GIFT City Highlights Opportunities in Global Finance, Treasury and GCC Ecosystems

CHENNAI:
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), home to India’s only International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), on Thursday engaged with industry leaders, investors, treasury professionals and Global Capability Centre (GCC) executives in Chennai, highlighting emerging opportunities in international finance, treasury management, fund management, capital markets and cross-border business services.

The outreach comes at a time when GIFT City is witnessing strong growth across multiple segments of the international financial services ecosystem. GIFT City currently hosts more than 1,500 entities across the IFSC, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), supported by a workforce of approximately 27,000 professionals. The ecosystem includes global banks, asset managers, insurers, reinsurers, aircraft lessors, fintech firms, treasury centres and multinational corporations.

As of March 2026, banking assets at GIFT City IFSC stood at USD 111 billion, while External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) exposure exceeded USD 41 billion, underlining GIFT City’s growing role as a gateway for international financing and cross-border capital flows.

The fund management ecosystem has emerged as one of GIFT City’s strongest growth stories. As of March 2026, GIFT City hosted 217 Fund Management Entities (FMEs) managing 360 schemes, with cumulative capital commitments crossing USD 39 billion.

GIFT City is also witnessing increasing traction as a destination for global and regional treasury operations. Loans and advances by Global/Regional Corporate Treasury Centres (GRCTCs) operating from GIFT City stood at USD 5.61 billion as of March 2026, reflecting growing adoption of the ecosystem for treasury management and cross-border financing activities.

The ecosystem has also developed significant scale in specialised sectors. As of March 2026, GIFT City hosted 35 aircraft lessors and 36 ship lessors, with more than 370 aviation assets and 37 ships leased through GIFT City structures. Debt securities listed on IFSC exchanges crossed USD 70 billion, reinforcing GIFT City’s role as India’s international bond listing destination.

Leading global institutions including Barclays, HSBC, JP Morgan, MUFG, DBS, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, ADIA, GIC, Temasek, Morgan Stanley and Franklin Templeton have established a presence within the ecosystem.

Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Kaul, Managing Director and Group CEO, GIFT City, said, “Chennai occupies a unique position in India’s growth story, with its strong GCC ecosystem, sophisticated treasury operations and deep talent pool across finance, technology, analytics, risk management and compliance. As companies increasingly look to optimise treasury functions, access global capital and support cross-border business activities, we see significant opportunities for Chennai-based enterprises and global organisations to leverage the financial and regulatory ecosystem available at GIFT City.”

With long-term tax certainty announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 and continued expansion across financial and social infrastructure, GIFT City is increasingly emerging as a platform connecting India’s economic growth with global capital, financial services and innovation.