Hyderabad: In a significant boost to Telangana’s growing reputation as a global technology hub, Citizens Financial Group, in strategic partnership with IT giant Cognizant, inaugurated its first Global Capability Center (GCC) in the city on Tuesday. The inauguration ceremony was graced by the State’s Minister for Information Technology, D Sridhar Babu, who hailed the initiative as a milestone for the region’s tech-driven future.

In his keynote address, Minister Sridhar Babu praised the city’s evolving landscape- both literally and economically- highlighting the lush greenery around the venue as a metaphor for Telangana’s fresh outlook and sustainable development. He emphasized the collaborative nature of the Citizens-Cognizant partnership, calling it a ‘win-win’ that merges global enterprise needs with local innovation and talent.

“Hyderabad continues to lead the way,” said the Minister, pointing to the remarkable growth of GCCs in the region. “Telangana has welcomed over 70 new GCCs in the past year alone, bringing the city’s total to more than 355, with new centers opening at a rate of nearly one per week.” Cognizant, a long-standing stakeholder in Telangana’s growth, currently employs 57,000 professionals in Hyderabad, further strengthening its presence through this partnership.

The new Citizens GCC is designed to be a strategic innovation hub, housing cutting-edge technologies including Cognizant’s proprietary Neuro AI platform. The center aims to deliver transformative solutions in cloud, software engineering, and data analytics for the US-based financial group. The facility is expected to employ over 1,000 professionals within a year, underscoring its scale and ambition.