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Indian IT Firms Brace for Weak Quarter Despite Currency Boost

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India’s leading IT services companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and HCLTech, are expected to report subdued fourth-quarter results, with growth driven more by currency effects than underlying demand.

Brokerage estimates suggest revenue and profit will rise roughly 10% year-on-year. However, much of that increase is attributed to the depreciation of the Indian rupee, which boosts earnings when dollar-denominated revenues are converted into local currency.

On a constant currency basis—excluding exchange rate effects—growth remains weak, with top firms expected to post only modest gains. Analysts highlight ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and cautious client spending as key factors limiting expansion.

Discretionary IT spending continues to lag, particularly in sectors such as retail, healthcare and technology, while banking and financial services remain relatively stable. Longer deal cycles and a shift toward cost optimisation projects are also constraining revenue momentum.

The sector is also facing structural concerns related to artificial intelligence. New capabilities from firms like Anthropic and Palantir are raising questions about whether traditional IT outsourcing models could be disrupted.

Forecasts for the next fiscal year remain conservative. Infosys is expected to guide for 2%–4% growth, while HCLTech may project 4%–6%, reflecting continued caution among enterprise clients.

The broader $315 billion Indian IT sector, employing nearly 6 million people, has struggled to regain the double-digit growth rates last seen in 2023. Stock performance reflects these concerns, with IT shares significantly underperforming the wider market this year.

Analysts note that valuations now imply low growth expectations, meaning even modest improvements in outlook could support share prices. However, a sustained re-rating will depend on whether companies can demonstrate resilience and adaptation in an AI-driven environment.

Oracle Names New CFO Amid Rising AI Investment Pressure

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Oracle has appointed Hilary Maxson as its new chief financial officer, signaling a strategic shift as the company accelerates spending on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure.

Maxson joins from Schneider Electric, where she served as group CFO and helped guide the firm’s transformation into a digital energy and technology-focused business. Her appointment restores a formal CFO role at Oracle for the first time since 2014, when Safra Catz assumed expanded leadership responsibilities.

The move comes at a time when investors are closely monitoring Oracle’s aggressive capital expenditures tied to AI. The company expects to spend around $50 billion in its current fiscal year—more than double the previous year—as it builds out infrastructure to support growing demand for AI-driven services.

This expansion has put pressure on Oracle’s financials. The company reported a negative free cash flow of $394 million in fiscal 2025, a sharp contrast to the $25.3 billion it generated between 2022 and 2024. It has also indicated plans to raise up to $50 billion through a mix of debt and equity to fund continued growth.

Maxson’s experience in energy and infrastructure is seen as particularly relevant, given the increasing overlap between AI computing and power-intensive data center operations. Analysts suggest her appointment may help reinforce financial discipline as Oracle balances rapid expansion with profitability concerns.

The leadership change also aligns Oracle more closely with industry peers, many of whom maintain dedicated CFO roles amid escalating AI investment cycles. Meanwhile, the company has also implemented workforce reductions as part of broader cost realignment efforts.

Wipro Shares Rise After $375M Olam IT Acquisition

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Wipro shares gained after the company announced it would acquire the IT services business of Olam Group for an enterprise value of $375 million, marking its largest acquisition to date.

The deal involves the purchase of 200 million shares of Mindsprint, Olam’s IT and digital services arm, through Wipro Networks. Mindsprint provides services across multiple sectors including agribusiness, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and cybersecurity.

Investors responded positively, pushing Wipro’s stock higher in early trading and making it one of the top performers on India’s IT index. Analysts noted that the acquisition strengthens Wipro’s domain expertise, particularly in the food and agribusiness vertical, while also enhancing its consulting and platform capabilities.

A key component of the transaction is a long-term commercial agreement. Olam has awarded Wipro an eight-year services contract with a committed annual spend of $100 million, implying a total contract value exceeding $1 billion. This provides strong revenue visibility and a more stable, recurring income stream.

Market analysts highlighted that the deal goes beyond traditional outsourcing by integrating intellectual property-led platforms and creating a “captive” delivery relationship, which tends to be more strategic and harder to replace.

Despite the positive reaction, Wipro’s shares remain significantly down year-to-date, reflecting broader challenges in the IT services sector, including weak discretionary spending and uncertainty around the impact of artificial intelligence on traditional business models.

The acquisition signals Wipro’s effort to reposition itself toward higher-value, industry-specific services as competition intensifies and growth slows across the global IT outsourcing market.