Global investing is no longer a luxury for ultra-high net worth individuals (ultra-HNIs) in South Mumbai or South Delhi. It has been democratised by a young, tech savvy generation investing in the global brands they use every day. The old days of global investing from India have long gone. As early as 2019, the process required printing forms, couriering documents and waiting days for the transfer to clear. Six years later, Indian investors are increasingly making their presence on the global stage.

Global investments from India have jumped to over $1.6 billion in FY25, up from $400 million a few years ago, according to a report by Vested.

Who are the new global investors from India?

It is interesting to note that 48% of the global investors from India are under the age of 35, which is a cohort of Gen Z and millennial investors, hailing from over 145 Indian cities. The average investor holds 11 global securities, including exchange traded funds (ETFs). According to the report, 38% of global investors from India start with less than $500, which indicates the 'democratisation' of global wealth—anyone can start, not just those with millions.

High conviction and big ideas

Investors aren't gambling on meme stocks. 61% of the global investments from India are concentrated in top 10 stocks and top 10 ETFs according to the report. These are the names with long operating histories, and clear business models. Investors choose them because they are businesses they can understand, and can hold for a long term.

"Even with access to the entire ETF universe, Indian investors gravitate to instruments that represent big ideas, big trends, or big markets," the report said.

The 10 major ETFs where Indian investors pour in their money are:

1. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

On average, Indian investors hold 8 global stocks in their portfolio. Within their ETF holdings, 27% is allocated to index ETFs and 7% to emerging market ETFs, with a median portfolio size of $10,465, and an average deposit of $1,634.

"India's global investors allocate to companies that define technologies, supply chains, or entire markets," the report said.

The 10 major global stocks where Indian investors pour in their money are:

1. Apple

Currency lift: Beyond just returns

The Indian rupee has weakened against the dollar at a steady pace for more than a decade, losing roughly 3% a year. According to the report, this slow but persistent depreciation changes long-term outcomes in a way that headline numbers often fail to capture.

"A portfolio built only in rupees grows on terms set by a currency that continues to lose ground globally. Many of the goals Indian households plan for education, healthcare, travel, and retirement are linked to dollar-based costs," it said.

Therefore, investors in India are increasingly looking for a currency anchor that holds value over time. A comparison  of the long-term outcomes of both domestic and global investments would make the effect clear.

While Indian equities have performed exceptionally well, global investing provides a 'double engine' of growth: equity performance plus the currency lift.

For instance, ₹1 lakh invested in the Nifty 50 in 2015 would have grown to ₹3,32,460 by 2025. During the same period, the S&P 500 delivered a similar equity return, bringing that ₹1 lakh to ₹3,30,100 in dollar terms.

However, between 2015 and 2025, the Indian rupee depreciated from 66.81 to 88.68 against the US dollar. This move alone added a massive ₹1,06,000 to the S&P 500 investment. Consequently, the final value of the S&P 500 investment jumps to ₹4,36,100—outperforming the domestic investment by over ₹1 lakh purely due to the strength of the dollar.

The regulatory backbone

India's global investing rests on four major pillars that have evolved steadily over the last two decades: liberalised remittance scheme (LRS), foreign exchange management act (FEMA), tax collected at source (TCS), and Gujarat international finance tec-city (GIFT city).

The first LRS was introduced in 2004 with an annual limit of ₹25,000 for travel, education, medical needs, gifts and certain investments. It was later raised to $100,000 in 2007, and $250,000 in 2015, which continues to define how much an individual can invest or remit abroad each year. LRS essentially provides the mechanism through which individual investors access global markets.

The second pillar is the FEMA and the overseas investment rules that come under it. Between 2013-2016, and later through a major update in 2022, regulators clarified the difference between overseas portfolio investment (OPI), and overseas direct investment (ODI). OPI allows individuals to buy listed global equities, ETFs, bonds and fund without taking control, whereas ODI applies when ownership exceeds 10% or involves management influence.

Long-term capital gains on foreign assets, basically the taxes on foreign investments, were simplified into a flat-rate structure in 2023, replacing the earlier indexation-based method. TCS on outward remittances was introduced in 2020, and revised in 2023 and 2024, improving traceability while also altering the cash-flow profile of overseas investing.

The fourth pillar is the formation of GIFT city which was notified in 2015. Since then, it has grown steadily with the launch of NSE IFSC in 2021, dedicated rules for foreign-currency accounts and the introduction of global fund structures and international investment products. GIFT City now provides an onshore alternative for accessing global markets.

"Together, these four elements define the environment in which Indian residents invest globally today with each addressing a different part of the system and collectively making global investing more stable, clearer and easier to approach," the report said.