Desk note · industry · Commercial real estate
Cushman & Wakefield’s Q3 2026 Office MarketBeat shows net absorption of 14.1 million sq ft across eight cities, up 26% quarter on quarter, while new completions at 22.7 million sq ft lifted pan-India vacancy to 14.37%. Global capability centres took 42% of quarterly leasing.
On 10 October 2026, Cushman & Wakefield published its Q3 2026 Office MarketBeat for India’s top eight cities. Tenants absorbed a net 14.1 million square feet of office space, up 26% from the previous quarter. Gross leasing volume reached 21.9 million square feet. At the same time, developers finished a record 22.7 million square feet of new buildings, so pan-India vacancy rose 63 basis points to 14.37%, the first increase after twelve quarters of tightening. Hyderabad led net absorption at 4.1 million square feet, with Bengaluru close behind at 4.02 million square feet.
Companies are still signing leases even while a wave of new towers lands. Global capability centres leased 9.1 million square feet in the quarter, about 42% of gross activity, with Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune seeing more than half of local demand from GCCs. Banks and financial firms were the largest sector at 24% of leasing, followed by IT services at 22%. Flexible workspace operators took 16% of quarterly volume, a record pace that suggests firms want optionality while they test headcount plans. Rents still rose about 2% quarter on quarter across most markets, which is unusual when vacancy ticks up and usually means tenants are paying for newer, better buildings rather than discounting older stock.
If you work in tech, finance, or shared services, hiring plans show up in office demand before they show up in headlines about macro fear. A GCC-heavy leasing mix signals multinationals still building India delivery hubs despite rate hikes and geopolitical noise. Commuters in Hyderabad and Bengaluru should expect more finished campuses even as vacancy rises. Investors in listed developers should separate cities with absorption strength from those carrying supply gluts. For households, busy office districts often spill into lunch, travel, and housing demand in the same corridors, so this is another datapoint that services activity is not frozen even as manufacturing headlines wobble.
Telecom / IPO
On 22 October 2026, exchange data showed Jio Platforms’ ₹30,213 crore issue had drawn about ₹3.73 lakh crore of total bids by late evening on Day 2, with the retail portion oversubscribed and market commentators citing diverted cash from other listed stocks during the book build.
SEBI / market infrastructure
On 22 October 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India proposed letting stock exchanges and depositories fund core-market and regulator-mandated initiatives without prior approval for each ticket, while keeping board oversight and financial safeguards and inviting comments until 12 November.
E-commerce / food delivery
On 22 October 2026, reporting said Flipkart is testing an internal food delivery product called Eat-in by Minutes with more than 8,000 employees in Bengaluru, using Ekart logistics as it prepares to compete with Zomato and Swiggy in meal delivery.
Digital trust / compliance
On 22 October 2026, eMudhra Ltd said its board will voluntarily withdraw from the global SSL/TLS certificate segment after a key-security incident on eight intermediate certificates, citing compliance cost and weak economics while stressing that other digital-trust services continue.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. Verify with filings and a licensed adviser.