Hey Risers
We are celebrating India Rising’s first birthday this week and it’s time to reflect. A lot has happened over the past year and I’d like to thank you for being part of this journey! It’s great to have you here.
Here are the topics of this week:
India Rising Turns 1 - A Reflection
India’s real estate market to grow 3x by 2030
German Witzenmann and NETZSCH Group expand production in India
And much more.
Recap: I hope you enjoyed last week’s guest article by Dr. Manoj Nimbalkar on “Foundations of India-Germany Relations”. My key takeaway: the Indo-German partnership is entering a new phase of co-development!
And more is coming! The second issue of the India Rising Perspective by Zinnov will be released this week and we have more guest articles lined up! Keep an eye out on your inbox!
Learned something? Help someone else and share India Rising with your friends, family and co-workers. Let’s grow our community together and thank you for supporting the Indo-European partnership.
Got feedback? Just hit reply, I’d love to hear from you!
Number of the Week
1
Happy Birthday India Rising.
Rise of the Week: India Rising Turns 1 - A Reflection
Exactly one year ago, I announced India Rising. The goal was simple: cut through the noise and provide curated insights to correct the outdated perception of India in Europe.
German Embassy in Delhi (2025)
What started as an idea has grown into a powerful platform, driven entirely by this community.
Thank You
Today, it’s time to reflect and to celebrate.
You shared my newsletter with friends, family, and colleagues. You contributed guest articles and India Rising Perspectives. You’ve reached out with feedback, support, and collaboration ideas.
Thank you for building this with me. Please keep it coming!
Growing the Ecosystem (Offline and Online)
I’ve been active in the Indo-European corridor for years, but the last 12 months have been special. Writing this newsletter opened the door to meeting so many of you fellow Risers in the real world.
From discussions at the Indo-German Young Leaders Forum in Delhi and the Asia Berlin Summit, to roundtables hosted by the Indian Embassy, nasscom, IHK, and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, it has been incredible to watch this community grow offline as much as online.
India Rising is also getting recognised in the broader ecosystem.
Two months ago, I launched a strategic cooperation with Germany’s longest-standing Indo-German portal, theinder.net. They have done a tremendous job bridging the gap between India and Germany for 25 years, work that was rightfully recognized by the German Federal President. First articles of my bilingual economic column "India Rising – Der Wirtschaftsblick" are already live, allowing me to share our independent, data-backed insights with their extensive audience.
Seeing established platforms like theirs, alongside organizations like the Indo-German Young Leaders Forum, actively amplifying India Rising proves that our shared mission to educate and connect is hitting the exact right nerve.
A Gift for the Community
To thank you, I went back through a year of research and distilled the data into a single, highly actionable report.
The curated “A Year in Review – 10 Visuals on the Next Global Powerhouse” shows the numbers behind the narrative of India’s path to the third largest economy.
If you think this is helpful, feel free to share it with your network.
The Word on the Street
You might have seen some testimonials on our homepage, but the private messages I receive are what keep this platform going. Here is what some of you have said over the last year:
"Bin echt begeistert von India Rising. Größter Fan!" (Really thrilled by India Rising. Biggest fan!)
“You can get a generic update through AI and media outlets, but the curated detail and depth of India Rising provides a special kind of value.”
“I have already shared it with several of my connections as my wife (Indian) and I are living in Germany but are very interested in business activities and relationships between India and Europe/Germany.”
“I appreciate that a non-Indian tries to chase perspective from Germans and educates.”
“What sets India Rising apart is the ability to go beyond surface-level networking and foster genuine connections across people, ideas, and cultures. It creates an environment where collaboration happens naturally.”
(Want to share your feedback? Just hit reply, I’d love to hear from you!)
Outlook
India Rising is only getting started. We have more guest articles and India Rising Perspectives by leading institutions lined up, new collaborations in the works, and more opportunities for us to exchange ideas.
Stay tuned, and here is to Year 2!
What Else is Rising?
India’s Real Estate Market to Grow 3x by 2030
India's real estate market is heading for a 3x expansion by 2030 and smart capital is already moving. Latest data and forecasts by KPMG and Naredco confirm substantial market growth, backed by record Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in Indian real estate and substantial exposure by Private Equity.
Data source: KPMG, Naredco via The Economic Times (2026)
Several structural forces are driving this expansion and unlike cyclical booms, these are long-term in nature:
Rapid urbanisation: Fuelling demand for residential, commercial and logistics real estate.
Infrastructure build-up: Government-led investment in roads, ports, airports and industrial corridors is opening up new real estate corridors beyond the major metros.
Growing economic activity: An expanding middle class and a maturing services sector are creating sustained demand across office, retail and residential segments.
Domestic and foreign investment: Institutional capital, both Indian and global, is increasingly treating real estate as a core allocation.
With those developments, physical infrastructure and footprints grow and KPMG and Naredco’s data further confirms the massive market opportunity here:
Real Estate Market Size | Current | By 2030 | By 2047 |
|---|---|---|---|
In INR | 26.4 trillion | 88 trillion | 440.5-616.7 trillion |
In EUR | 0.25 trillion | 0.83 trillion | 4.17-5.84 trillion |
Growth from today | N/A | 3-fold | 16—23-fold |
Apart from its economic size, the real estate industry is also one of the largest job motors. Today, around 70 million jobs rely on the industry across construction, sales, design etc. and are expected to reach around 100 million by 2030.
Data from 2025 shows that smart capital is already leaning into this trend:
FDI inflows: Capital inflow to India’s real estate sector hit an all-time high of USD 14.3 billion in 2025 according to CBRE, growing by 25% year-over-year.
Private Equity: The PE sector contributed USD 6.7 billion in 2025, a growth of 59% year-over-year, according to Savills. Numbers include private investments as well as structured debt vehicles and foreign PE investors accounted for 76% of those investments.
The positive market sentiment also provides opportunities for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and real estate developers to raise substantial capital to boost further investments:
Bagmane REIT, a developer and owner of six Grade A+ tech parks and backed by Blackstone is currently preparing an IPO to raise INR 40 billion (around EUR 380 million) based on a USD 3.9 billion valuation.
Brookfield India REIT, the Indian subsidiary of one of the largest asset managers globally, has raised a total of INR 8,000 (around EUR 757 million) over the last 12 months alone.
In India Rising issue 12, I had already shared the substantial potential for European businesses in the real estate and construction sector. Those numbers where now confirmed several times over and the ongoing growth, paired with maturing financial markets for real estate investments and ongoing mega trends, provide substantial upsides.
Sources: The Economic Times, ANI
German Mittelstand Players Witzenmann and NETZSCH Group Expand Production in India
The German Mittelstand is increasingly recognising India as growth market and stabilising factor in today’s volatile times. Two industrial players, NETZSCH Group and Witzenmann, now showed commitment by increasing their investments in India and inaugurating of a new production site and start of an expansion project respectively.
The expansion of our production capacities in India is a central component of our global strategy. The location in Goa strengthens our global production network and enables us to meet market requirements even more quickly and specifically at a regional level. All while maintaining consistently high quality and technology standards.
NETZSCH Pump & Systems, a specialist for pump systems and handling complex media, has been active in India for 20 years and just opened a new state-of-the-art facility:
Location: Goa
Size: 45,000 sqm
Function: manufacturing and engineering of pumps for South Asian market
The site will substantially increase the company’s local capacity and double existing production levels in India.
Another established company increasing its presence in India is Witzenmann. Founded in 1854 and active in India for over 25 years, the global leader for flexible metal components and systems with customers from all sectors just started construction of a new facility in Tamil Nadu:
Location: Chennai
Size: 90,000 sqm of land (first phase: 20,000 sqm, expandable by another 30,000 sqm)
Function: manufacturing for automotive, industrial engineering, energy and process industry customers in the region
The site is located around 45 minutes from Witzenmann’s existing production site and close to Chennai airport.
Both companies show the importance of local presence and investment for domestic positioning, and confirm the attractiveness of India’s resilient economy. I think for European businesses watching from the sidelines, both companies’ announcement indicate a path to long-term market success. Success in India rarely comes quickly, but companies that invest in local manufacturing capacity and commit to the market are increasingly well-placed in their sectors.
Sources: NETZSCH Group, Witzenmann, The Machinemaker
Quick Risers
Delhi reportedly puts trade agreement with the US on hold after the US once again raised discussions on trade imbalances not only with India, but China and Europe as well. (Source: Business World)
The European Commission provided more details on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement. (Source: European Commission)
Spotlight: Breaking India’s Geographic Inequality Trap
In “Islands of gold in a sea of shadow: Breaking India’s geographic inequality trap”, authors from Ideas for India share how the geographical inequalities could be adressed.
Find the whole article here.
Curiosity Corner
Your random facts and stories about India and the Indo-European friendship.
This week: The relevance of arches in Indian and European architecture
In ancient India, arches were less about holding up walls and more about opening portals to the divine. Because early Indian builders relied on pillars and beams, the lotus-leaf (chaitya) and horseshoe "arches" they carved were purely symbolic, evoking enlightenment, a deity's aura, or a gateway to heaven.
In contrast, European Roman semicircles and Gothic pointed arches were born from the need to master heavy stone and gravity. Yet, engineering soon served cosmology: Gothic arches were built to stretch toward heaven and support massive windows, allowing divine light to pierce the darkness of medieval cathedrals. Ultimately, these two distinct paths, India’s nature-inspired symbolism and Europe/the Middle East’s structural mastery, found a breathtaking harmony centuries later in the graceful, sweeping ogee arches of Mughal India.
Enjoyed this issue? Share India Rising with your network.
Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Real Estate Services
Whether you're optimising a corporate real estate portfolio, leading a development project, or plan a transaction, I can help you. I support and advise clients on a fractional, interim, or project basis to de-risk and deliver tangible results.
2. Market Entry India & Emerging Markets
As Strategic Advisor to Zinnov, a leading consultancy for globalisation in Tech, I help you set up your organisation’s GCC in India and Emerging Markets.
3. Collaborations & Promotions
I’m a proponent of ecosystems and partnership networks. Whether it’s collaborating on a project, participating in your event or promoting ideas: just reply to this email.
You can’t get enough or want to catch up on past editions? Follow the link!
