How NRIs can invest through GIFT City
According to Pavit Laul, Head of Investments at Policybazaar, the process is structured around specific features available to NRIs, OCI and PIO investors.
Investments can be made in US dollars, which allows overseas investors to participate without converting into local currency. The platform offers plans designed exclusively for NRIs, providing access to international markets and enabling diversification across geographies.
Tax treatment is part of the structure. Certain products available through GIFT City offer zero capital gains tax at maturity, meaning gains are not taxed at exit under those provisions.
The investment framework also includes flexibility in terms of premium payment options and partial withdrawals, allowing investors to structure contributions and access funds as per the plan features.
How commodities fit into this framework
Within GIFT City, investors can access exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to gold, silver and other commodities as part of their allocation.
Laul points to broader data to explain how these assets are being positioned. In 2025, global central banks, including the Reserve Bank of India, purchased over 800 tonnes of gold.
Commodities such as gold and silver are described as serving multiple roles, including during periods of market volatility, as a hedge against inflation, and as assets linked to global demand trends.
Historical data points are cited alongside this. During the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, gold outperformed US equities by over 20% within a single quarter. In the past year, gold and silver have delivered returns of over 20%, based on the referenced data.
Silver is also linked to industrial demand, including usage in solar panels and data infrastructure, with demand expected to grow at an annual rate of around 15% through 2030.
How the structure comes together
The overall framework, as described, allows NRIs to access global markets and commodity-linked investments, including gold and silver ETFs, within a single platform operating out of GIFT City.