's investment in British Telecom and Airtel Money's upcoming London IPO as prime examples of the strengthening India-UK business corridor.
- •The UK-India trade agreement is streamlining goods and services movement and reducing tariffs, fostering greater expansion opportunities for companies in both countries.
- •Barclays, with 30,000 of its 100,000 global employees based in India, is expanding its operations in the country, moving entire processes and new activity design to India.
- •Barclays plans to re-enter India's equities market, aiming to help Indian companies, especially mid-sized firms, access domestic and global capital markets.
Key Questions Answered
Airtel Money is set to go public with a London initial public offering in the coming weeks, which Barclays CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan noted as an example of the growing India-UI business corridor. The listing on the London Stock Exchange follows the company's confirmed preference for London as its listing venue in 2026 to access a broad international investor base.
Barclays has about 30,000 of its 100,000 global employees based in India across cities like Gurugram, Noida, Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai. The bank is moving beyond shifting individual processes to relocating entire operations and intends to re-enter India's equities market to help mid-sized firms access global capital markets.
According to Barclays CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan, the UK-India trade agreement helps goods and services move between the two countries in a more streamlined manner and at lower tariffs. This agreement supports UK companies in selling goods in India while enabling Indian companies to expand their presence in the UK.
