India
| Pros |
|---|
| Large, young, and increasingly digital workforce offering significant human capital for private enterprise. |
| Ongoing deregulation and simplification of the tax code to encourage foreign direct investment and entrepreneurship. |
| Rapid expansion of private infrastructure projects and digital public goods reducing transaction costs for businesses. |
| Cons |
|---|
| Persistent bureaucratic hurdles and complex regulatory compliance requirements slowing down business operations and market entry. |
| High levels of protectionist trade barriers and occasional unpredictable shifts in government economic policy. |
| Inconsistent enforcement of property rights and slow judicial processes for resolving commercial disputes. |
Long story short: Here, the administration has a god complex: between permits demanded in triplicate and the inspector who drags his feet unless you slip him something, setting up a company can feel like a bureaucratic treasure hunt. Add a tax bite that jumps fast the moment you outgrow a tiny shell structure.
On the flip side, the banking system is solid and wildly digitized, payments happen in one tap, and in the posh pockets of Delhi or Mumbai, corruption barely touches you directly anymore.
Besides that: food that will ruin every other cuisine for you, landscapes that stop you in your tracks, safety that won't keep you up at night in the wealthy areas, and a domestic market so massive it gives you vertigo.
Will your income be taxed?
Long story short: YES, A LOT.
India shears personal income hard, peaking at 30%. Residency rules are the classic kit (day counts, economic ties, habitual abode), so if you actually live here, you hand over the full schedule.
The state shows up early, and with a receipt book.
If you earn a year, you will pay .
Roughly effective, with a marginal rate of .
Will your wealth be taxed?
Long story short: YES, BUT LIGHTLY.
India takes a light trim on capital gains (12.5% at the top), with no annual wealth levy and no inheritance regime.
Your portfolio compounds with barely any friction; the state only shows its face when you sell. And even then, politely.
Easy to run a company there?
Long story short: NO.
Corporate tax in India is 25%, no IP-box mercy, VAT at n/a on top.
Operationally, running a company here is fine; fiscally, the state helps itself to a fat slice of every unit of profit. You do the work, they skim the cream.
A good fit for a holding?
Long story short: NOT REALLY.
India has a moderate 46-treaty network, but no participation exemption: dividends from subsidiaries land straight in the corporate schedule (25%).
Fine for operational subsidiaries; as a pure holding base, you're feeding the local taxman at every distribution.
| Country | Status | Dividends | Interest | Royalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ∅ // no treaties match | ||||
Easy to come and go?
Long story short: SOME.
India taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: no exit tax on the way out.
Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.
Is your money watched?
Long story short: YES, CLOSELY.
India signed every exchange framework that matters and runs a public corporate registry. Whatever you do here (earn, hold, structure) is reported, searchable, or both.
Your money is watched from every angle; if discretion is part of your plan, this isn't your jurisdiction.
Is it blacklisted?
Long story short: NO.
India is clean on every major blacklist (FATF, EU, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil) and sits inside the FATF club.
Wiring money to or from here raises zero eyebrows: no flags, no extra questions, no compliance officer waking up. Reputationally, a non-event.
Do you feel free there?
Long story short: NO.
Press freedom in India is locked down (RSF rank #151). Independent media and civic space operate under pressure (when they operate at all), and that kind of grip usually spills over into economic life too.
Small mercy: crypto isn't formally banned.
| Program | Status | Cross-border | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Digital Rupee
The main motive is increase efficiency and decrease risks by utilizing instant settlement and programmability to return funds at specific times without delays.
RBI
|
PILOT | — | announce → |
Connected to the world?
Long story short: SOMEWHAT CONNECTED.
India is only half-plugged in, and it's the half that hurts. Stripe won't take local businesses: to charge cards you'll be shopping for workarounds (a foreign entity, a local PSP, a merchant of record).
Amazon, at least, delivers to your door. 7/11 of the services we track run here.
Other jurisdictions worth comparing
Picked by similarity of strategic profile to India. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.