India’s services trade cushion faces a new test

New Delhi: India's services trade surplus, which plays a crucial role in offsetting the country's merchandise trade deficit, is showing signs of pressure as services imports grow faster than exports, according to an ICICI Bank research report.

The emerging concern is that faster growth in services imports could reduce the net foreign exchange earnings generated by India's services sector, weakening an important cushion against the country's large merchandise trade deficit.

According to the bank's research report, net services exports declined 10 per cent year-on-year to USD 16.9 billion in September 2026.

The report stated that "net services exports saw a much sharper decline of 10% YoY to USD 16.9bn."

The contraction came as gross services exports fell 0.9 per cent year-on-year to around USD 36 billion, while services imports increased 8.9 per cent to approximately USD 19 billion.

This divergence indicates that India's spending on services purchased from overseas is growing faster than the earnings generated through services sold to foreign markets.

India's services exports, including information technology, financial, business and professional services, have traditionally helped compensate for the country's higher spending on imported goods.

However, when services imports grow faster than exports, the resulting surplus narrows, reducing the amount available to offset the merchandise trade gap.

The trend assumes significance even as India's merchandise exports registered strong growth of 23 per cent year-on-year in September, highlighting differing trends in the country's goods and services trade performance.

However, the September decline does not yet suggest a sustained weakening of India's services trade position.

According to ICICI Bank, cumulative net services exports increased 4 per cent year-on-year to USD 103 billion during April-September 2026, compared with an average monthly surplus of USD 17.1 billion in the first half of FY27 against USD 16.5 billion a year earlier.

The contrasting monthly and half-year trends indicate that while the services sector continues to provide substantial support to India's external trade position, sustaining that cushion will depend on export earnings keeping pace with the country's growing services import bill.

The September figures remain provisional, with subsequent data releases expected to provide greater clarity on whether the slowdown is temporary or reflects a broader moderation in services trade.