The routes at a glance
| Route | Who sets it up | Who it serves | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global In-House Centre (GIC Regulations 2025) | An entity of a financial institution group, directly or through a third-party service provider | Its own financial institution group; group entities in India up to 10% of revenue | Services relating to financial products and services |
| Global Administrative Office (Banking Regulations, Banking Handbook) | A parent bank | The parent bank and its group entities, in or outside the IFSC | Managing, administering or coordinating group operations; support services |
| Finance company or unit, including a treasury centre (Finance Company Regulations; GRCTC framework) | A corporate or financial group | Group entities, the parent's group entities and their branches | Lending, treasury, liquidity management, hedging and related activity |
| TechFin and ancillary services (TAS Regulations 2025) | Any eligible company, LLP, branch or professional partnership | Financial institutions and other clients within the framework | Technology, professional, administration and support services |
| BATF services (BATF Regulations 2024) | Any eligible applicant | Non-residents only, including IFSC units | Book-keeping, accounting, taxation and financial crime compliance |
Global In-House Centre
The IFSCA (Global In-House Centres) Regulations, 2025 were notified on 24 December 2025 and replace the 2020 regulations. A GIC unit is set up by an entity of a financial institution group: banks, NBFCs, insurers, intermediaries, funds, market infrastructure and similar institutions. It may operate as a captive centre, build-operate-transfer, joint venture or hybrid model.
Three rules shape most GIC plans:
- Services to group entities in India may not exceed 10% of the GIC's total revenue for the financial year.
- A GIC may not be set up by transferring existing contracts or work arrangements from group entities in India.
- The principal officer and compliance officer must be full-time employees based in the IFSC, and operations are conducted in a specified foreign currency.
A GIC is a support centre. It is not a route to fund management, proprietary trading or selling to customers outside the group.
Global Administrative Office
A GAO is defined in the IFSCA (Banking) Regulations, as amended in 2022, as a financial institution set up by its parent bank in the IFSC to manage, administer or coordinate the operations of the parent bank or group entities, or to provide them with support services, in or outside the IFSC. Activities concerning another jurisdiction remain subject to that jurisdiction's regulator. The operating procedure sits in the IFSCA Banking Handbook.
Expect home-regulator no-objection and a resident principal officer and compliance officer. For a bank, the choice is usually between a GAO and a GIC. The GAO suits bank-specific administration. The GIC suits groups with several lines of business, or work that goes beyond banking support.
Finance unit and treasury centre
Where the centre is to lend, pool liquidity, manage foreign exchange or hedge for the group, it needs registration as a finance company or finance unit, using the framework for global or regional corporate treasury centres issued on 4 April 2025. That framework requires at least five qualified personnel based in the IFSC, including the head of treasury and the compliance officer, before operations start. It is a regulated financial activity with prudential rules, not a support service.
TechFin, ancillary and BATF services
Technology, back-office and professional support to financial institutions falls under the IFSCA (TechFin and Ancillary Services) Regulations, 2025, amended in 2026. Book-keeping, accounting, taxation and financial crime compliance fall under the separate BATF Regulations, 2024, amended on 8 January 2026, and may be provided only to non-residents. Neither registration permits the regulated activity it supports.
Choosing. Group-only work points to a GIC, a GAO or a treasury centre. Work for third-party financial institutions points to TechFin, ancillary or BATF registration. Capital, people and tax then follow the chosen framework.