Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Scotland's First Minister John Swinney in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 21, and the two leaders discussed areas of mutual interest and opportunities to strengthen cooperation, according to a post by the Ministry of Finance on X, reported by ANI and IANS.

Source: ANI via Devdiscourse

Financial services were a key focus of the talks, with both sides exploring greater engagement between their financial sectors. Renewable energy was another major area, reflecting shared interest in clean-energy development and the wider energy transition.

The leaders also discussed the establishment of higher educational institutions and ways to enhance bilateral tourism and people-to-people links, IANS reported.

Source: IANS via Hi India

The meeting comes about three months after the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) entered into force on July 15. IANS reported that bilateral goods trade rose nearly 15 per cent year-on-year in August to nearly $2 billion (yaani about ₹1.88 lakh crore at current rates), with Indian exports up about 10 per cent. An Assocham study cited in reports projects India-UK trade could expand from $58 billion in 2025-26 to $115 billion by 2030.

Among the early visible effects of the trade pact, reports noted, was Bakkafrost Scotland's first significant shipment of Scottish salmon to India after the removal of a 33 per cent import tariff under the agreement.