Industry Deep Dive: How GCCs Are Transforming Financial Services in India

India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have become the strategic backbone of digital transformation for the world’s leading banks, insurers, and fintechs. Once seen as cost-effective back offices, Indian GCCs are now at the forefront of platform modernization, AI adoption, regulatory compliance, and customer experience transformation—delivering measurable impact in one of the world’s most complex and highly regulated industries.

The New Role of Indian GCCs in Financial Services

The financial services sector faces relentless pressure to innovate, comply with evolving regulations, and deliver seamless, secure experiences to customers. Indian GCCs have risen to this challenge, evolving from transactional support centers to strategic hubs that drive end-to-end transformation. Today, these centers are:

• Modernizing legacy platforms to enable real-time banking, digital payments, and cloud-native operations.
• Embedding AI and data-driven innovation across risk, compliance, customer service, and product development.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance at global scale, with robust controls and rapid adaptation to new standards.
• Transforming customer experience through omnichannel journeys, hyper-personalization, and frictionless digital onboarding.

Platform Modernization: Building the Digital Core

Legacy technology has long been a barrier to agility in financial services. Indian GCCs are leading large-scale modernization programs, re-architecting core banking and insurance platforms using cloud, microservices, and API-first approaches. This shift enables:

• Faster product launches and real-time transaction processing.
• Seamless integration with fintech ecosystems and third-party services.
• Enhanced security and resilience to meet global regulatory and operational standards.

For example, Indian engineering teams have enabled major banks to accelerate time-to-market for new digital products, while ensuring compliance and operational excellence. These efforts are not just about technology—they are about reimagining the very foundation of financial services for a digital-first world.

AI-First Transformation: From Experimentation to Enterprise Scale

AI is now central to the financial sector’s transformation agenda. Indian GCCs are moving beyond isolated proof-of-concept projects to embed AI across the enterprise. Key areas of impact include:

• Risk and fraud management: AI models detect anomalies and prevent fraud in real time, protecting both institutions and customers.
• Personalized customer engagement: AI-driven insights power hyper-personalized offers, proactive service, and intelligent chatbots, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty.
• Operational automation: Intelligent automation streamlines KYC, loan processing, and claims management, reducing costs and improving accuracy.

Crucially, Indian GCCs are building reusable AI platforms that serve multiple business units and geographies, accelerating the flow of value and enabling rapid adaptation to new opportunities and risks.

Regulatory Compliance: Navigating Complexity with Confidence

Financial services is one of the most regulated industries globally. Indian GCCs have developed deep expertise in:

• Implementing global compliance frameworks (such as GDPR, PSD2, and local data residency requirements).
• Automating regulatory reporting and monitoring, reducing manual effort and error.
• Embedding controls and auditability into every layer of the technology stack.

By leveraging advanced data and AI capabilities, GCCs enable financial institutions to stay ahead of regulatory change, minimize risk, and build trust with customers and regulators alike.

Data-Driven Innovation: Unlocking New Value Pools

The explosion of data in financial services presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Indian GCCs are harnessing data and analytics to:

• Drive real-time decision-making in credit, underwriting, and investment management.
• Enable advanced analytics for customer segmentation, lifetime value prediction, and cross-sell/up-sell strategies.
• Support open banking and API ecosystems that unlock new revenue streams and business models.

By integrating data and AI into every product and process, GCCs are helping financial institutions move from reactive to predictive and proactive operations.

Customer Experience Transformation: Human-Centered, Digital-First

Customer expectations in financial services have never been higher. Indian GCCs are at the forefront of designing and delivering:

• Omnichannel experiences that seamlessly connect digital and physical touchpoints.
• Frictionless onboarding and servicing through digital KYC, e-signatures, and self-service portals.
• Personalized journeys powered by AI, ensuring every interaction is relevant and timely.

These efforts are underpinned by a deep commitment to design thinking, agile delivery, and continuous feedback loops—ensuring that every innovation is grounded in real customer needs.

The SPEED Framework: Orchestrating Excellence

At the heart of this transformation is Publicis Sapient’s SPEED framework—integrating Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI. This holistic approach enables GCCs to:

• Break down silos and foster cross-functional collaboration.
• Align every initiative with business outcomes and regulatory requirements.
• Accelerate innovation while ensuring operational excellence and compliance.

By leveraging the SPEED model, Indian GCCs are not just executing on global strategies—they are shaping them, driving the next wave of financial services innovation from India to the world.

Talent, Culture, and the Future of Financial Services GCCs

India’s deep and diverse talent pool is a unique advantage. Leading GCCs invest in:

• Continuous learning and upskilling in AI, cloud, and digital product management.
• Diversity and inclusion, creating environments where all employees can thrive and innovate.
• Cultural integration with global teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and shared purpose.

A culture of experimentation and psychological safety empowers teams to try, fail, learn, and iterate—crucial for success in a rapidly evolving industry.

Real-World Impact: Measurable Outcomes

Indian GCCs have delivered tangible results for global financial institutions, including:

• Accelerated cloud migration and platform modernization for major banks, enabling faster product launches and improved customer experiences.
• AI-powered search and automation that boost advisor productivity and client satisfaction.
• Enhanced compliance and risk management through automated reporting and real-time monitoring.

These are not isolated successes—they represent the new standard for what Indian GCCs can achieve as strategic partners in financial services transformation.

Why Publicis Sapient?

Publicis Sapient is at the forefront of GCC transformation in financial services, offering:

• Proven digital transformation expertise recognized by industry analysts.
• End-to-end SPEED capabilities tailored to the unique needs of banks, insurers, and fintechs.
• Deep industry knowledge and a track record of delivering measurable business impact.
• Collaborative, outcome-led approach that builds internal capabilities and ensures sustainable change.

The Road Ahead: Engines of Global Financial Innovation

As the financial services industry continues to evolve, the imperative is clear: move beyond cost arbitrage and operational efficiency to unlock the full potential of Indian GCCs as engines of innovation, compliance, and growth. With the right partner and a holistic, AI-first approach, GCCs in India are poised to lead the next era of financial services transformation—delivering value not just for their parent organizations, but for customers and markets worldwide.

Ready to transform your financial services GCC? Connect with Publicis Sapient to start your journey.