New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) India’s office leasing activity reached a record 82.6 million square feet in 2025, up roughly 1 per cent year‑on‑year, a report said on Tuesday.

The report from CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. said that technology, flexible workspace operators and BFSI firms together drove around 60 per cent of the total leasing activity during the year.

Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi‑NCR together accounted for about 61 per cent of overall absorption even as Global Capability Centres (GCCs) remained a key growth engine accounting for around 39 per cent of leasing in Q4 2025.

“Global firms are poised to expand their footprints in India through their Global Capability Centres. These centres are projected to drive 35–40 per cent of total space absorption in 2026, with new growth expected from mid-market entities, global unicorns, and emerging sectors,” said Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO, India, South‑East Asia, Middle East & Africa at CBRE, said.

The firm forecasted that the tech sector is expected to continue driving India’s office space absorption, focusing on hiring specialised talent in advanced domains such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data analytics, and cloud computing.

The report mentioned that the office demand was driven by steady investment and the portfolio expansion strategies of global and domestic companies, underpinned by their ongoing digitisation efforts.

The real estate consulting firm said that quarterly leasing rose 15 per cent sequentially to 22.2 million square feet in October‑December, led by Bengaluru (24 per cent), Mumbai (22 per cent) and Delhi‑NCR (18 per cent).

Global Capability Centres took roughly 8.5 million square feet in Q4, with Bengaluru (accounting for 44 per cent share), Hyderabad and Delhi‑NCR ranking as the top GCC destinations.

While US companies remain the primary drivers of GCC demand, occupiers from the EMEA and APAC regions are increasingly establishing operations in India, influenced by the proven success of existing centres and the rapid growth of the country’s digitally skilled talent pool.

–IANS

aar/pk