West Asia Crisis A ‘Live Stress Test’ For India’s Balance Of Payments: CEA V Anantha Nageswaran

Addressing the 2026 CII Annual Business Summit, Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran issued a stark warning: the ongoing West Asia crisis is no longer just a foreign policy issue- it is a “live balance of payments stress test” for India. With the Strait of Hormuz disruptions and volatile crude prices, Nageswaran highlighted the direct threats to India’s inflation targets, current account deficit, and the rupee’s exchange rate. He emphasized that these deep structural shifts are permanently reshaping the global economic order, forcing India to navigate a high-stakes landscape where economic planning must account for sustained regional instability.