India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are deepening a strategic and economic partnership that a new report has described as “an effective model of cooperation within BRICS,” with bilateral trade surpassing $100 billion for the second consecutive year in FY26. The assessment, drawn from a Gulf Today analysis, highlights how the two nations are building integrated logistics corridors, expanding investment flows, and pioneering trade frameworks that could guide broader BRICS economic diplomacy.

Trade Milestone and the $200 Billion Target

Bilateral trade between India and the UAE reached $101.25 billion in FY26, consolidating the two countries’ position as each other’s most significant partners in their respective regions. Both governments have set an ambitious target to double this figure to $200 billion by 2032, a goal that analysts say is achievable given the current trajectory of growth. Notably, this marks the second straight year in which the partnership has crossed the $100 billion threshold — signalling a structural shift rather than a one-off spike.

Key Initiatives Driving Integration

The partnership is being advanced through a suite of targeted initiatives. Bharat Mart, a dedicated platform for Indian goods in the Gulf, and the Virtual Trade Corridor are streamlining cross-border commerce. Cooperation under the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is adding a geopolitical dimension, linking the two economies to broader Eurasian supply chains. According to the report, these initiatives are “helping strengthen supply chain integration and create new routes for trade and investment flows between the two countries and global markets.”

CEPA: A First-of-Its-Kind Agreement

The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), operational since 2022, was described in the report as the first such agreement concluded by the UAE. The pact has expanded the flow of goods, services, and investment, and broadened private-sector opportunities on both sides. Observers note that CEPA has served as a template the UAE has since sought to replicate with other partners — lending India a degree of first-mover advantage in shaping UAE’s economic architecture.

BRICS Footprint and Electronics Exports

Within the BRICS grouping, the UAE and China together accounted for 88.50% of India’s electronics exports to member nations, underscoring the UAE’s outsized role as a conduit for Indian manufacturing into global markets. The report argues that this dynamic positions the UAE-India corridor as a practical illustration of how BRICS membership can translate into tangible trade outcomes rather than remain a diplomatic abstraction.

Indian Business Presence in Dubai Surges

The scale of Indian commercial interest in the UAE is reflected in Dubai Chamber membership figures. The number of Indian companies registered as active members reached 85,841 by the end of June 2026, after 7,579 new Indian firms joined in the first half of the year alone — a year-on-year increase of 15%. The figure cements India’s position as the largest source of foreign business registrations in Dubai, according to reports. This surge also reflects India’s expanding role as a services and manufacturing exporter into the Gulf and beyond.

With the $200 billion trade target firmly on the horizon and IMEC gaining momentum, the India-UAE partnership appears set to deepen further — and its evolution within BRICS could shape how the bloc approaches South-South economic integration in the years ahead.