2,200 Indian firms may go MNC way by 2024: PwC

India may overtake China as the largest source of new MNCs from the emerging markets, with over 2,200 domestic firms forecast to open overseas operations over the next 15 years, says a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.

According to the report titled the Emerging Multinationals, the competitive landscape is set to be transformed over the next decade as Indian and Chinese multinationals lead the way in seeking new markets outside their home markets.

“India is expected to produce the most new multinational companies, overtaking China as the emerging world’s largest source of new multinationals. Over 2,200 domestic companies are projected to open operations outside over the next 15 years (between 2010 and 2024),” the report says.

Driven by the rapid pace of globalisation and revolution in information and communications technologies, the number of companies from the emerging markets choosing to set up operations abroad has increased in the past five years.

The report suggests this trend is expected to continue over the next 15 years, as new multinationals from emerging economies rise in prominence on the global economic stage.

“It is encouraging to know that India will replace China as the largest source of new MNCs in the emerging world from 2018 onwards. The key drivers for this are the relative increase in both investment intensity as well as openness that the domestic economy offers,” PwC India leader for markets and industries Jairaj Purandare said.

India and China would also be joined by an array of companies from Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and South Korea in terms of setting up MNCs.

According to the report, some of these new MNCs would become international powerhouses and would require services all over the world; for example, to support their IT and telecom networks.

PwC report says more and more new MNS are moving straight into the developed economies as opposed to setting up their first foreign operation in a neighbouring emerging market.

The global consultancy major used econometric techniques to project the number of new multinationals arising from a sample of 15 emerging economies over the next 15 years.

The countries analysed are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine and Vietnam.