Nirmala Sitharaman to embark on an official visit to United Kingdom and Austria

Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to the United Kingdom and Austria from 8^th to 13^th April 2025, today. Smt. Sitharaman is also scheduled to attend Ministerial Level Bilateral meetings in both countries.

During the course of the visit, the Union Finance Minister will participate in the 13th Ministerial round of India – UK Economic & Financial Dialogue and engagements with think tanks, investors, business leaders in United Kingdom and Austria.

The 13^th round of the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (13^th EFD) is scheduled to be held in London, United Kingdom on 9^th of April 2025. The 13^th EFD dialogue will be co-chaired by the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs and the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The 13^th EFD is a significant bilateral platform between the two countries that offers opportunities for candid engagement at Minister level, officer-level, working groups and between the respective regulatory bodies in various aspects of financial collaboration, including investment matters, financial services, financial regulations, UPI interlinkages, taxation matters and illicit financial flows.

The key priorities of the 13^th EFD dialogue for Indian side include cooperation in IFSC GIFT City, investment, insurance and pension sectors, FinTech and Digital economy, and mobilising affordable and sustainable climate finance.

The Union Finance Minister and the Rt. Hon. Chancellor of the Exchequer are also set to announce and launch various reports and new initiatives for further collaborations.

On the sidelines of India-UK 13^th EFD, Smt. Sitharaman will engage in bilateral meetings with key dignitaries, participate in investor roundtables and other meetings with heads of key financial institutions and companies.

During the United Kingdom leg of the official visit, the Union Finance Minister will deliver the keynote address at the India-UK Investor Roundtable in presence of Chief Executive Officers of international organisations, including key management personnel from across the UK financial ecosystem covering pension funds, insurance companies, banks, and financial services institutions among others.

Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman along with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Rt. Hon. Jonathan Reynolds will co-host the Roundtable in partnership with City of London, with top CEOs and senior management of prominent pension funds and asset managers in UK as participants.

During the Austrian leg of the official visit, the Union Finance Minister will hold bilateral meetings with senior Austrian government leaders, including with Mr Markus Marterbauer, Finance Minister, Austria; and H.E. Mr. Christian Stocker, the Federal Chancellor, Austria.

Smt. Sitharaman and Mr. Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, Austrian Minister for Economy, Energy and Tourism, will co-chair a session with key Austrian CEOs to apprise them of existing and upcoming opportunities in India for deeper investment collaboration between the two countries.