Global Capability Centres (GCC) in India: Where Companies Can Build Their Global Future

When people in Kuwait and in the Gulf Region think about doing business in India, the first images that may come to mind are a vast and growing consumer market, Indian professionals working across the Gulf, major infrastructure projects, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, textiles and technology.

Beyond these, another India is emerging, less visible to the casual visitor and increasingly important to global business.

Across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Delhi-NCR and a growing number of smaller Indian cities, teams of Indian engineers, scientists, accountants, designers, software developers and business professionals are working every day on products and services used around the world.

These are India’s Global Capability Centres, or GCCs, which could become an important new bridge between India and Kuwait and the Gulf Region.

A GCC is no longer simply a low-cost back office. The best centres today work on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, financial analytics, semiconductor technology, engineering, product design, digital platforms, research and global business strategy. India has more than 1,700 such centres, employing almost 2 million professionals.

For Kuwaiti or Gulf companies looking to become more international, this offers an interesting proposition: India can become the place where they build the capabilities needed for their next stage of growth.

The mega-cities and beyond

India’s strength lies partly in the extraordinary variety of its cities.

Bengaluru is perhaps the best-known example. It has become a global centre for software, AI, engineering and deep technology.

Hyderabad has developed strong capabilities in technology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and aerospace.

Mumbai is India’s financial capital and naturally suited to banking, investment, insurance and financial analytics.

Pune brings together engineering, manufacturing, automobiles and technology. Chennai has deep expertise in automobiles, electronics, industrial engineering and digital services.

Delhi-NCR combines technology and professional services with proximity to India’s government and regulatory institutions.

And then there is the next layer of India.

Cities such as Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Kolkata, and Indore are increasingly attracting technology and business operations. For a company, this means that India is not one talent market but many, each with different skills, costs, cultures, and areas of expertise.

This is particularly useful for a Kuwaiti or a Gulf company. It could, for instance, have financial analytics in Mumbai, engineering in Pune, technology in Bengaluru, and specialised operations in Ahmedabad, Kochi, or Jaipur.

Close familiarity between Kuwait/Gulf and India

Kuwaiti traders and businesses have been investing and operating in India for centuries. Companies such as Alghanim Industries, Alshaya Group, Asiya Investments and Agility Logistics have established a presence in the Indian economy. Alghanim Industries’ Kirby India, for example, has manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad, Haridwar and Halol.

There are examples also from the wider Gulf Region. UAE-based DAMAC Group established a shared services and capability centre in Noida, supporting functions such as finance, human resources, sales operations, commercial activities and digital initiatives. It is developing another centre in Pune.

What is changing in India is the nature of the opportunity. A Kuwaiti company operating in India traditionally needed factories, shops, hotels, warehouses or investment assets. Today, it can also build a team that works for the company globally.

The significance of such a move goes beyond the number of employees in the centre. It represents a change in thinking: India is now not merely a market, but an attractive place from which to run and grow an international business.

What India offers that is difficult to replicate

Perhaps India’s greatest advantage is its people.

Every year, millions of young Indians enter the workforce. Among them are engineers, scientists, doctors, finance professionals, software developers, designers, and management graduates. Many have studied or worked internationally and are comfortable operating across cultures and time zones.

But numbers alone do not explain India’s attraction.

Over several decades, India has developed an ecosystem around this talented workforce, investing in universities, technology companies, start-ups, professional services firms, research institutions, tech parks, and increasingly sophisticated digital infrastructure.

This makes it possible for a company to start small and grow quickly.

As an example, a Kuwaiti business might begin with 50 specialists in India. With expansion in international operations, that team can grow from 500 to 5,000. It can move from accounting and customer support to data science, product development, engineering, and research. The Alshaya Group’s GCC in Bengaluru is an excellent example.

That journey, from support function to strategic capability, is one of the defining features of India’s GCC story.

A natural fit for Kuwaiti companies

Kuwaiti companies have strong expertise in sectors such as energy, banking, investment, logistics, retail, real estate, and hospitality. India offers complementary strengths in technology, engineering, analytics, pharmaceuticals, digital services, and a large pool of skilled professionals.

Imagine a Kuwaiti bank using India for cybersecurity, digital services, and AI. A logistics company developing its global digital platform from Bengaluru. An energy company using Indian engineers and data scientists to improve operational efficiency. A Kuwaiti investment company building a research and analytics team in Mumbai or GIFT City. These are not distant possibilities. The building blocks already exist.

There is also an important financial connection emerging through GIFT City in Gujarat, India’s international financial centre, which is developing capabilities in international banking, capital markets, insurance and financial technology. India and Kuwait have already established institutional cooperation between Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority and India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority in April 2024.

A relationship entering its next chapter

India and Kuwait have a relationship that is much older than today’s business statistics, built through trade, seafaring, pearls, dates, textiles and, above all, people. Generations of Indians have lived and worked in Kuwait, while Kuwaiti businesses have developed relationships in India.

The next chapter of that relationship can be built around something new: knowledge and capability.

For Kuwait, establishing a GCC in India need not mean moving jobs away from Kuwait. It can mean creating an additional arm of a Kuwaiti enterprise, one that draws on India’s talent while supporting the company’s operations in Kuwait and other international markets.

And for India, Gulf investment brings something equally valuable: international capital, entrepreneurial experience and access to markets where Indian talent and technology can create new value.

The most interesting question, therefore, is not whether India can provide skilled people at competitive cost. That question has largely been answered.

The more important question is: What could a Kuwaiti company build in India that it could not build as easily anywhere else?

The answer could range from a technology centre to a global research team, from an investment-analytics platform to an engineering hub.

India’s GCC story is ultimately a story about people. It is about talented young Indians working on global challenges, and about international companies discovering that the capabilities they need for tomorrow can be built in Indian cities today.

For Kuwait and the wider Gulf, that makes India more than an investment destination. It makes India a potential partner in building the future.

For any clarification or further information, please send an email to [email protected]

Mrs. Paramita Tripathi,
Ambassador of India to Kuwait