HYDERABAD | 15 July 2026: Reflecting the continued evolution of India’s BFSI capability ecosystem, Oaktree Capital Management has expanded its Hyderabad footprint with the inauguration of a second office supporting its global operations. The expansion that alternative asset managers are increasingly leveraging India not merely for transaction processing or support services, but for capabilities spanning finance, analytics, risk management, enterprise technology and investment operations. The move also reinforces Hyderabad’s growing stature as a preferred destination for sophisticated BFSI and private markets capabilities.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Alternative Investment Expansion: Oaktree has expanded its Hyderabad presence with a second office supporting global operations.
  • Strategic Capability Mandate: The facility is expected to support finance, analytics, risk management and enterprise technology functions.
  • Talent-Led Growth: The expansion reflects growing confidence in Hyderabad’s deep pool of financial and technology talent.
  • Private Markets Momentum: Alternative asset managers are increasingly building long-term capability operations in India.
  • Regional Growth Engine: Hyderabad continues to strengthen its position as one of India’s leading BFSI GCC destinations.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Oaktree Capital Management provides alternative investment managers, overseeing more than US$200 billion in assets under management across credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities.

Following Brookfield Asset Management’s acquisition of a majority stake in 2019, Oaktree has continued to operate independently while maintaining its longstanding investment philosophy centred on risk management and value investing. The firm’s clients include pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and institutional investors across global markets.

THE EVOLUTION OF PRIVATE MARKETS CAPABILITIES

As global private capital markets expand, the operational requirements supporting investment firms have become increasingly sophisticated. Managing portfolios across private credit, distressed debt, infrastructure and real assets requires significant capabilities in financial reporting, portfolio monitoring, compliance, analytics, technology and enterprise operations.

Unlike traditional asset classes that benefit from highly standardized market infrastructure, private markets often involve complex reporting requirements, bespoke structures and significant operational intensity. This has accelerated the need for globally integrated capability centres capable of supporting investment professionals with analytics, technology and operational scale. Typically, alternative investment capability centres support activities like:

  • Investment Operations and Portfolio Support: Supporting fund operations, portfolio administration and reporting activities across global teams.
  • Risk and Analytics: Delivering analytical support for portfolio monitoring, financial reporting and enterprise risk management.
  • Enterprise Technology: Supporting internal technology platforms, data environments and digital transformation initiatives.
  • Finance and Shared Services: Providing scalable support across finance, governance and operational processes.

Vijay Padmanabhan, Managing Director and Head of Oaktree’s Hyderabad office, highlighted the long-term commitment to the city and its talent ecosystem.

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The significance of this office goes well beyond the space itself. It reflects our confidence in the exceptional talent we have built in Hyderabad, and our commitment to continue investing in our people, our culture, and our long-term vision.

– Vijay Padmanabhan, MD & Head – Hyderabad Office, Oaktree Capital Management

WHY HYDERABAD CONTINUES TO ATTRACT BFSI GCC INVESTMENTS

The decision to deepen investments within Hyderabad rather than diversify immediately into another city reflects a trend increasingly visible across the GCC landscape, capability clustering. For many financial institutions, scaling within existing ecosystems provides advantages in talent availability, leadership continuity, cultural integration and operational efficiency.

Hyderabad has steadily emerged as one of India’s strongest BFSI capability markets by combining a mature technology workforce with growing expertise in financial services operations. The city’s ecosystem today spans banking, payments, insurance, capital markets, wealth management and fintech operations, supported by a favourable business environment and strong public infrastructure investments.

According to Telangana government estimates, Hyderabad currently hosts more than 350 GCCs employing over 300,000 professionals, with ambitions to reach 500 GCCs and 500,000 employees by 2030.

THE NEXT PHASE OF BFSI CAPABILITY EVOLUTION

The establishment of additional capacity by firms such as Oaktree reflects the changing nature of financial services capability centres. The first generation of BFSI GCCs focused primarily on transaction processing, reconciliation, customer support and operational efficiency.

Today’s operating models are considerably different.

Financial institutions increasingly centralize functions spanning analytics, enterprise technology, regulatory reporting, treasury support, risk management and digital transformation within their global capability centres. As financial markets become increasingly data-intensive and regulatory environments continue to evolve, access to specialized talent has become as important as cost optimization. This is driving a shift from labour arbitrage to capability arbitrage as the primary rationale for GCC expansion.

Industry Insights

The deployment of the IBM-Quintes framework aligns with several core market realities reshaping global IT strategy:

  1. Private Markets Are Building Their GCC Playbook: Banks and insurers drove the first generation of BFSI capability centres. Alternative asset managers, private credit firms and private equity organizations are now rapidly building their own capability models.
  2. Finance Talent Is Converging with Technology Talent: Modern investment organizations increasingly require teams that combine accounting expertise, financial analysis, engineering and data science capabilities.
  3. Risk Management Is Becoming Data Intensive: Portfolio monitoring, regulatory compliance and investor reporting are increasingly dependent on analytics platforms, automation and digital workflows.
  4. Hyderabad Is Emerging as a Private Markets Capability Cluster: The city has successfully positioned itself as a destination for sophisticated financial services operations by combining strong engineering capabilities with growing financial services expertise.
  5. The Value Proposition Has Shifted: The economics of modern GCCs are increasingly driven by access to specialized talent, scalability and capability depth rather than labour cost advantages alone.

UNDERSTANDING THE BROADER CONTEXT

Global private markets have expanded significantly over the last decade. Industry estimates suggest that private capital assets under management surpassed US$15 trillion globally in 2025, driven by growth across private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real assets. This expansion has created growing demand for capabilities in fund administration, portfolio analytics, investor reporting, regulatory compliance and enterprise technology.

Simultaneously, India’s BFSI capability ecosystem has undergone a major transformation. Functions that were once limited to transaction processing and operational support have evolved into investment analytics, treasury operations, regulatory reporting, fraud management, quantitative research and enterprise technology services. Today, many global financial institutions operate some of their most sophisticated risk, analytics and technology functions from India, reinforcing the country’s strategic role in the future architecture of global financial services.

IN CONCLUSION

As alternative asset managers continue to scale globally and private markets become increasingly complex, organizations are building capability centres that combine finance expertise, technology capabilities and operational scale. Oaktree’s expansion in Hyderabad represents another milestone in its evolution from supporting financial institutions to becoming an integral part of how global investment organizations operate, scale and innovate.

Curated by SSF Global

Tracking the shifts shaping GCCs, enterprise ecosystems, and the future of global business.

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SSF Global is a Global Community for Enterprise Function Leaders and serves as a research & advisory platform focused on Global Business Services (GBS), Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and the evolution of enterprise innovation in India and beyond. We track, publish, and partner in narratives that shape how capability centres transform into hubs of trust, intelligence, and sustainable growth. We also evaluate, assess and benchmark the GCCs for their performance, maturity and other parameters using our proprietary tools built from the knowledge gained from direct interaction with our members (GCCs & GBS).