What is a GCC?
A Global Capability Center (GCC) is a multinational’s own centre abroad that does technology, operations, R&D or business-services work for the parent company. India hosts more of them than any other country.
By AIM Research · 13 November 2026
The short definition
A GCC is owned and run by the company it serves. Its people are the parent’s employees, its work is the parent’s work, and it sits inside the parent’s org chart. That is the difference from an IT services or outsourcing firm, which sells the same kinds of work to many clients under contract.
GCC, IT services firm and BPO, side by side
| GCC | IT services firm | BPO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned by | The parent company | Its own shareholders | Its own shareholders |
| Works for | One company group | Many clients | Many clients |
| Typical work | Engineering, data, R&D, finance, HR, operations | Projects and managed services | Process work such as support and back office |
| Paid through | The parent’s budget | Contracts | Contracts |
How many GCCs are in India
Nasscom and Zinnov count 2,117 GCC parent companies in India employing about 2.36 million people, with about US$98.4 billion in revenue in FY26 (Business Today, May 2026). CBRE reports that GCCs took about 43% of office leasing in India’s top nine cities in the first half of 2026, up from about 29% in 2022 (IANS, Aug 2026).
Where they are
GCCs by city
GCCs
See the named GCCs in each city: Bangalore · Hyderabad · Pune · Mumbai · Chennai · Gurugram · Noida · Delhi
What they work on
The biggest sectors by number of GCCs are TMT (766), Manufacturing (382), BFSI (196), Healthcare (117). Most centres started with IT and back-office support and have since taken on product engineering, data and AI, and global business functions such as finance and risk.
FAQ
Global Capability Center: a company’s own offshore centre that does technology, operations, R&D or business-services work for the parent group. Older names are captive centre and global in-house centre (GIC).
AIM Research tracks 1,721 GCCs in India as of 13 Nov 2026. Nasscom and Zinnov’s FY26 report counts 2,117 parent companies with about 2.36 million employees; the two counts use different definitions.
No. An outsourcing or IT services firm works for many clients under contract; a GCC is owned by the company it serves and its staff are that company’s employees.
Bengaluru, with 943 of the GCCs AIM Research tracks as of 13 Nov 2026.
More guides
Every GCC in India, in one directory
Browse by city, sector and parent country.