Indian Foreign Investments Rise to $321.5 Million Under LRS

Mumbai: Indians are showing growing interest in overseas stock and bond markets, with investments under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) surging in August 2026, according to fresh data from the Reserve Bank of India.

The RBI's October 2026 bulletin shows that Indian residents invested $321.53 million in foreign equity and debt markets in August 2026. This was 111 per cent higher than the $152.18 million invested in August 2025.

Despite the annual rise, the category saw a monthly dip of 7 per cent. The figure had peaked at a record $460 million in June 2026.

Total LRS outward remittances in FY 2025-26 reached $28.98 billion. The share of overseas equity and debt investment in total LRS flows in August 2026 was about 11.7 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent in the same month last year. Analysts view this as evidence that Indian investors are steadily expanding their presence in global financial markets.

Overall LRS remittances edged up to $2.74 billion in August 2026 from $2.64 billion a year earlier, an increase of 3.6 per cent. Month on month, remittances grew by nearly 6 per cent from $2.58 billion in July.

Foreign travel remained the largest component, with spending of $1.63 billion, or around 59 per cent of total remittances. Travel outflows were up about 1 per cent year on year and 11.4 per cent from July. Business travel spending alone rose from $10.9 million to $51 million, almost quintupling.

Other categories included gift remittances of $215.72 million, family maintenance payments of $275.43 million, property purchases abroad of $39.59 million and deposits in foreign banks of $50.78 million. Medical treatment remittances increased 21.3 per cent to $4.84 million.