| | JULY 20258CAPGEMINI ACQUIRES WNS TO DRIVE AI-POWERED BUSINESS PROCESS SERVICESPiyush Goyal, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, announced the rollout of the second tranche of Rs 10,000 crore under the government's 'Fund of Funds' initiative with a special focus on the deep technology ecosystem in India.The fund will encourage all aspects of the technology life cycle, from early-stage research to commercialisation. This will be done by supporting technology adoption and packaging innovative products and services, while developing next generation solutions. The guidelines for the deployment of the funds will soon be finalised.Goyal went on to discuss further financial support for technological development explaining that the Cabinet approved a Rs 1 lakh crore ($12 billion) zero interest, 50-year loan to the Department of Science and Technology. This long-term funding structure will provide funding flexibility in the form of equity and grants as well as low-cost financing that can evolve to match the maturity of the technologies.He pointed out India has a competitive cost advantage in tech development: producing new technologies in India could be six or seven times cheaper than in countries like Switzerland or the US. Using 'future-ready' thinking, Goyal highlighted how the government was allocating attention to artificial intelligence, machine learning, computing and data analytics to ensure that India competes favourably with new technologies. On further notes, he referred to India's impressive economic pathway; for example, India has moved from the 11th largest economy to the 5th largest. Goyal argued that India will be the 4th largest economy at the end of 2025 and will be the 3rd largest economy by 2027, due in part to innovation-led growth in deep tech and digital transformation. · Rs 10,000 Cr fund launched to boost India's deep-tech sector from research to deployment.· Rs 1 Lakh Cr zero-interest loan approved for long-term R&D support.· India aims for global leadership, targeting 3rd largest economy status by 2027.· Capgemini acquires WNS for $3.3 billion to integrate AI into BPM and expand intelligent operations.· The deal strengthens India's central role in Capgemini's global AI strategy, with over 44,000 WNS staff based in India.· WNS adds $1.2B in revenue and deep industry expertise, helping Capgemini accelerate AI-driven digital BPS.France-based IT and consulting giant Capgemini, which already employs more than half its 3.4 lakh global workforce in India, is buying WNS Global Services--a Birmingham, UK-based BPM (Business Process Management) leader with headquarters in Mumbai--for $3.3 billion. This deals illustrates Capgemini's strategy to add deep AI capabilities into its BPM with additional tech-enabled business transformation delivery capabilities.The acquisition is a natural extension of Capgemini's continued investment in India, where it employs over 50% of its 340,000 employees. In addition, with 44,000 of WNS' 65,000 employees based in India, it highlights how important India is to Capgemini's global innovation and delivery model. WNS is a New York Stock Exchange listed firm and began in 1996 as a captive unit of British Airways and has several large global clients, including United Airlines, Aviva, Centrica, M&T Bank and McCain Foods.Capgemini will provide $76.5 in cash per share, representing a 17% markup over WNS's closing price on July 3. The transaction will add $1.2 billion in revenue to Capgemini's 22.1 billion annual turnover, which is also expected to have an approximately 13.6% combined operating margin.Aiman Ezzat, Capgemini's CEO, sees the transition to agentic AI-powered operations as a, "paradigm shift", and business process services are the natural vehicle for this change. WNS' immediate domain strength combined with Capgemini's global genAI platforms and eco-systems will drive faster enterprise reinvention.WNS CEO Keshav R. Murugesh remarked that the joint capabilities will lead to next-gen, data-driven operations that enhance horizontal and industry-specific solutions from WNS, with Capgemini's reach and technological advantage. Over the last three fiscal years, WNS has reported constant currency revenue growth of above 9% and capped FY2025 with $1.2 billion in revenue and an operating margin of 18.7%. The acquisition will put Capgemini in a top contender position in digital-first business process services and they will have the capacity to deliver scalable, AI-infused solutions to multiple industries.JUST INGOVT LAUNCHES RS 10000 CR DEEPTECH FUND TO BOOST INDIA'S INNOVATION
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