WNS Global Services

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Wikipedia

WNS Global Services
FormerlyWorld Network Services (1996 to 2002)
Company typePublic
NYSE: WNS
IndustryBusiness process management, outsourcing, IT consulting
Founded1996
Headquarters
New York, London and Mumbai[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Timothy Main[2]
(Chairman)
Keshav R Murugesh[2][3]
(Group CEO)
RevenueDecrease US $1.3149 billion (FY25)[4]
Number of employees
64,505 (March 31, 2025)[5]
ParentBritish Airways (1996 to 2002)
Capgemini
Websitehttps://www.wns.com

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS) is an Indian multinational business process management company.[6] The company is headquartered in New York, London and Mumbai[7][8][9][6] On July 7, 2025, French IT services and consulting firm Capgemini announced an agreement[10] to acquire WNS for US$3.3 billion.[11][12]

The company has over 66,000 staff.[6] WNS is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WNS.[13]

History

WNS was started as "Speedwing World Network Services" in 1996 as a part of British Airways in Mumbai, India.[14][15] It was created to manage the airline’s back-office and operational processes.[16] In 2002, the private equity firm Warburg Pincus acquired a 64 percent stake in WNS from British Airways for $50 million.[17] That same year, WNS made its first acquisition, the UK-based automobile claims handler Town & Country Assistance.[18] Between 2004 and 2009, WNS established delivery centers in Sri Lanka,[19] the Philippines, Costa Rica, Romania, and the UK. It also acquired the US-based Trinity Partners in 2005.[20]

In July 2006, WNS had an IPO and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the 10th company from India to trade on the NYSE. As of March 2006, the company employed over 10,000 people. As part of the IPO, British Airways sold its 14.6% share in the company for approximately $96 million.[21] On the eve of the IPO, Forbes wrote about WNS and how its business processing outsourcing model--meaning outsourcing back-office work to cheaper overseas locations--could be a "solid" investment opportunity. It judged WNS' revenue for 2004-05 and 2006 to date to make WNS one of the two top processing outsourcing companies in India.[22]

In 2012, WNS entered South Africa by acquiring Fusion Outsourcing Services.[23][24][25] Subsequent acquisitions included Value Edge Research Services, Denali Sourcing Services, and HealthHelp[26][27][28] In the 2020s, WNS's acquisitions also moved into artificial intelligence. It acquired Vuram in 2022, The Smart Cube in 2023, and OptiBuy. In 2025, it acquired Kipi.ai.[29]

WNS' primary competitors are companies like Cognizant and Genpact, which also house thousands of employees in low-cost countries like India for software coding and application maintenance.[16]

Acquisition by Capgemini

On July 7, 2025, WNS and Capgemini announced that Capgemini would acquire WNS.[6] Shareholders approved the deal in August 2025, which is expected to close by the end of the year.[30][31]

References

  1. ↑ "Contacts, locations". WNS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Board of Directors". WNS. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Keshav Murugesh: The man who transformed WNS". Business Line. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "WNS Announces Fiscal 2025 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings". wnsnorthamerica.gcs-web.com.
  5. ↑ "WNS to Present at 2024 J.P. Morgan Ultimate Services Investor Conference". Yahoo.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "WNS Shareholders Overwhelmingly Approve Acquisition by Capgemini". Business Wire. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Is Weakness In WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS) Stock A Sign That The Market Could be Wrong Given Its Strong Financial Prospects?". simplywall.st. 9 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "Top 15 BPO Companies In India". Business Outreach. 9 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "__symbol__ Stock Quote Price and Forecast". CNN.
  10. ↑ "Capgemini Acquires WNS For US$3.3bn in Agentic AI Push". Technology Magazine. 30 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "WNS Global is acquired by Capgemini for $3.3 billion". Bru Times News.
  12. ↑ Vardon, Elena. "Capgemini to Buy WNS for $3.3 Billion". Wall Street Journal.
  13. ↑ "WNS opens new global delivery centre in Hyderabad with 1,399 employees". The Times of India. 14 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Hutchings, William (19 October 2002) Warburg Pincus tells it straight, Financial News
  15. ↑ "WNS Holdings debuts on NYSE". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  16. 1 2 Vinn, Milana and Amy-Jo Crowley (1 April 2025). Outsourcing firm WNS fields takeover interest, sources say, Reuters
  17. ↑ (7 August 2009). Warburg Pincus looking to exit WNS, Reuters
  18. ↑ (7 July 2002). WNS acquires Town & Country, Insurance Times
  19. ↑ (13 July 2004). Sri Lanka embraces outsourcing, BBC News
  20. ↑ (10 November 2005). WNS Global buys BPO firm Trinity, Times of India
  21. ↑ Gelsi, Steve (26 July 2006). WNS IPO gains after lofty pricing, Market Watch
  22. ↑ (21 July 2006). A Bet On India, Forbes
  23. ↑ Phadnis, Shilpa (22 June 2012). Business process solutions provider WNS has acquired South Africa-based Fusion Outsourcing Services, Times of India
  24. ↑ "WNS Acquires Fusion Outsourcing in South Africa". WNS Acquires Fusion Outsourcing in South Africa. The Economic Times. 28 August 2025.
  25. ↑ "WNS Holdings acquires South African BPO". WNS Acquires Fusion Outsourcing in South Africa. The Financial Express (India). 28 August 2025.
  26. ↑ Mendonca, Jochelle (11 March 2016). WNS buys Value Edge Research for about $17.5 million, The Economic Times
  27. ↑ (10 January 2017). WNS to acquire Denali Sourcing Services, Reuters
  28. ↑ (15 March 2017). WNS Acquires Healthelp, Reuters
  29. ↑ (12 March 2025). WNS buys Kipi.ai for $75 million, Times of India
  30. ↑ Cleary-Led Capgemini's $3.3B Offer Wins WNS Shareholders, Law360
  31. ↑ This is an industry defining moment - WNS CEO, The Times of India