Editor′s Note

It has been an eventful few weeks, which will undoubtedly go down in history as having changed the face of the world. Britain voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (EU), a result which sent shockwaves around the financial markets. In this globalised and deeply inter-connected world, India was not immune to any of these shockwaves. However, as many of the country's leaders were quick to point out, the economy's fundamentals were strong enough to weather this storm. As the initial tremors from what has been described as a seismic shift in the global economy begin to subside, the economic and political landscape will open up new vistas of opportunity. Could India and the UK finally take that much-talked-about special relationship to the next level Could the India-EU FTA receive an added fillip Is India ready to take its rightful place to attract some of the business that will inevitably be directed towards the Commonwealth These are some of the many questions that will have to be answered over time. Meanwhile, India was busy making some history of its own with a slew of reforms to open up many of its key sectors to even more foreign direct investment (FDI). It was the kind of “Reforms Rush” many in the international markets had been patiently waiting for. This edition of 'India Investment Journal' comes packed with all you will need to know about these reforms, what they mean for the Indian economy and, indeed, the world. We have an exclusive interview with the person right at the heart of some of these much-awaited changes, Nirmala Sitharaman. The commerce minister takes time out to not only give her insights into the recent announcements but also candidly delves into some very complex issues around India's place in the wider global economy. Besides the central focus on the Narendra Modi led government's reforms agenda, we have the usual array of topics covered by a wide ranging panel of experts in their respective fields. We explore how India is doing on its ease of doing business pledge, weigh up if India really is 4G ready, track some generational trends in wealth management and analyse the funding prospects for Solar India. There is some serious wealth of information in the pages ahead. Happy Reading!