Deeper AI Adoption Could Lift Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs) Contribution to India’s GDP to Nearly 40% by 2030

New research identifies five critical gaps MSMEs must address to move from AI experimentation to sustainable business advantage and unlock a larger share of AI-driven economic value.

Mumbai, October 6, 2026: Dun & Bradstreet India unveiled the findings of its latest report titled 'Business Enterprises of Tomorrow - The AI Moment for India's MSMEs', at the BEOT Summit 2026 held in New Delhi on 29 September 2026. Based on a survey of 210 MSME leaders across 12 industries, the report introduces RIFTS, a Dun & Bradstreet framework identifying five critical barriers to achieving durable AI advantage: Reliability, Integration, Future Value, Talent, and Safeguards.

The report estimates that closing these gaps could increase MSMEs' contribution to India's GDP from 31.1% today to nearly 40% by 2030 under its most accelerated modeled scenario. While AI users are already reporting measurable benefits, including time savings (94%), improved quality and accuracy (61%), faster decision-making (60%), stronger returns on investment (59%), and the creation of new products and services (20%), the findings suggest that limited integration, capabilities, and governance continue to constrain broader business transformation and long-term growth.

The RIFTS framework demonstrates that these gaps are interconnected. Limited trust in AI outputs, skill shortages, shallow deployment and inadequate governance often reinforce one another, preventing adoption from translating into sustained business advantage.

The RIFTS framework identifies five critical gaps:

• Reliability: 68.7% say AI is relevant to their business, while 53.4% trust its output.
• Integration: 76% use AI in some form, while only 5% have made it core to operations.
• Future Value: 94% of AI users report time savings while customer-facing and vernacular AI adoption remains at only 9%.
• Talent: 70.8% believe training would accelerate adoption, yet only 15% reinvest AI gains in people.
• Safeguards: 80% act on AI outputs, while only 17% have formal AI guardrails.

Across the RIFTS dimensions, digital maturity emerged as a common underlying factor. The research found that 60% of MSMEs operate at digital maturity Level 3 or below, while 84% primarily rely on general-purpose AI assistants rather than AI integrated into business systems. This suggests that stronger digital and data foundations will be essential for MSMEs to move from AI adoption to enterprise-wide value creation.

"AI represents a significant opportunity for India's MSMEs to enhance productivity, accelerate innovation and strengthen its contribution to the economy. While adoption is gaining momentum, the next phase will be defined by how effectively businesses integrate AI into day-to-day operations and strategic decision-making. Businesses that can scale AI beyond experimentation will be better positioned to unlock new growth opportunities, improve competitiveness and create long-term value." said Govind Joshi, Chief Operating Officer, Dun & Bradstreet India.

A Roadmap for the Next Phase of AI Adoption

To help businesses close these gaps, the report introduces D&B's LEAP framework: Lay the Data Foundations, Enable Every Function, Anchor AI in Your Systems, and Pioneer Custom Journeys. The four-step roadmap is designed to help businesses move from standalone tools and isolated use cases to AI embedded in trusted systems, repeatable workflows, and customer-facing innovation.

The World Economic Forum estimates AI could unlock up to US$685 billion for Indian MSMEs by 2030. Using this as an upper reference, Dun & Bradstreet modeled three pathways based on AI adoption and implementation depth. Under the most accelerated scenario, MSMEs could realize approximately US$521 billion in AI-enabled value and increase their share of India's GDP from 31.1% to nearly 40% by 2030.

Methodology

The Business Enterprises of Tomorrow 2026 research is based on a primary survey of 210 MSME leaders across 12 industries and four revenue bands. Respondents included CEOs and managing directors, founders and promoters, CXOs and mid-management leaders. The survey was conducted in August 2026. The GDP contribution pathways are D&B modelled scenarios informed by survey responses on adoption and implementation depth, using the WEF's 2025 estimate as the external upper value reference.

About Dun & Bradstreet:

Dun & Bradstreet provides the verified commercial identity foundation for enterprises to deploy AI at scale. The company originated the D-U-N-S^® Number in 1963, now the global standard for identifying commercial entities. Anchored by this identifier, the D&B Commercial Graph structures and connects business identity consistently across systems, enabling AI to operate on accurate, validated data. Since 1841, businesses of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to navigate change and accelerate growth. For more information, www.dnb.com.

Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Private Limited is headquartered in Mumbai and provides clients with data-driven products and technology-driven platforms to help them take faster and more accurate decisions across finance, risk, compliance, information technology and marketing. Working towards Government of India's vision of creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) by supporting the Make in India initiative, Dun & Bradstreet India has a special focus on helping entrepreneurs enhance their visibility, increase their credibility, expand access to global markets, and identify potential customers & suppliers, while managing risk and opportunity.

For further information, please contact:

Silvia Dsouza

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Raashi Jethani

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