Jitin Bhasin, Founder & CEO, SaveIN
As India scales toward a $5 trillion economy, Union Budget 2026 presents a critical window to catalyse domestic consumption and strengthen the backbone of the startup ecosystem. While the government’s digital-first approach has been transformative, the next phase of growth requires deeper fiscal reforms that reward long-term ‘patient’ capital. We hope to see a rationalization of Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax to bring parity between unlisted startup shares and listed equities, which is essential to encourage domestic investors to back Indian innovation over the long haul.
Furthermore, to truly drive ‘Ease of Doing Business’ for consumer-facing startups, simplifying the GST framework for financial services and expanding the scope of credit guarantee schemes will be game-changers. By reducing the collateral burden for startups and providing tax incentives for technology adoption in non-metro markets, the Budget can unlock a massive wave of affordability and credit penetration. This will allow millions of Indian household to unlock access to flexible, formal credit for their evolving lifestyle needs in line with our growing economic might.
Ravi Kumar, CEO Cubastion
This year’s Union Budget can help the Indian software industry scale up from pilot projects to full-blown deliveries. The Indian government has laid an impressive foundation with fully digital public infrastructure and emerging sectors such as AI. Now, the focus needs to be on implementation.
Support for the adoption of AI is one of the major expectations. This is because start-ups, as well as software companies, require ease of access to computing resources, guidelines on the use of data in the cloud, as well as factors that will help them develop AI solutions that address problems.
For technology service providers, exports are very important. Facilitation of high-tech exports, skills development, and timely approval of foreign projects will help Indian players compete internationally.
We urge the government to support those building valuable, scalable solutions for businesses and the government. With sustained policy support, the Indian software industry can provide high-quality employment, go up the value chain, and contribute more to India’s digital evolution.
We also urge the government to provide clearer and predictable data sovereignty and localisation policies so that Indian software and AI companies can build secure, globally trusted solutions from India and attract more investment.