Professional education company Imarticus Learning has acquired Singapore-based BELLS Institute of Higher Learning, marking its first international acquisition as it expands into Southeast Asia. The deal positions Singapore as the company’s regional hub and strengthens its presence in enterprise learning, workforce development and AI education.
With the acquisition, the combined entity will serve more than 1 million Imarticus learners alongside BELLS’ network of over 150,000 alumni. It will operate with more than 1,100 employees across over 25 offices in India and Singapore, making it one of Asia’s largest outcome-driven professional education companies.
According to the company, BELLS brings established partnerships with the Singapore government, SkillsFuture Singapore and enterprises across the region, while Imarticus contributes its expertise in professional education, finance and technology programmes. The combined platform will focus on developing industry-aligned courses and expanding enterprise learning offerings across Southeast Asia.
As part of the integration, the organisations also announced plans to establish the BELLS School of AI, an applied AI skilling institute for working professionals, graduates and enterprise teams. The proposed school will offer programmes in AI literacy, machine learning, AI for finance and fintech, and AI-enabled business transformation, aligned with employer demand across Singapore, India and the wider ASEAN region. Eligible courses in Singapore are expected to be offered under relevant government-supported frameworks.
Nikhil Barshikar, Group CEO of the combined entity, said the acquisition marks the next phase of Imarticus Learning’s growth and provides a foundation for expansion across Southeast Asia. BELLS CEO Adrian Ang said the partnership would combine Singapore’s workforce development expertise with Imarticus Learning’s technology platform and industry partnerships to create greater value for learners and enterprises.
