Britain is the sixth largest foreign investor in India with FDI inflow from the country standing at USD 30 billion in the period between 2000 and 2020. As per a Britain Meets India report released in the year 2024, there are 667 British companies operating in India, contributing INR 5082 billion to the Indian economy. The report also says that 162 British companies in India have achieved double-digit year-on-year growth and have surpassed an annual revenue of 500 million rupees. 36% of British firms in India are in Maharashtra with rest being mainly concentrated in Delhi-NCR, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Top sectors India attracting British investments include industrial products, business services, technology and consumer retail. Let’s have a look at the top 10 British companies in India for the year 2025.
1. J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited
J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited, founded in the year 1945, is a British multinational manufacturer of heavy equipment for various applications, including construction, demolition, waste handling and agriculture. The company has been operating in India since the year 1979 through its wholly owned subsidiary, JCB India Limited. JCB India manufactures and sells over 60 products in nine categories, including backhoe loaders, telehandlers, skid steer loaders, diesel engines and diesel generators.
JCB India Limited owns and operates 6 factories located at New Delhi, Pune, Vadodara and Jaipur. It also has a design centre in Pune which is the company’s largest outside United Kingdom. The company’s distribution network in India comprises of more than 60 dealers and 700 outlets.
2. Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered Bank, established in the year 1853, is a British multinational bank dealing in corporate and investment banking, treasury services and wealth management. With over 160 years of operations in India, Standard Chartered is one of the oldest foreign banks in the country. The bank provides a number of services in India, such as current/savings accounts, fixed deposits, credit/debit/forex cards, online banking and other digital services, investment solutions and more.
SCB has a network of 100 branches across 42 cities in India. It is the first foreign bank to provide banking services in India’s International Financial Services Centre located at GIFT City in Gujarat.
3. PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited
Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited, founded in the year 1849, is a British multinational company specialising in multiple kinds of professional services, such as financial advisory, forensic accounting, legal services, tax advisory, management consulting and more. The company first entered India in the year 1880 by setting up its office in Kolkata. PwC provides a wide range of services to businesses in India, including business transformation, audit and assurance services, corporate finance, legal business solutions and risk management.
PwC has a wide network of offices spread across multiple cities in India, including Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Chennai and Dehradun.
4. Barclays PLC
Barclays PLC, founded in the year 1690, is a British multinational bank specialising in a host of banking and financial services, including wealth management, asset management, credit cards, commodities, investment management and mortgage loans. The bank is present in India since the year 1990 when it opened its first branch in the country. Barclays provides wide range of personal banking, corporate banking and investment banking services to its Indian customers.
Barclays has branches in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Noida. The bank also has a global service centre in Pune which provides end-to-end solutions for its technology, operations and functions.
5. Cadbury
Cadbury, founded in the year 1824, is a British confectionery firm and also the second largest confectionery brand in the world. The firm entered India in the year 1948 with the launch of its flagship chocolate brand, Dairy Milk. Since then, Cadbury has launched multiple popular brands of chocolates and confectionery products in the Indian market, such as Silk, Five Star, Gems, Oreo, Celebrations and more.
Cadbury operates 4 production plants in India, located in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
6. Unilever PLC
Unilever PLC, established in the year 1929, is a British multinational manufacturer of consumer packaged goods like breakfast cereals, tea, instant coffee, condiments, baby food, cleaning agents, toothpaste, soft drinks and more. The company operates in India through its subsidiary, Hindustan Unilever Limited, founded in the year 1933. HUL owns more than 50 popular FMCG brands across categories like health drinks, body and personal care, tea and coffee, ice cream and more.
HUL operates 80 manufacturing facilities in India. The company also has three research and development centres in Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurgaon.
7. Capita PLC
Capita PLC, founded in the year 1984, is a British multinational business process outsourcing and professional services company. The company is operating in India since the year 2004 through its subsidiary, Capita India Private Limited. Capita India provides a broad range of services, right from web content development and webchat management to HR-shared services and back-office customer services. It has 4 offices located in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.
8. Vodafone Group
Vodafone Group, founded in the year 1984, is a British multinational telecommunications company. The company entered India in the year 1992 through its subsidiary, Vodafone India Limited. By March 2018, Vodafone India had a share of 21% in the Indian telecommunications market. In August 2018, Vodafone India merged with Idea Cellular to form Vodafone Idea. Currently, Vodafone Group holds 22.6% shares in Vodafone Idea.
9. Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited, established in the year 1904, is a British multinational company specialising in luxury automobiles and aerospace engines. The company has been providing aerospace engines to the Indian armed forces since 1947, and currently 750 Rolls-Royce engines are being used by various kinds of military aircrafts in India. In addition, Rolls-Royce also provides marine engines to the Indian Navy and Coast Guards.
10. HSBC Holdings PLC
HSBC Holdings PLC, founded in the year 1865, is a British multinational banking and financial services company. The company entered India in the year 1983 through its subsidiary, HSBC India. HSBC India provides multiple services, including global private banking, retail business banking, executive banking, loans and international money transfers.
Conclusion
British companies view India as a favourable investment destination owing to several factors like skilled workforce, growing middle class population and a huge domestic market. A likely free trade agreement between the two countries will give a huge boost British investments in India and vice versa.