Digital Contract Readiness Lags Across Indian Enterprises: SignDesk Report Urges Immediate Action from Corporate Legal Teams

SignDesk Research Council today released their research study titled "Beyond the Signature: How India's Corporate Legal Teams Are Embracing Digital Contracts". The first of its kind in India, the research offers an unprecedented look into how in-house legal departments across the country are navigating the shift from manual, paper-based workflows to digital and automated contract management.

New study by SignDesk Research Council- reveals significant inefficiencies in contract lifecycle management

With 82% of corporate legal teams citing delays and manual dependencies as key pain points, the report underscores an urgent need for legal departments to adopt intelligent contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems to stay competitive and compliant.

Surveying over 500 legal professionals across sectors such as BFSI, tech, pharma, manufacturing, and retail, the study spans India's major metros-including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata. Respondents included general counsels, legal ops heads, and legal managers from large enterprises, mid-market firms to startups.

Key Findings: A Legal Function at an Inflection Point

• Digital Adoption is Growing, But Partial: 43% of respondents have implemented some form of e-signature or digital contract tool, yet only 18% have adopted a fully integrated Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system.

• BFSI Leads the Way: Over 75% of BFSI organizations use e-signatures; across other industries, adoption stands at 53%.

• Time, Compliance, and Cost Drive Transformation: 86% cite time efficiency, 74% stronger compliance, and 68% cost savings as primary motivators for going digital.

• Barriers Remain Significant: 57% of legal teams remain offline due to concerns over legal validity (52%), client reluctance (45%), and cybersecurity (41%).

• Regulatory Clarity Lags Awareness: Only 39% of professionals were fully aware of Indian laws supporting e-signatures, despite robust frameworks under the IT Act, DPDPA 2023, and Aadhaar-based authentication rules.

• City-Wise Trends: Bengaluru (58%), Mumbai (54%), and Delhi NCR (51%) lead digital adoption, while Kolkata (35%) and Chennai (37%) lag.

• Automation as the Next Frontier: 74% of legal teams express strong intent to adopt automated tools for drafting, versioning, risk flagging, and reminders.

The study also outlines a seven-phase roadmap for legal departments to digitally transform, from conducting internal audits and stakeholder education to selecting scalable platforms and tracking measurable impact.

"As a leader in the digital contracts space, SignDesk has taken the initiative to publish this study to help organisations take decisive action," said Krupesh Bhat, Founder & CEO of SignDesk. "The findings show that most legal teams are stuck in outdated processes, which not only drain productivity but also pose serious compliance and risk management challenges. Our goal is to equip forward-thinking organisations with the insights they need to be future-ready in contract lifecycle management."

With this report, the SignDesk Research Council aims to spark dialogue, share actionable insights, and equip legal teams with the tools and confidence to lead digital transformation from the frontlines.

Download the report here: www.igndesk.com/survey-reports.