Mergers and Acquisitions Archives

Unlocking India’s Inland Water Transport Potential: Analysis of the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025

Inland water transport (“IWT”) in India holds immense potential as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative for the movement of goods and passengers. With a vast network of approximately 14,500 km of navigable rivers, canals, and backwaters, India’s inland waterways offer a strategic advantage for long-haul transportation. However, IWTs currently constitute a fraction of the overall inter-modal transport mix. In order to create a conducive environment for development of inland water terminals in India, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has recently enactedthe National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025.This note provides a detailed analysis of these regulations.

Charting a New Course: Legal Implications of Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 on Indian Maritime Governance

Insights | December 11, 2025 | Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy

The enactment of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (“MSA”) presents a landmark legislative milestone in India’s vision of becoming a global maritime hub. The MSA repeals the erstwhile Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and introduces a regulatory environment that is aligned with the global maritime industry standards. The MSA is designed for enhancing regulatory efficiency, attracting foreign investment, and increasing Indian tonnage by liberalising key areas such as vessel ownership and registration. This note provides an analysis of the fundamental changes to the maritime sector introduced by the MSA.

Indian Ports Act, 2025: A Paradigm Shift in Port Regulation and Development

Insights | November 27, 2025 | Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy

Foreign investment is a key contributor to India’s growth story and India continues to consistently experience growth in inflow of foreign direct investment (“FDI”). The Government of India has announced that the provisional figure of FDI inflow into India for the financial year ended March 31, 2023 was USD 71 billion and according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report, India remains a favored destination for global investors.
In this note we discuss certain key legal considerations for a foreign investor investing in India.

Draft Guidelines for Greenfield Clusters and Brownfield Shipyards

Legal Updates | November 26, 2025 | Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued draft greenfield shipbuilding cluster development guidelines (“Greenfield Cluster Guidelines”) and draft brownfield shipyard expansion guidelines (“Brownfield Shipyard Guidelines”) on November 06, 2025 which seek to accelerate the pace of shipbuilding in India. This update provides an overview of the Greenfield Cluster Guidelines and the Brownfield Shipyard Guidelines.

Investment in Renewable Energy Projects: Key Legal Due Diligence Considerations

Insights | November 14, 2025 | Practice Area: Clean Energy, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Projects, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy

India has rapidly adopted clean energy to diversify its energy mix given its climate commitments. An enabling policy framework and technological advances have resulted in broad based participation in this sector. This note considers key issues for a legal due diligence on renewable energy generating plants having regard to various stages of project development.

The National Sports Governance Act, 2025: Regulatory Developments and New Opportunities

Insights | October 27, 2025 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

TheNational Sports Governance Act, 2025(“Act”) marks a major milestone in reforming the regulatory framework for sports in India. For a long time, sports bodies in India have struggled with issues such as lack of transparency, internal disputes and irregularities in elections and administration. Previous government efforts to professionalize Indian sports through non-binding guidelines and directions have had limited impact.
The Act introduces a comprehensive legal framework for the recognition, governance and oversight of sports organizations in India. It establishes key institutions such as theNational Sports Board, National Sports Tribunal and National Sports Election Panel while mandating codes of ethics, safe sports policies, and transparency obligations under the Right to Information Act, 2005. By formalizing governance processes, the Act seeks to enhance accountability and professionalism in sports bodies, and build trust with investors and stakeholders. It creates a better environment for long-term commercial engagements, such as through leagues, affiliates and infrastructure, while aligning Indian sports with international standards.
This note explores the key provisions of the Act, its implications for existing bodies such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and emerging commercial opportunities through the corporatization of sports federations, public-private partnerships, data monetization, and convergence with the newly enacted Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025

Charting a New Course: An Overhaul of India’s Maritime Legislation

Insights | September 30, 2025 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Projects; Infrastructure and Energy, Tax

India’s maritime sector has expanded substantially over the past 10 years. To improve upon the growth spurt, the Government has recently adopted five new legislations with the aim to modernize regulations, boost investment and streamline port operations. This note seeks to highlight certain key provisions introduced in these pivotal legislations and recent policy.

Financing M&A Transactions in India: An Overview

Insights | August 8, 2025 | Practice Area: Banking and Finance, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions

India has witnessed a sustained increase in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) transactions over the past few years. Despite global M&A activity being subdued this year, M&A deal volumes in India during the first half of 2025 saw an 18% increase in comparison with the first half of 2024. Multiple factors, such as large-scale digitization, favorable investor sentiment and increasing domestic consumption, have contributed to the significant interest of global investors to be a part of India’s growth story.
Acquisition financing, which refers to the process of securing capital to finance the acquisition of equity in another company, is critical to the success of M&A transactions. Such financing could be in the form of debt or equity, raised domestically or from offshore funding sources. In India, debt financing for acquisitions and, in particular, offshore debt, is highly regulated owing to various restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India and Indian exchange control regulations. This note explores the principal funding routes available for financing inbound and domestic M&A in India and the key considerations for market participants when structuring such financing.

The Impact of India’s Data-Related Laws and Policies on AI Development and Deployment

Insights | July 23, 2025 | Practice Area: Competition/Antitrust, Data, Intellectual Property, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory, Technology; Media and Telecommunications

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Machine Learning (“ML”) promises both opportunities and risks. To address such risks while leveraging the power of AI/ML for new areas of growth, stakeholders need to remain attentive to an evolving regulatory landscape. Unlike the European Union, India is yet to enact an overarching law on AI. Nevertheless, AI developers, deployers, investors, and other relevant entities in the AI supply chain must stay informed about existing and emergent regulatory initiatives across several industries, sectors, and legal regimes. Given India’s ongoing policy and legislative attempts to govern AI, especially with respect to addressing deployment-related concerns and potential harm, the outcome of such processes is likely to emerge soon, even if in fragmented fashion.
Since AI model training relies heavily on data, India’s fast-developing data protection framework warrants special attention. Balancing compliance with innovation will remain crucial for organizations as they aim to thrive under India’s regulatory ecosystem on digital data and AI.

An Analysis of India’s FDI Regime from an Investor’s Perspective

Insights | July 22, 2025 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

The note examines foreign direct investment (“FDI”) as a significant driver for economic growth and globalization in India. Despite its growth, the legal regime governing FDI in India remains intricate, posing challenges for foreign investors seeking clarity and ease of doing business. This note delves into India’s FDI regulations, highlighting key issues such as a complex regulatory environment, protracted approval processes, and the challenges posed by sector-specific restrictions.
The note adopts an investor-centric perspective to analyze these barriers and explores how they affect foreign investment decisions. To address these issues, the note proposes certain solutions, including streamlining approval procedures, aligning sector-specific policies with global standards, and providing a clearer legal framework for dispute resolution. The objective of this note is to consider approaches that will enhance India’s appeal as an investment destination and promote sustained economic growth by recommending reforms that streamline the legal framework.