Indian corporates drive flex demand to record high levels across major office markets, capturing a 23.4 per cent share of total flexible workspace requests in 2026. Specifically, the latest India’s Changing Face of Flex report by flexible workspace platform myHQ reveals that domestic enterprises have overtaken SMEs to become the second-largest customer segment after startups. Furthermore, average corporate desk requirements more than doubled from 25 seats in 2023 to 55 seats in 2026.
“Flex in India is entering a more mature phase. Three years ago, a corporate and a startup came to us asking for almost the same office, 25 seats versus 22. Today it is 55 versus 13,” said Utkarsh Kawatra, Co-Founder & CEO, myHQ.
Corporate expansion and startup sizing shifts
The office market shows contrasting space requirements between enterprise clients and early-stage companies. Consequently, while Indian corporates expanded their seat allocations, startup teams became increasingly lean due to artificial intelligence adoption.
Additionally, the average startup seat requirement dropped from 22 seats in 2023 to 13 seats in 2026. Meanwhile, startups maintain the largest overall segment share at 39.2 per cent, operating with optimized team sizes.
| Market Segment / Sector | Flex Demand Share (2026) | Historical Comparison / Key Metric |
| Indian Corporates | 23.4% | Up from 21.9% in 2025; average seat need rose to 55 seats |
| Startups | 39.2% | Maintains top segment share; average seat need fell to 13 seats |
| MNCs & GCCs | 14.6% | Stabilized from 14.9% in 2025 |
| BFSI Sector | 12.2% | Grew 2.7x from 4.5% in 2023 (now second-largest industry) |
| IT / ITeS Sector | 43.9% | Eased from 2025 peak of 44.8% |
Rapid rise of BFSI and industry sector trends
The financial services sector recorded the fastest growth across flexible workspace leasing. Specifically, Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) increased its market share from 4.5 per cent in 2023 to 12.2 per cent in 2026.
Conversely, IT and ITeS demand eased to 43.9 per cent from its 2025 peak of 44.8 per cent. Therefore, as Indian corporates drive flex demand to record high benchmarks, desk-based service sectors like BFSI, IT, and consulting now account for 67.7 per cent of total flexible workspace requests.
“At the same time, AI is letting startups build with leaner teams, and BFSI rising from ninth to second tells you flex is no longer just a tech-and-startup product. It is mainstream,” said Utkarsh Kawatra, Co-Founder & CEO, myHQ.
