NEW DELHI– Blackstone President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Gray has described India as one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world, calling it “the fastest-growing country” and a compelling opportunity for global investors.
Speaking at a recent event, Gray praised India’s economic momentum, infrastructure expansion, and rapidly growing middle class, which he said are creating a long-term foundation for growth. “This is the fastest-growing country. There’s been some geopolitical tension recently, but India is investing heavily in infrastructure and has a rapidly rising middle class. This is a place we particularly like,” he said.
Gray identified three sectors that he believes offer the strongest prospects for investors — real estate, secondary markets, and India.
Commenting on commercial real estate, he said the sector was recovering after a challenging period. “It’s been three and a half very tough years for commercial real estate, but now a good dynamic has taken over. New supply has dropped by nearly 70 percent, costs are coming down, and assets have been repriced. This is the time to be an investor in commercial real estate,” he noted.
He also pointed to growing opportunities in secondary markets, emphasizing that the sector has expanded from $23 billion to $200 billion over the past 15 years. “Some worry that this has gotten too big, but it’s still just one and a half percent of total assets under management. We believe discounts and opportunities in secondaries will continue to persist,” Gray added.
His remarks come as the International Monetary Fund recently raised India’s GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal year to 6.6 percent, up from 6.4 percent, citing strong domestic demand that has helped offset the impact of U.S. tariffs on exports. The IMF expects India’s economy to grow by another 6.2 percent next year, according to its latest World Economic Outlook. (Source: IANS)
