India remains the world’s leading Global Capability Centre (GCC) destination, but multinational organizations are increasingly adopting multi-location GCC strategies. Rather than relying on a single hub, companies are building global networks of capability centres to access specialized talent, strengthen business resilience, support regional operations, and address evolving regulatory requirements.
The shift reflects a broader evolution in how enterprises think about global operations.
“The GCC conversation has matured. Enterprises are no longer asking, ‘Should we go beyond India?’ They are asking, ‘Where do we go next, and what does getting it right actually require?'” says Atul Vashistha, Founder, Chair, and CEO of Aokah, an AI-powered platform helping enterprises orchestrate and optimize global capabilities.
Why Companies Are Expanding GCCs Beyond India
For years, GCC location decisions were largely driven by talent availability and cost advantages. While both remain important, organizations today are taking a far more comprehensive approach to evaluating new locations.
Talent and cost remain entry criteria, but they are no longer the primary differentiators. Enterprises making location decisions in 2026 are evaluating five critical dimensions simultaneously:
- Talent availability and long-term sustainability at scale
- Ecosystem maturity
- Regulatory and data residency requirements
- Geopolitical stability
- Ongoing cost pressures
This shift reflects a growing recognition that successful GCCs require more than access to talent. They need an ecosystem capable of supporting long-term growth and operational resilience.
A city that appears attractive based on wage benchmarks can fail dramatically if it lacks ecosystem fragility or the capacity to support a 1,500-person center three years after launch.
Beyond these five dimensions, organizations also continue to evaluate factors such as digital and physical infrastructure, market proximity (nearshoring), language capabilities, time-zone alignment, and the strength of local innovation ecosystems and academic partnerships.
How Global Enterprises Across Regions Are Leveraging GCCs
United States
U.S.-headquartered companies leverage GCCs to overcome talent shortages and accelerate innovation, with a focus on AI, product engineering, cloud, cybersecurity, advanced analytics, and IP creation.
Example- Microsoft, Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo.
United Kingdom
U.K. companies use GCCs to address talent constraints and optimize costs, primarily supporting fintech, commercial operations, regulatory reporting, customer experience, and data analytics.
Example- Barclays, HSBC, and Tesco.
EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa)
EMEA organizations establish GCCs to access multilingual talent and manage complex regulatory environments, focusing on customer support, regional R&D, compliance, supply chain operations, and shared services.
Example- Bosch, Continental, Volvo Group, and Vestas.
APAC (Asia-Pacific)
While India remains the region’s primary GCC hub, countries such as Singapore support regional leadership functions. Key focus areas include engineering, digital transformation, semiconductor design, life sciences, treasury operations, and AI initiatives.
Example- Samsung, Sony, Alibaba, and Standard Chartered.
Emerging GCC Hotspots Beyond India
As companies diversify their GCC footprint, GCC Hotspots Beyond India, several regions are gaining prominence.
Eastern Europe
Key Countries: Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Hungary
Eastern Europe continues to attract GCC investment through its strong engineering talent base, multilingual workforce, proximity to Western Europe, and mature business environment.
Southeast Asia
Key Countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore
The region offers expanding digital talent pools, government-backed investment initiatives, competitive operating costs, and strong access to APAC markets.
Latin America
Key Countries: Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina
Latin America’s greatest advantage lies in its nearshore proximity to North America, supported by growing technology ecosystems and favorable time-zone alignment.
Western Europe
Key Country: Ireland
Ireland remains attractive due to its established technology ecosystem, strong regulatory framework, and position as a European headquarters location for many multinational organizations.
Location Strategy Is Becoming More Specialized
Organizations are becoming increasingly deliberate about matching locations to specific business requirements.
Enterprises are making intentional choices based on the unique strengths of each market:
- Poland for EU data residency and engineering quality
- Mexico for nearshore proximity and time-zone alignment
- Vietnam for cost-effective engineering growth
- Malaysia for multilingual shared services expertise
The Rise of Multi-Hub GCC Networks
Geopolitical risk has shifted from a minor mention to a top priority. As a result, organizations increasingly view multi-location of GCC models as a fundamental architecture choice rather than a safeguard.
Different regions are taking on complementary roles within global GCC networks. India remains the primary innovation and scale hub, Eastern Europe provides specialized engineering and multilingual capabilities, Latin America supports nearshore delivery for North America, while Southeast Asia enables regional growth and digital transformation.
“Location selection is a strategic commitment that warrants structured, evidence-based conviction, not just a rankings list and a consultant’s presentation,” adds Atul.
The future of GCC expansion is not about choosing between India and the rest of the world, but about building globally distributed capability networks that balance innovation, resilience, and growth.
Sources:
- GCC Countries Comparison: Choosing the Right Global Capability Centre Destination, PRG Catalyst
- Top 7 Countries Emerging as Global Capability Center Hotspots Beyond India, Inductus GCC
- Global Capability Centers in India: Country Trends and Location Strategy, Altre
