Explained: India’s GCC gold rush and how global giants and ad holdcos are cashing in
India is witnessing a boom in Global Capability Centers (GCCs), with over 1,700 centers employing nearly 2 million people, as global firms across tech, BFSI, and advertising expand operations in the country.
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GCCs are captive operations set up by multinational firms in offshore locations like India to run critical business functions—from finance, HR, and IT to analytics, R&D, compliance, and even leadership roles. Originally focused on cost arbitrage, GCCs have transformed into full-fledged innovation and strategy hubs feeding into global headquarters.
Why India Is the GCC Capital of the World
India hosts over 1,700 GCCs (estimates from 2025), a figure rising from around 1,600 just a few years ago.
Together they employ nearly 2 million professionals as of FY 2025, generating around US $64–65 billion in revenue.
The GCC market is forecast to expand to between US $99 and $110 billion by 2030, with an expected expansion to 2.2–2.5 million people employed and up to 2,400 GCCs in total.
Growth Trajectory & Employment Trends
GCCs added approximately 600,000 jobs between 2018‑19 and 2023‑24, reaching around 1.6 million by early 2025.
Accenture India reports nearly 50% of GCCs intend to grow headcount beyond 2024 levels.
The Traditional outsourcing players are ceding high-value work to GCCs—finance, AI, analytics, digital transformation are now strengths of Indian GCCs.
Where Are They Located - Cities & Sectors
Bengaluru leads as the GCC heartbeat, hosting over 800 GCCs—roughly 29–40% of India’s total—and a third of its GCC workforce.
Hyderabad hosts 355+ GCCs (about 21% of national total) and added 70 new centres in FY 2025.
Mumbai–Pune corridor has 720+ GCCs, a strong presence in BFSI, automotive, software & internet sectors (Pune: ~65% talent in these combined).
Emerging Tier-II hubs like Ahmedabad, Indore, Coimbatore, Jaipur, etc., contribute ~7% of centres now, with governments offering incentives and frameworks to help GCCs expand there.
Sector strength: Leading domains include technology services, banking and financial services (BFSI), analytics, AI and R&D, automotive, healthcare tech, cloud/edge computing, and ESG governance operations.
Noteworthy GCC Setups & Expansions
Costco plans its first GCC in Hyderabad, starting with ~1,000 jobs tied to tech and research support roles
Guidewire Software intends to double its India workforce (to ~1,000 by 2028), part of the wider trend where firms like JPMorgan, Walmart, Target and Wells Fargo have large-scale centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Infineon Technologies announced its second GCC (first in Gujarat, at GIFT City) with around 400 engineers, demonstrating expansion beyond traditional metros.
Zeiss India launched a GCC in Bengaluru expected to hire ~600 engineers
Advertising Holding Companies: WPP, Dentsu, IPG and Co
WPP has scaled its Global Delivery Centre in India to over 10,000 professionals - well above its original target of 4,000. The centre supports media activation, performance marketing, analytics, and tech services for global clients.
IPG Mediabrands/KINESSO (WPP sibling): operates a GCC launched in 2018 and expanded in 2024 into Pune, now serving 54+ markets across six capability domains including media, tech and data.
Dentsu plans its innovation arm “Dentsu Lab” in Mumbai and Bengaluru, positioning India as a core innovation hub rather than a transaction centre.
These marketing‑advertising GCCs reflect India’s growing reputation as a hub for data‑driven performance marketing, AI‑powered campaign execution, and scalable media delivery—showing the shift beyond IT to creative and strategy roles.
Outlook & Strategic Implications
GCCs have become strategic extensions of headquarters, driving enterprise innovation in AI, digital products, cybersecurity and finance - not just execution hubs anymore.
Rising geopolitical uncertainty, trade tariffs and talent crunches are accelerating growth in GCCs as multinationals pivot to India for agility and risk mitigation.
Real estate markets feel the impact: in 2024 GCCs leased ~28 million sq ft and helped drive total leasing to ~77 million sq ft, with continuing demand in metros and tier‑II cities alike.
India has firmly taken the lead as the global GCC capital, hosting the highest number of centres, employing millions in high‑value roles and evolving into a global innovation and business strategy hub. Major metros like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai–Pune dominate, but growth is increasingly spreading to Tier‑II cities backed by state-level policies.
GCCs now span advanced functions, in particular AI, analytics, R&D and marketing execution, and include specialised innovation hubs from large advertising groups such as WPP, IPG/KINESSO and Dentsu. With projections pointing to further expansion - both in scale and sophistication, GCCs are redefining India’s role in the global services ecosystem.
