KKR maps credit, infra push in India — a market of 'critical strategic priority'

Global investment giant KKR & Co is preparing to scale up its India presence in private equity, infrastructure, and private credit after having invested more than $9 billion in the country over the past five years, positioning India as a "critical strategic priority" within its global strategy, according to Scott Nuttall, KKR's global co-chief executive officer.

- DEV CHATTERJEE

Nuttall said the firm ultimately wanted its India business to resemble its global model as the market evolved — expanding beyond buyouts and core infrastructure into areas such as insurance capital solutions and capital markets.

India has moved to the centre of KKR's Asia strategy as domestic consumption rises and policy supports private capital, Nuttall said, adding that the firm intended to be "ever more active" across asset classes. "India is a critical strategic priority for KKR, not just in the Asia context, but in a global context," he said last week in Mumbai.

"Globally, KKR will invest between $90 billion and $100 billion this year (2025). Given India's position as the world's fifth-largest economy and soon to be the third, we would expect our activities in India to increasingly resemble the firm's global profile over time," Nuttall said.

Since establishing its India office in 2008, KKR has invested more than $13 billion, through nearly 40 transactions.