Infosys BPO expects 20 per cent growth in revenues next fiscal

The BPO unit of Infosys Technologies, India's leading software and services exporter, expects a nearly 20 per cent growth in revenues in the next fiscal, driven by the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.

D. Swaminathan, chief executive and managing director of Infosys BPO, told reporters in Bangalore that he was bullish on the BFSI segment, especially with the easing of the global economic crisis. He expects operating margins of 20 to 22 per cent in the next fiscal.

Established in 2002, Infosys BPO focuses on integrated end-to-end outsourcing; it operates in India, the Czech Republic, China, the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, USA and Brazil. The unit employs nearly 20,000 people has ended the last fiscal with revenues of $352.1 million.

According to Swaminathan, the company plans to hire 8,000 people next year, which would stabilise the 25 to 30 per cent attrition rate. It would also add about 500 seats in Poland and the Czech Republic as part of its growth strategy.

''We will be expanding our existing facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic,'' says Swaminathan. ''But we have not yet firmed up anything on setting up new centres in Europe and Africa.'' Infosys BPO would also continue exploring acquisition opportunities.

Indian BPO majors are being wooed by the governments of many countries, offering them incentives to set up operations in their countries. Many of the leading Indian BPOs have been invited by countries such as Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Kosovo, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Colombia. Poland and the Czech Republic have had a head-start.