HCLTech wins multi-year AI-led IT transformation deal with US insurer

Indian IT services major HCLTech recently announced a multi-year strategic partnership with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) to support the US-based insurer’s AI-led technology transformation and IT modernisation initiatives.

As part of the engagement, Guardian will deploy HCLTech’s GenAI service transformation platform, AI Force, to drive enterprise-wide technology upgrades across application development, testing, infrastructure management and IT operations. The partnership is aimed at improving operational efficiency, engineering productivity and time-to-market, while enabling Guardian to consolidate services under a single strategic technology partner.

The deal strengthens HCLTech’s position in the financial services and insurance vertical, where enterprises are accelerating AI adoption and core platform modernisation amid rising cost pressures and regulatory complexity.

“Partnering with HCLTech is a key step in our long-term strategy to harness data and AI, consolidate services with a single strategic partner and modernise our core technology foundations,” said Steve Rullo, chief digital and technology officer at Guardian.

Srinivasan Seshadri, chief growth officer and global head of financial services at HCLTech, said the partnership underscores the company’s AI capabilities and domain expertise in financial services.

The Guardian engagement adds to HCLTech’s recent large-deal momentum. Earlier in January, the company partnered with Western Union to set up an AI-led global capability centre in Hyderabad, signed a managed IT services contract with Australia-based Team Global Express, expanded its U.S. public sector footprint through a partnership with Carahsoft, and announced the acquisition of Singapore-based Finergic Solutions to strengthen its financial services consulting capabilities.

HCLTech’s Q3 FY26 results also showed high bookings of roughly $3 billion as part of strong deal momentum, with overall revenue rising sequentially and AI as a key drive. During the quarter, the company announced multiple AI- and cloud-led transformation deals across financial services, telecom and manufacturing, reflecting enterprise demand for platform-driven modernisation rather than incremental digital projects.