Female participation in cross-border investing among Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) has risen sharply over the past year, according to a new report by cross-border investment platform, Belong. It also revealed that women in Western countries such as the US and UK invest at significantly higher rates than those living in Gulf nations.
The report, which analyzed investor participation across 34 countries between July 2025 and June 2026, found that women accounted for 7.3% of all NRI investors in June 2026, up from 4.3% a year earlier. This is an increase of nearly 70%.
The analysis is based on investor participation and does not account for portfolio sizes, asset values or investment amounts.
Why are NRI women investing more in Western countries?
According to Belong, the answer lies largely in migration patterns and household structures, which shape how overseas Indians participate in financial decision-making.
The report found that women represented 11.4% of NRI investors from Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Europe. This was compared with 6.8% from Gulf nations such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.
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This means female participation in Western markets was nearly 1.7 times higher than in Gulf countries.
Belong said Indian diaspora communities in Western countries are more likely to consist of dual-income professional households, where women tend to enjoy greater financial independence and play a more active role in long-term investment planning.
By contrast, migration to Gulf countries has historically been concentrated among contract workers and single-income households, resulting in different patterns of financial participation, the report noted.
Female participation among NRI investors climbs
Overall, female participation among NRI investors increased from 4.3% in June 2025 to 7.3% in June 2026, marking one of the strongest trends observed in cross-border investing over the past year, according to the report.
However, Belong stressed that the global Indian diaspora is not homogeneous, with investment behavior varying across different regions.
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Commenting on the findings, Ankur Choudhary, Co-Founder and CEO of Belong, said the growth in women’s participation reflects broader changes in the NRI investment landscape.
“The growth in female participation is one of the most encouraging trends we are seeing among NRI investors. What’s equally interesting is that participation differs significantly across geographies.” He added, “The data reinforces the idea that there is no single NRI investor profile. Financial behaviour is influenced by migration patterns, family structures, and economic participation in the countries where overseas Indians live and work.”
