Gandhinagar, Gujarat's capital, is recognised for meticulously designed infrastructure, green spaces, and thriving real estate. Close proximity to Ahmedabad and rapid urbanisation have made it desirable for upscale living.

GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City): Country's first functional smart finance city; considered premium area with state-of-the-art infrastructure, high-rises, popular among professionals and affluent investors for international business operations and luxurious facilities.

Kudasan: Swiftly growing residential area near GIFT City with modern apartments, gated communities, established infrastructure; ideal for working professionals and investments.

Sargasan: Top residential area with proximity to highways and industrial areas; offers luxury apartments and villas; suitable for families and investors with schools and malls; blends green living with urban convenience.

Raysan: Known for serene environment, green cover, luxury residential societies; well-linked to GIFT City and other cities; offers spacious homes, gated communities, calm lifestyle with good connectivity.

Infocity: Important IT center and popular residential choice; close proximity to tech parks and good road network; preferred by IT workforce; provides infrastructure and residential amenities.

GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) in Gandhinagar continues to struggle with workforce and ecosystem challenges despite steady progress attracting financial and technology firms.

PwC India survey of ~200 senior executives, professionals and students (April-June 2025) across GIFT City, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai assessed readiness for global capability centres (GCCs), financial institutions, FinTechs and TechFins.

Challenges:

• 63% of executives considering relocation/expansion to GIFT City; remainder unsure or planning not to move citing operational limits and workforce constraints
• 62% of executives report difficulty attracting experienced professionals due to relocation concerns
• 54% cite limited ecosystem maturity
• 46% cite absence of established talent pool
• Attrition at GCCs in GIFT City: 30-40%, compared to 10-20% in Mumbai and Bengaluru
• Compensation 10-15% lower than Mumbai and Bengaluru
• Gaps in specialised skills: electronic trading platforms, quant roles, big data, cloud security, blockchain, risk management, treasury functions

Attractions:

• 68% of executives ranked tax incentives as top factor
• SEZ benefits and government support for new businesses
• IFSCA provides ten-year tax holidays, customs and GST exemptions, simplified compliance

Current state:

• Established 2015; India's first operational smart city and only IFSC
• 32 banks, 150+ capital market intermediaries, 47 insurance/reinsurance firms, 32 FinTech/TechFin entities, 250+ alternative investment funds, 30+ aircraft/ship lessors and bullion traders
• March 2025: ranked 46th on Global Financial Centres Index
• May 2025: GIFT NIFTY monthly turnover USD 102.35 billion
• 77% of executives believe talent available in/around GIFT City

Plans:

• Employment expansion from 25,000 to 150,000 jobs over five years
• Gujarat Global Capability Centre Policy 2025-30: attract 250 GCC units with ₹10,000 crore investment, create 50,000 jobs
• Policy offers capital and operating subsidies, employee incentive schemes, interest subvention, electricity duty exemptions, employment generation incentives, EPF reimbursement
• Strengthen industry-academia links

Executive sentiment:

• 49% rated BFSI potential very high; 40% rated medium

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), a 1,000-acre greenfield hub on the Sabarmati in Gandhinagar, is expanding to more than 3,300 acres. Its Domestic Tariff Area serves Indian businesses, while its Special Economic Zone hosts offshore firms. The city targets banking, fund management, capital markets, insurance and fintech, but insiders cite limited professional services, talent, housing, education and hospitality, alongside staff turnover and weak social life. The Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2027 is scheduled to conclude there in January.

A November 28, 2025 press note recorded more than 1,034 IFSC entities and 38 banks with $100.14 billion in assets. Government figures put the total above 1,150 entities; banking assets exceeded $110 billion by May 2026, and fund-management capital commitments topped $32 billion.

The city was proposed in 2007 by Gujarat and IL&FS, under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005. A Union task force was formed in 2014; the IFSCA Act was enacted in 2019 and the authority became operational in 2020. Tax deductions for IFSC units were proposed to rise from 10 years within 15 to 20 years within 25; Offshore Banking Units would receive 20 consecutive years. Infrastructure includes district cooling, automated waste collection and underground utility tunnels.

Gandhinagar received development projects worth ₹1,848 crore: ₹798 crore through the Municipal Corporation and ₹1,050 crore through the Roads and Buildings Department. Around 30 electric buses were flagged off under PM-eBus Sewa. A further ₹48.26 crore in projects was announced for the capital, including a ₹20.76 crore underpass at Bhat-Koteshwar Crossing, ₹12.80 crore to strengthen the Sabarmati bridge towards GIFT City-Shahpur, ₹7.70 crore for junction and road works from GIFT City towards PDPU, and ₹7 crore for road safety and paver works between Raksha Shakti Circle and GIFT City Circle.

Works include an 80-metre Airport Road–Raysan link, a service road from Raksha Shakti to Sargasan, and new CC roads in Khoraj, Pethapur, Randheja, Kolavada, Vavol, Vasana Hadmatiya and Adivada. Randheja will get an overhead water tank; drainage lines will be laid in Sectors 1–30 and seven surrounding villages. Sargasan will get an urban primary health centre. Other works include smart Anganwadis, gardens in Jhundal, Amiyapur and Sector 20, Swarnim Cultural Centre renovation and Raysan Chowk development. Gandhinagar has around 125 modern gardens and recently planted around 18 lakh trees.

GIFT City currently supports around 27,000 jobs and is targeting at least 100,000 by 2030, MD and Group CEO Sanjay Kaul said at CNBC-TV18’s Leadership Collective event. The international financial centre has around 1,300 registered entities, with roughly 100 new registrations each month, including banks, fund managers, insurers and reinsurers, exchanges and aircraft-leasing businesses.

GIFT City has signed MoUs and partnerships with universities and industry bodies in Gujarat and nearby regions, is building a fintech institute, and is promoting short-term courses to prepare graduates for international financial-services roles. Gujarat has more than 500,000 technically qualified students in technology and finance, Kaul said, adding that many need targeted upskilling.

PD Singh, Standard Chartered’s CEO for India and South Asia, said GIFT City could attract senior international expertise. He cited regional treasury centres (RTCs) as a potential source of talent and said specialised skills may require higher relocation incentives.