Beyond the back office: Why GCCs are now strategic engines for modern banks

The Evolution of GCCs

Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have come a long way. Once seen as offshore cost-saving hubs for routine IT and back-office functions, they’ve evolved into strategic delivery engines that now sit at the center of enterprise transformation — particularly in banking.

As banks navigate increasing regulatory pressure, rapid digital acceleration, and rising customer expectations, GCCs offer a way to consolidate delivery, expand capabilities, and stay future-ready — all while controlling cost and complexity.

So why are more banks shifting to this model? And what defines a truly high-performing Global Capability Center in 2025 and beyond?

The Banking Imperative: Why GCCs matter more than ever

As customer expectations rise and regulatory demands increase, banks are under pressure to modernize — but many still operate with legacy structures and siloed teams.

Here’s where GCCs step in:

· Speed: Agile delivery and faster go-to-market through centralized squads

· Compliance: Built-in alignment with central bank mandates and regulatory frameworks

· Scalability: Modular models that flex with growth and market expansion

· Innovation Enablement: Digital channels, AI/ML, data, and cloud functions all run from within GCCs

More than 60% of global banks now rely on GCCs for data-driven decision-making, product delivery, and real-time support across regions. (Accenture, 2024)

What sets a strategic GCC apart

A high-performing GCC is no longer about labor arbitrage — it’s about building enterprise-wide capabilities that align with business outcomes. 

Here’s what top banks now demand from their GCCs:

These modern GCCs act as integrated extensions of the bank — handling everything from digital onboarding and cloud migrations to regulatory reporting and innovation sprints.

Banks run better on GCCs built by Systems Limited

At Systems Limited, we help banks establish and operate high-impact GCCs tailored to their growth stage and regulatory landscape. With delivery hubs in Pakistan and Egypt, and BFSI domain depth across Core banking, cloud, digital, compliance, and data, we’ve built GCCs for over 20 financial institutions.

Some success stories include:

· A leading MENAP bank partnered with Systems to build a full-stack GCC supporting the launch of a new digital banking entity — covering engineering, operations, and regulatory support.

· One of the UAE’s largest Islamic banks leveraged Systems’ ODC model to modernize its core platform and streamline operational delivery.

· A progressive mid-sized retail bank in the UAE engaged Systems to deploy agile squads focused on digital onboarding, customer experience, and compliance workflows.

· A top-tier Saudi financial institution set up a specialized Center of Excellence with Systems for regulatory reporting, testing automation, and alignment with central bank mandates.

Our flexible models — ODCs, Managed Services, and CoEs — give banks the control of in-house teams with the scale of global delivery.

Conclusion: Is your Bank GCC-ready?

If your institution is looking to modernize operations, scale talent, or deliver faster — the GCC model is no longer optional. It’s strategic.

The question is no longer “Should we build a GCC?” — it’s “How fast can we build the right one?”

Want to learn how to design a transformation-ready GCC? Connect with our experts