India and Germany Strengthen Bilateral Economic Cooperation During Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Official Visit on 12-13 January 2026

Key facts

• Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, paid an official visit to India from 12-13 January 2026, marking his first visit to Asia as Chancellor.
• The visit follows the completion of 25 years of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership in 2025 and the commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2026.
• The 7th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) were previously held in New Delhi on 25 October 2024.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz addressed the India-Germany CEOs Forum and held delegation-level talks in Ahmedabad on 12 January 2026.
• India-Germany bilateral trade in goods and services surpassed USD 50 billion in 2024, accounting for over 25% of India's trade with the European Union (EU).
• The Ministry of Finance (FinMin) is in discussions with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regarding cryptocurrency exchange regulations for the Budget 2026-27.
• Bloomberg has decided not to include Indian bonds in its Global Aggregate Index for the current period.
• The Bharat Coking Coal Initial Public Offering (IPO) was booked 147 times, drawing bids worth ₹1.2 trillion.