The Standard grows India GCC to 400, positioning Bengaluru at the centre of its innovation strategy

US-based financial services company The Standard is set to nearly double the size of its India global capability centre (GCC) to almost 400 employees by the end of 2026, positioning Bengaluru as a key innovation hub for the organisation's future growth.

The expansion comes less than a year after the company inherited approximately 175 employees in Bengaluru through its acquisition of Allstate's Employer Voluntary Benefits business. According to Greg Chandler, Chief Information & Technology Officer at The Standard, the acquisition became a catalyst for establishing the company's own GCC in India.

The move reflects a broader strategic shift as The Standard strengthens internal capabilities across artificial intelligence, data and analytics, software engineering, customer experience and business transformation.

An acquisition that accelerated India's role

Speaking about the company's expansion plans, Chandler said The Standard's recent acquisition strategy played a central role in shaping its India operations.

"We are now on our third acquisition in roughly four years, and our most recent acquisition, which was part of Allstate, brought several talented employees who became a key part of our thinking around establishing a centre in India," he said.

The inherited workforce provided an immediate foundation for the company's GCC ambitions.

Key milestones in The Standard's India journey include:

• India GCC operations established in November 2025
• Bengaluru office inaugurated in April 2026
• Workforce expected to reach nearly 400 employees by the end of 2026
• Approximately 175 employees joined through the Allstate acquisition

The expansion also coincides with a period of significant growth for the company globally.

According to Chandler, The Standard has doubled in size over the past three years across employee count, revenue and net operating income. The company currently generates approximately $6 billion in annual revenue and employs just under 6,000 people worldwide.

Moving beyond the traditional GCC model

While many GCCs have traditionally focused on support and operational delivery, The Standard says its Bengaluru centre has been designed with a different mandate.

Chandler described the facility as an innovation-focused centre rather than a conventional delivery operation.

"As we built this centre, we reimagined what a GCC could be," he said, adding that the company wanted the India operation to help drive competitiveness through AI, customer experience, analytics, software engineering and transformation initiatives.

The company has already expanded several strategic teams through its India operations:

• AI team capacity has doubled
• Data and analytics teams have doubled in size
• Total experience teams have more than doubled

Chandler also clarified that the Bengaluru centre is not handling back-end maintenance work. Instead, the focus remains on high-value and forward-looking functions.

Bringing innovation capabilities in-house

A significant part of The Standard's strategy involves reducing dependence on external providers for innovation-led initiatives.

The company previously worked with partners such as Accenture on digital, AI and data analytics programmes. However, it has increasingly chosen to build those capabilities internally.

According to Chandler, internal teams can often deliver stronger outcomes because they possess a deeper understanding of the business, customers and operating environment.

The decision is also aimed at retaining organisational knowledge, expertise and intellectual property within the company.

Rather than creating a separate operating structure in India, Chandler said the organisation is pursuing a collaborative model built on shared ownership and accountability across geographies.

"The role India plays is to increase our capacity and accelerate the work we are already doing, not to displace existing teams or capabilities elsewhere in the organisation," he said.

AI talent becomes a major draw

The company's hiring plans are heavily aligned with emerging technology and transformation priorities.

Current recruitment efforts are focused on:

• Artificial intelligence
• Data and analytics
• Total experience functions
• Software engineering
• Security
• Infrastructure

Chandler highlighted India's growing pool of AI-skilled professionals as a major factor behind the company's continued investment in the market.

He noted that the scale of AI talent available in India is difficult to match in the United States and has already delivered positive results for the organisation.

While The Standard does not view India as a replacement for its US workforce, Chandler said the country has become an increasingly attractive destination for capacity expansion because of the depth and quality of available talent.

Bengaluru's role continues to expand

As global enterprises reassess the role of GCCs, The Standard's approach reflects a broader shift from cost-focused delivery centres to innovation-led capability hubs.

With hiring accelerating and strategic functions increasingly concentrated in Bengaluru, the India centre is emerging as an important part of the company's long-term technology and transformation agenda.

The next phase of growth will likely test how effectively organisations can combine specialised talent, AI capabilities and cross-border collaboration to drive business outcomes. For The Standard, Bengaluru is expected to play an increasingly central role in that journey.