India's exporters built a $420 billion services economy. This is the award they deserve.

Picture the Indian engineer who moved to Pune, started a software development firm, and now has clients in seven countries. Or the founder in Jaipur who took a heritage textile craft and turned it into a brand that ships to customers in London and Los Angeles. Or the woman in Chennai running an accounting practice whose client base is in Australia.

None of them made the news. All of them are building India's economic future.

That is the story at the heart of the Payoneer India Cross-Border Excellence Awards 2026, co-presented by The Economic Times. And it is a story that, until this year, had no stage worthy of it.


The numbers speak for themselves
India's total exports reached a record $825.3 billion in FY25, registering year-on-year growth of 6.1%. The government's $2 trillion export target by 2030-31 acknowledges the trajectory Indian businesses have been setting for over a decade.

The infrastructure supporting this is also taking shape. In January 2026, Payoneer received in-principle authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Payment Aggregator – Cross Border (PA-CB), a regulatory milestone that enables both inward and outward cross-border transactions for Indian businesses. India’s infrastructure boom, alongside new free trade agreements with the UK, the EU, Oman, and New Zealand, are opening preferential market access that businesses can convert into tangible revenue.

This is a rare alignment of ambition and architecture. The businesses that move fastest in this window will define the next decade of Indian exports.

Why this award, and why now
Cynics ask whether awards translate into anything real. The better question is: what does it cost you not to be visible at this moment?

Global buyers, investors, and distribution partners are looking for credible Indian businesses to work with. The $2 trillion target is a signal that the government, trade bodies, and capital allocators are paying attention to who is doing the work. Being named among India's best cross-border businesses, through a transparent jury process, is the kind of credential that cuts through noise in a way pitch decks alone cannot.

Winners will be featured across both Payoneer's and The Economic Times' national platforms, reaching the investors, decision-makers, and global partners who read ET specifically because they are looking for companies worth betting on. The September gala in New Delhi is a room that is genuinely hard to get into. The conversations that happen there will outlast the evening.

Categories tailormade for exporters
Most awards funnel everything into a single 'services' or 'exports' category and hand the prize to whoever has the biggest brand name in the room. The Payoneer India Cross-Border Excellence Awards 2026 work differently.

Service exporters have six dedicated tracks: IT & Development, AI/ML, SaaS & B2B Solutions, Digital Marketing Services, EdTech, and Managed Services (including accounting, bookkeeping, and micro GCC businesses). Each is judged on what it actually does, not just how big it is.

E-commerce exporters compete in three category-specific tracks: Fashion and Apparel, Home and Kitchen, and Personal Care, Health & Wellness. Independent categories recognise D2C Brands, Global Employers, Company Incorporation Partners, and Women in Export Excellence, a cohort that is reshaping the export economy without nearly enough recognition. And regional awards ensure that ambition from North, South, East, and West India is seen.

This is not a consolation-prize architecture, but a structure that takes the diversity of India's cross-border economy into serious consideration.

To reiterate
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement, as just one example, gives tariff-free access to 99% of Indian exports in one of the world's wealthiest consumer markets. Other trade negotiations with the EU and beyond are adding further layers of access. Capital is looking for where India's export potential will be realised, and by whom.

In this context, the Payoneer India Cross-Border Excellence Awards are a chance to be seen at the exact moment when being seen changes what happens next.

Nominations for the India Cross-Border Excellence Awards are open. Choose your category, apply in just a few minutes, and give your business the recognition it deserves. Deadline: July 28, 2026.