New Delhi: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries is taking a new step to grow with a new emphasis on digital services, organised retail, artificial intelligence and clean energy.
For decades, Reliance’s business was mainly associated with oil refining and petrochemicals. These companies have continued to make big profits and offer significant financial backing. But the company is slowly developing new growth engines, which are more aligned with the growing domestic consumer market and digital economy in India.
The recent financial results of Reliance demonstrate the pace at which it is occurring. The company’s FY26 EBITDA stood at approximately ₹2.08 lakh crore, with its net profit increasing to approximately ₹95,754 crore. Retail and digital accounted for almost half of the company’s EBITDA, underscoring the impact these channels are having on the company’s operations.
Reliance’s digital strategy continues to revolve around Jio. The telecom industry has helped put mobile internet within a reach of millions of Indians that is affordable, and has moved beyond connectivity to digital services, cloud, entertainment and business solutions.
The next step may be the increasing adoption of AI. Jio can leverage AI for customer service, customisation of digital content and small businesses. Reliance is also putting money into data centres and digital infrastructure as Indian businesses increasingly start using AI-powered services.
Reliance Retail is another big growth segment. The company’s business is divided into grocery, fashion, electronics, beauty and consumer products. The fact that it is big in size is what gives it the advantage over being able to reach customers in both major cities and smaller towns.
The company is also expanding its consumer brands business. Reliance is looking to challenge the established global and domestic giants by creating Indian brands in the areas of food and beverages and daily use products.
New energy is poised to grow to be another key component of Reliance’s long-term plans. The company has announced investments in solar energy, batteries, green hydrogen and clean-energy manufacturing. Overall, these initiatives align with India’s broader strategy to expand its renewable energy capacity and phase out fossil fuels.
