India's TCS signs $1.1 bln contract with UK's Nest

BENGALURU, June 21 (Reuters) - Indias top IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) said on Wednesday that it has signed a new contract worth 840 million pounds ($1.1 billion) with British pension scheme Nest for an initial tenure of 10 years.

The contract, to help Nest transform its administration services, if extended to the entirety of its 18-year tenure would be worth 1.5 billion pounds, TCS said in a statement.

The deal comes at a time when Indian IT services companies are facing demand challenges in their key markets, the United States and Europe, where clients have cut spends amid worries about recession.

TCS and Nest have been working together since 2011.

Last week, TCS mutually terminated a $2 billion contract with insurance provider Transamerica, citing reasons that include a challenging macro environment.

Investors now await an updated view from Indias IT companies which are due to report their quarterly results next month after they flagged uncertain demand environment in April.

In response to the slowdown, the companies are slashing hiring and getting projects done with existing workers, a rare pullback that could weigh on the countrys economy.

TCS shares are up 2.1% so far this year, underperforming nearly 4% gains in broader Nifty 50 index (.NSEI).

($1 = 0.7844 pounds)