Distribution Mix Paradox of Private Bank Originated Life Insurance Entities in India: The Intriguing Case of ICICI Prudential and HDFC Life

Life Insurance distribution globally is in a transitory phase and India is no exception. A clutch of factors like regulations, inroads made by technology in the set up, newer interventions etc. have meant that the distribution landscape is still coming to terms as far as a settled system is concerned. Dynamic as it was understood to be, nevertheless the distribution has seen a paradigm shift over the years. As a microcosm of the bigger life insurance scenario, the distribution is evolving so to say, and to figure out the best workable model in distribution is a big challenge. What makes it all the more intriguing in India, are the company ownership structures especially those involving banks as promoters of a life insurance firm. This study is an earnest attempt on part of the authors to bring to the fore, a never before highlighted conundrum, that of private bank originated life insurance firms having considerably different distribution set-ups. To that end, the study analyses the distribution mixes of two private bank originated firms – HDFC Standard Life and ICICI Prudential and explain the aforesaid paradox. The distribution trends of the above companies for the last five years have been taken. We believe that the study has serious potential to shed vital insights in the strategic decision making of companies and provide a food for thought for the practitioners.