The UK and India have locked in a July 15, 2026 start date for their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a deal nearly four years in the making that’s projected to add £4.8 billion annually to British GDP by 2040.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the timeline during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders summit. The agreement includes a full chapter dedicated to digital trade, with explicit provisions for blockchain cooperation.
What’s actually in the deal
Negotiations kicked off in January 2022 and reached an in-principle conclusion on May 6, 2025. The formal agreement was signed on July 24, 2025.
The headline number: bilateral trade between the UK and India is projected to increase by up to £25.5 billion per year by 2040.
