'London to serve as backyard for Indian firms to grow'

India-UK economic partnership is expected to get a fillip from the new Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.

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The prospects of bilateral ties will be huge in areas like AI, fintech, sustainability, and life sciences, Howard Dawber, London's deputy mayor of business and the chair of London & Partners, the city's business growth and destination agency, tells Nesil Staney in an interview. Stating that these areas will drive the UK's post-Brexit policy, he said strong partnerships are also possible in drug trials and joint development of drugs. Excerpts:

What are London's unique offers for Indian businesses?

India is already the number-one source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the city. Our offer is a growing city, probably the financial capital of the world, and certainly the fintech capital of the world. In AI and A insurance, we're ahead of New York. What we offer is a platform to the UK market, and also for global expansion. The city's culture is a very open and welcoming one. There is a big Indian business community in London. There's a sort of "can-do" attitude, a more relaxed and friendly one, not merely transactional.

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