RAG Holdings Expands into India: A New Chapter of Global Business Growth

RAG Holdings Expands into India: A New Chapter of Global Business Growth

On 31 August 2026, RAG Holdings opened its India operations at HiLITE Business Park in Calicut, Keralam.

The office was inaugurated by Honourable Shri P. K. Basheer, Minister for Public Works, Government of Keralam, alongside RAG leadership, employees and invited guests.

For a group that has spent more than a decade helping businesses establish across the GCC, this is a meaningful step. Not because it adds a location, but because of the direction it opens.

What This Means for the India-Qatar Corridor

The trade relationship between India and Qatar has always been substantial. What has often been missing is a single point of support that operates properly on both ends of it.

An Indian business expanding into Qatar has historically had to coordinate between advisors in India who understand the company but not the Qatari regulatory environment, and providers in Doha who understand the process but are working at a distance from the client’s actual operations. That gap costs time, and it produces the kind of setup errors that are expensive to correct afterwards.

With teams now operating in Calicut alongside our Qatar operations, that coordination happens inside one group. An Indian founder can begin a conversation locally and have it carry through to company formation in Qatar, PRO service in Qatar, workspace, and ongoing corporate support without handing the relationship to a stranger halfway through.

The same applies in the opposite direction. Multinational and GCC-based companies looking at India, whether for a Global Capability Centre, a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement, or a strategic operating base, now have support on the ground in Keralam rather than managing it remotely.

Global businesses into India. Indian businesses into the world.

Building Careers in Keralam, Connected to Global Markets

The Calicut operation is being built as a connected base rather than a back office. Teams across marketing, sales, administration, digital operations, customer support and business services will work alongside colleagues in the UAE, Qatar and Singapore.

That means professionals based in Keralam working on live company formation processes, market-entry journeys and client relationships across multiple jurisdictions, gaining exposure to regulatory environments and commercial practices they would otherwise have to relocate to access.

“Our objective is to create an environment where a professional sitting in Calicut can work on opportunities connected to Dubai, Qatar, Singapore and India, gain international exposure and grow with the organisation. We want careers to become more global, while allowing people to continue being based in Keralam.” — Rassal Ahmed, CEO, RAG Holdings

“Having supported businesses in establishing and expanding across the Middle East and beyond, our growth into India marks an important new chapter for RAG Holdings. Through RAG Holdings, Calicut, we aim to contribute to Keralam’s employment vision by creating opportunities locally, developing talent and connecting professionals here with the international markets in which RAG operates.” — Mohammed Aslam, Managing Director, RAG Holdings

The approach aligns with Keralam’s continuing focus on employment pathways for Non-Resident Keralites and returning expatriates, including state-led initiatives through NORKA ROOTS and the NORKA Assisted & Mobilized Employment scheme. The intent is two-way knowledge transfer: international market exposure flowing into Keralam, and talent from Keralam contributing to RAG’s operations abroad.

What RAG Supports Across Markets

Across the UAE, Qatar, Singapore and India, RAG Holdings supports entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs and established companies with company formation, mainland and free zone setup, PRO services, corporate services, premium workspaces, accounting and bookkeeping, trademark registration, business advisory and international expansion.

Established in 2013, the group operates three flagship business centres in the UAE spanning more than 350,000 square feet, has helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs establish their ventures, and today supports more than 9,500 businesses internationally.

The Calicut operation strengthens the capability behind all of it.

For Businesses Looking at Qatar

If you’re an Indian business considering Qatar, the practical questions are usually the same: which structure fits, what the activity classification should be, whether mainland or free zone or QFC makes sense for your model, and how long it actually takes.

Those conversations can now start closer to home and carry through to execution in Doha.

Get in touch with RAG Global Business Hub to talk through what your specific setup would involve.