New Delhi, Aug 28 : Japanese C2C marketplace Mercari on Monday announced the opening of its new office for their Global Center of Excellence (GCoE) in Bengaluru and is taking strategic steps to expand its footprint and bolster its presence in India by doubling its workforce. The new GCoE is located in Vaishnavi Tech Park in Sarjapur. Currently comprising a team of 40 employees, the CoE has been instrumental in supporting Mercari's operations in Japan. The company will double its headcount, with specialised teams focusing on the backend, mobile development, infrastructure, and more. These new hires will strengthen the company's engineering workforce and also foster diversity and inclusivity within the CoE. "With our growing team of talented professionals in India, we are ideally positioned to drive technological breakthroughs and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers worldwide," Ken Wakasa, VP & Group CTO-Mercari, said in a statement. Mercari India has emerged as Mercari Group's first centre of excellence in the summer of 2022, driving innovation and technical expertise while bridging the gap between Japan and India. The company boasts over 22 million active users in Japan and aims to build a robust ecosystem where value circulates while developing financial and crypto services based on an e-commerce-type platform. Moreover, the company said that the Center comprises versatile teams specialising in various technical domains, ensuring a holistic approach to technical contributions. "Our objective is to establish Mercari as a global tech powerhouse by leveraging the potential that India's diverse talent pool offers," said Vish Magapu, Senior Director, and Site Lead of Mercari India. "Mercari strongly believes in India's potential to create new innovations. Our India CoE is committed to developing applications for Mercari Japan reinforcing our dedication to delivering seamless user experiences worldwide," he added. The new office will boast unique spaces catering to various needs, including areas for large-group communication such as company-wide All Hands meetings, open-door sessions, and offsites; designated project areas for teams to collaborate offline; and comfortable lounge spaces for casual chats, embodying Mercari's vibrant culture. /IANS