Over the years, Hyderabad has been slowly emerging as one of the most sought-after Global Capability Centre (GCC) destinations in the country. It is not just about numbers but also about the brands which the city is able to attract into its fold.
In the last few weeks alone, global majors McDonald’s and Vanguard have picked Hyderabad edging out other Indian metros like Bengaluru and Mumbai. McDonald’s announced plans to set up a GCC with an initial headcount of 2,000 people. The centre will handle operations, training and skill development for McDonald’s across India and also beyond. Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment management firms, also chose Hyderabad over other Indian cities for its new GCC. They will hire workforce in the fields of AI and data analytics.
This is the latest addition to a long list of global players that have or are in the process of setting up shop in the city. These brands span across various sectors—banking to healthcare and retail to tech. Hyderabad’s GCC map is studded with names like Microsoft, Google, Goldman Sachs, Syneriq Global, Eli Lilly, DBS, Deloitte, Hitachi Vantara and Novartis.
Hitachi Vantara recently completed five years of its development and delivery centre in the city.
What are the factors fueling this trend? According to Knight Frank’s latest report, Hyderabad is among the top three cities in India attracting GCCs. In 2024 alone, the city accounted for a significant chunk of the 329 GCC deals signed across India. Experts feel that what works in Hyderabad’s favour is a mix of different factors.
Joseph Thilak, National Director at Knight Frank India said, “Hyderabad emerges as a strong GCC destination due to availability of talent pool, combined with strong infrastructure initiatives by the local government. Its strategic location advantage and connectivity is unmatched and allows seamless migration from all parts of country. Availability of world class office real estate at less than a dollar coupled with best in class social infra like schools, colleges, hospitals, residential and retail catchment makes it a location of choice for GCC’s across segments”.
According to Knight Frank’s real estate report, Hyderabad’s office rentals are still much lower in pricing compared to some of the top global cities.