Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 called on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to broaden its financing mandate in India beyond physical infrastructure — urging it to fund emerging areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and skilling. The remarks came during her meeting with Zou Jiayi, President of the AIIB, on the sidelines of the AIIB 2026 Annual Meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Key Developments at the Meeting

Sitharaman noted that MSMEs form the backbone of India's economy and argued that targeted AIIB support for AI adaptability and manpower training could meaningfully strengthen the sector. She also conveyed India's support for the Bank's 2027 budget plans and its focus areas for scaling up operations, and congratulated AIIB on its strong performance in the first half of the year.

Both sides reviewed the robust project pipeline that AIIB currently maintains in India and discussed possibilities for expanding the Bank's global footprint. The meeting's details were shared via a Finance Ministry post on X.

AIIB President's Response

AIIB President Zou Jiayi congratulated Sitharaman on the successful BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi. Recalling his previous visits to project sites in Delhi and Meerut, the President reaffirmed that the Bank would continue to finance projects centred on people, urban development, and environmental protection. Sitharaman, in turn, reiterated that the Bank's regional centrality should remain a defining institutional characteristic and a core anchor of its mandate.

India-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Investment Treaty

Earlier the same day, Sitharaman met Mohammed Aljadaan, Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also on the sidelines of the Doha meeting. She described Saudi Arabia as India's 'trusted and valued strategic partner', referencing cooperation spanning defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, healthcare, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Both ministers welcomed the successful conclusion of negotiations on the India-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which, according to the Finance Ministry, will provide a stronger and more predictable framework for bilateral investments and further bolster investor confidence. Aljadaan, for his part, congratulated India on its robust economic performance and improving investment climate.

NIIF Pitch to Swiss Investors

In a separate engagement, Sitharaman met Ambassador Pietro Lazzeri, AIIB Governor from Switzerland. She highlighted the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) as a trusted partner for foreign investors seeking access to India's infrastructure sector, citing its high standards of governance and transparency. She specifically encouraged Swiss investors to explore NIIF infrastructure funds as a vehicle for gaining exposure to India's infrastructure growth story.

What This Signals

The Doha engagements collectively reflect India's push to reframe multilateral and bilateral investment relationships — moving beyond roads and bridges toward a broader definition of infrastructure that encompasses digital capability, workforce readiness, and enterprise competitiveness. This comes amid growing global recognition that AI and skilling are as foundational to economic development as physical connectivity. The conclusion of the India-Saudi BIT and the NIIF pitch to Switzerland signal a parallel effort to diversify and institutionalise foreign capital flows into Indian infrastructure.