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Highlights
- The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between India and Australia was signed in April last year and has lately come into force
- The agreement talks about a decisive end to double taxation and proposes changes to duties and tariffs
- The Kalkine Group operates in Australia and has a strong presence in India with respect to human resources and services export
Trade is one of the key pillars supporting human and comprehensive socio-economic development. This was probably one of the key catalysts behind the signing and ratification of the India Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
Background of ECTA
India represents a customer powerhouse, with over 1.4 billion inhabitants, and is one of the top contributors to the world economy. Australia is a developed economy that can provide critical resources to India that the latter can use to build new products and solutions, and hence the bilateral agreement was a natural progress.
According to India’s Ministry of Commerce, the two countries are already engaged in billions of dollars of bilateral trade on an annual basis. The ECTA between the two economically empowered nations can open new avenues for export and import of goods and services. Notably, as of now, India’s imports from Australia largely comprise of raw materials and intermediate goods.
Kalkine has strong footing in Australia and beyond
Kalkine, a name to reckon with in the stock market research space, primarily operates in Australia, with Indian-origin Kunal Sawhney as its Chief Executive Officer. The company has offices in both the countries, which would enable it to position itself as a stakeholder in the changing landscape that can soon witness new partnerships between Indian and Australian firms. The Kalkine Group is powered by employees, some based in Australia, and others working from India.
Kalkine has interests beyond Australia, and it covers the equity markets of some of the most advanced economies, including the US. This gives Kalkine an edge as it brings to the table the expertise in dealing with regulatory guidelines in jurisdictions spanning multiple continents. Interestingly, the company was founded in Australia in 2014, with Mr. Sawhney expanding the contours by making India its biggest provider of human resource. Having begun as a stock market research service provider in 2014, Kalkine later forayed into media, ad-tech, and education technology (ed-tech) verticals.
Bottomline
The ECTA between India and Australia specifically highlights ‘trade in services’, which Kalkine looks to explore in the near to medium term. It is undeniable that the agreement, which talks about a decisive end to double taxation and changes in duties and tariffs, would be provided with the necessary backing by companies located in both regions. Kalkine operates from both India and Australia and has a dominant market presence in its line of business, making it a natural participant in the ECTA.
