The World Bank Group (WBG) has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to operational excellence and innovation with the reopening of its modernised Global Business Centre (GBC) in Taramani, Chennai. The centre, which originally opened in 2001, now stands as the WBG’s largest facility outside of its Washington, D.C. headquarters
Wencai Zhang, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the World Bank Group, visited Chennai for the reopening ceremony and praised the city’s contributions to the Group’s global operations. “Chennai stands for operational excellence and innovation,” said Mr. Zhang. “It was chosen after a rigorous global search and continues to deliver outstanding value.”
From a modest start with just 70 staff, the Chennai centre has grown to over 1,500 employees as of March 2025, supporting the World Bank’s operations in 189 member countries across 130 global offices. Mr. Zhang cited Chennai’s deep talent pool, robust infrastructure, stable governance, and high quality of life as key reasons for establishing and expanding the centre
The GBC provides critical corporate services in finance, procurement, HR, IT, treasury, administration, risk management , and more. Mr. Zhang emphasized the centre’s pioneering work in process automation and digital innovation, and shared that the World Bank sees potential for Chennai to take on greater roles in data analytics and AI-based decision support going forward.
Tamil Nadu has been a key partner for the World Bank, with $4.7 billion in completed projects and another $1 billion in active implementation. Mr. Zhang also highlighted the Chennai GBC’s success as a blueprint for the WBG’s centre in Sofia, Bulgaria, launched in 2019.
“We are very confident in Chennai’s future as a global hub for business services,” said Mr. Zhang. “With excellent support from the State and Central governments, Tamil Nadu has created a thriving, business-friendly environment for international companies.”
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