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Over the years, India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) landscape has moved past the “why India” question. In the present day, a new question has arrived: what kind of GCCs will emerge as successful over the next decade? According to a statistical study by NASSCOM, the answer is already taking shape around five interconnected forces that are shaping GCCs in the country for the future: AI-first GCCs, Specialised Operating Models, Employer-Brand Expansion, Financial Centralisation and Innovation-led Workforce Strategies.

One of the most defining shifts is not merely that GCCs are adopting AI tools into their system; it is that they are increasingly being built as AI-native from the ground up. A study from EY in 2025 noted that 83% of GCCs in India are investing in generative AI, signalling a broader transition from experimenting with AI to leading the development and implementation of applied AI solutions across their respective operations.

Another major shift is the rise of specialised operating models. The traditional shared-services model is steadily giving way to specialised archetypes built around each organisation’s core strengths. Tech leaders like Microsoft, Google and Salesforce now run full-stack digital platforms, such as product engineering, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity, directly out of their Indian centres. HR giants such as ADP and Workday are centralising global workforce analytics, talent intelligence and employee experience operations through their GCC networks. As a result, these centres are evolving into globally recognised hubs for specialised capabilities rather than simply supporting business operations.

GCCs are also placing a growing emphasis on employer branding as a strategic differentiator. As GCCs compete with India’s fastest-growing startups for the same AI-literate, engineering-heavy talent pool in the country, they are increasingly attracting talent through purpose, ownership and meaningful career opportunities, not just through compensation. Hence, the GCCs leading the talent race are those positioning themselves as long-term career destinations rather than fallback options.

Another key shift is the centralisation of finance functions in India. GCCs are increasingly taking on responsibilities that extend well beyond traditional treasury operations, with functions such as financial planning and analysis (FP&A), regulatory reporting, tax intelligence, internal controls and performance analytics being handled within Indian centres. As a result, India’s GCCs are evolving into the financial nerve centres of global enterprises, shaping strategic decision-making rather than simply executing decisions made from an enterprise’s main headquarters elsewhere.

The GCC ecosystem in India is also moving towards innovation-led workforce strategies. While the previous four transformations prepare GCCs to succeed in the next decade, an innovation-led workforce that creates significant value in each centre represents a fundamental shift. This means the modern GCC is no longer measured by headcount or labour arbitrage. India’s vast, AI-ready talent pool provides enterprises with a strong foundation, but the organisations that will lead the next phase of growth are those that channel this talent through innovation, product development and strategic problem-solving rather than routine service delivery.

Together, these shifts help explain why India’s GCC market, which is already generating nearly 98.4 billion dollars in revenue, is projected to approach more than 105 billion dollars by 2030. The GCCs that will define this future are already being built today. For enterprise leaders, the question is no longer whether they need a GCC in India, but whether the one they already have is equipped to meet the evolving demands of the industry and drive long-term strategic value.