India GCCs becoming innovation engines: Nasscom report
Nasscom report highlighted how GCCs in India are in pivotal phase to become the innovation engines for their parent companies
The Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India are no longer the back-office engines of the world but are fast becoming the frontlines of enterprise transformation, according to a report by Nasscom.
Nasscom, in association with Oliver Wyman and R Systems, in a report titled, “Forging Ahead: Strategic Partnerships Between Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and Service Providers”, said nearly 70% of all new GCCs set up across Asia are choosing India not just for its talent density, but for its growing ecosystem of deeptech capability, service-provider partnerships, and design-led thinking.
The GCC model is entering a pivotal phase, demanding deep partnerships and rapid movement to leverage these centres as primary engines of innovation, resilience, and enterprise value.
For India, the next decade of global digital progress will be built on partnership models architected in India, where GCCs and service providers jointly define how enterprises grow, innovate, and compete.
India is now home to more than 1,760 GCCs employing nearly 1.9 million professionals, which is the digital backbone for almost half of the Fortune 500.
The report said the new operating construct for the next-gen GCCs will be built on strategic partnerships between headquarters, GCCs, and tech service providers. These are integrated ecosystems where partners jointly co-create, run, and scale capabilities.
Flexible models such as Build-Operate-Transfer/Manage (B-O-X), Joint Ventures, Modern Talent Augmentation, and Co-Innovation Partnerships are reshaping how enterprises accelerate transformation at speed and scale.
This evolution reflects a global shift in enterprise expectation: GCCs must now own innovation pipelines, drive P&L impact, and create autonomous value that keeps pace with AI-native disruption.
To effectively navigate this evolving landscape, the report outlined five building blocks for success: a shared enterprise vision, operating excellence, resilient governance, magnetic talent, and technology-led innovation.
For service providers, the imperative is deeper play and more adaptability, requiring investment in specialised talent, defining a forward value proposition, and tweaking operating models, ultimately transitioning to lifecycle partners delivering measurable business impact.
Edited by Suman Singh