Union Budget 2026: Individual Overseas Investment Limit Doubled to 10%

In the Union Budget 2026–27 presented on February 1, 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a major change to investment rules for individuals living abroad, aimed at encouraging greater participation in Indian financial markets.
Under the updated regulations, persons resident outside India (PROIs) — including Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin — will now be allowed to invest up to 10% of a listed company’s equity through the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS), up from the earlier 5% cap.

Since the last Union Budget on February 1, 2025, around 16 equity mutual funds have delivered returns exceeding 20%, highlighting strong pockets of performance even as markets remained mixed. This analysis by ETMutualFunds covered 485 equity schemes, of which 405 showed positive returns and 80 delivered negative returns during this period.

As India’s Union Budget 2026 approaches, investors are closely watching market themes that could shape stock performance. Analysts expect Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to maintain fiscal prudence while accelerating public spending on key sectors such as infrastructure, defence, power and housing.