Talent, Trust, and Technology: How India Can Shape the Next Decade

India’s ascent as a global technology powerhouse is well documented. But as industries evolve, especially in critical sectors like banking and financial services, the next wave of growth will depend not just on scale but on how we nurture, equip, and empower talent for the future.

The banking and financial services sector is undergoing massive change. Platforms need to be more agile. Products must be tailored in real time. Customer expectations around trust, sustainability, and transparency have risen sharply. Behind all these shifts is one constant: the need for talented, future-ready people.

The question for all of us, be it policymakers, educators, or industry leaders, is how we create the environment for this talent to thrive.

The Talent Equation Is Changing

In the rapidly transforming technology landscape, while technical expertise is essential it’s no longer sufficient on its own. Organisations increasingly need individuals who can think end-to-end, connect business context to technology choices, and operate with global agility.

The elite talent today looks for more than just compensation. They seek ownership, impact, growth, and values alignment. They want to work on meaningful problems, with supportive leadership, and in environments where innovation is encouraged, not constrained.

Across India’s technology ecosystem, we are seeing encouraging moves towards these expectations. Many Global Capability Centres (GCCs) now numbering more than 1,700 (Nasscom) have evolved from delivering services and support to owning product roadmaps, platform designs, and innovation charters for global companies.

For companies like ours, this evolution has meant creating real ownership opportunities for our teams in India, investing in continuous learning, and nurturing a culture where collaboration across geographies is seamless and trusted.

Investing in Ecosystems, Not Just Offices

While physical infrastructure remains important, today’s talent also looks for digital ecosystems and community networks that support innovation and flexible work.

That is why we have consciously expanded into regions like Kerala and Tamil Nadu where investments in education, digital infrastructure, and quality of life create a long-term pipeline of skilled, motivated professionals.

Our new facility in Thiruvananthapuram is built around these principles: designed for hybrid collaboration, sustainability, and learning-led growth. Similarly, in Chennai, access to a thriving tech community and government support for innovation ecosystems is helping us scale sustainably.

Choosing where and how to grow is a critical part of attracting the kind of talent that wants to build, lead, and leave a legacy.

Technology as an Enabler, Not Just an Outcome

The rise of AI, cloud-native platforms, and low-code technologies is opening new opportunities, but it also demands new ways of working.

At our organisation, initiatives like enterprise-wide access to ChatGPT have shown how quickly individuals can adapt and innovate when given the right tools. Over 90% of our workforce adopted AI into their workflows within two weeks of deployment, using it to drive operational efficiency, sharpen communication, and accelerate learning.

But importantly, these technologies are not a replacement for human ingenuity but are amplifiers of it. The future will belong to teams that can combine technical excellence with creativity, empathy, and judgment.

In India, government initiatives like the “IndiaAI Mission” are building momentum around responsible, inclusive AI adoption. Companies have a role to play too in embedding AI thoughtfully into operations, and ensuring that employees are empowered, by these advancements.

A Shared Responsibility

Scaling India’s position as a global tech leader will require continued focus on four areas:

• Deeper industry-academia collaboration to build practical, future-ready skills.
• More investments in leadership development, not just technical certifications.
• Hybrid-first infrastructure and policy support to attract and retain diverse talent across regions.
• A sustained commitment to values-led cultures, where performance and purpose go hand in hand.

For leaders, it means creating work environments where the best minds want to stay, grow, and make a difference, and organisations should see this as a shared responsibility, growing talent not just for our needs, but for the ecosystem we are proud to be part of.

As India moves from being a participant in the global digital economy to being a builder of it, the next decade will be shaped by companies and leaders who invest in talent deeply, sustainably, and meaningfully.

For those ready to learn, build, and lead, this is India’s moment and it’s only just beginning.

This article is written by Suja Chandy, Chief Sustainability Officer (Global) & Managing Director (India), Zafin. 

Zafin’s AI-powered, cloud-native SaaS platform helps banks modernise product and pricing, transform core systems and accelerate business innovation.

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