SBI’s Insurance Premier League: A Cross-selling Game in RRBs

The Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are witnessing a surge of cross-selling of third party products through a new evolved campaign tactic. Insurance Premier League, the high-pressure initiative, modeled on the Indian Premier League’s T20 format, has sparked competition among employees across 13 SBI-sponsored RRBs, intensifying debates on workload and priorities. 

In the recent past, the IPL campaign trail has gained significant momentum in SBI-sponsored RRBs, with a few RRBs actively witnessing the league.

Utkal Grameen Bank: Competing for Daily ‘Runs’

In Odisha’s Utkal Grameen Bank (UGB), employees are seen racing against targets under IPL-inspired metrics. The campaign assigns ‘runs’ for each policy sold—5 runs for daily targets and additional ‘boundaries’ for surpassing them. As the image reveals, regions are divided into “teams,” and league-style performance tables rank employees based on their insurance sales.

Image: IPL table in Utkal Grameen Bank 

While the gamified strategy of cross-selling has been pushed by the bank management and the sponsor bank, employees express concerns about shifting focus from core banking duties.

A member of Utkal Grameen Bank Officers Association told Kanal, “UGB’s regional offices are divided into groups and employees are given the targets to achieve. The targets achieved in terms of money are accounted as runs and performers are categorised further through glossy posters and campaign triggering the urge to cross-sell more.”

The UGBOA official also stated that intense cross-selling is resulting in massive mis-selling of TPPs to rural people, whose priorities do not include mutual funds, SBI life insurance, etc. As a result, the campaign was boycotted. It is to be noted that UGBOA was issued a show-cause notice by the UGB management for boycotting the cross-selling campaign.

Ellaquai Dehati Bank: Weekly Rankings Intensify Pressure

Ellaquai Dehati Bank (EDB), operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has also adopted the IPL format with weekly scorecards and performance reviews. The campaign rewards top-performing branch heads with tags such as ‘Star-Superstar-Megastar’ while underperformers face intense scrutiny. The displayed table ranks branches based on insurance policy sales, creating a leaderboard-style competition reminiscent of T20 cricket matches.

Image: IPL notification in Ellaqui Dehati Bank 

While raising concern over the growing commercialisation in RRBs an employee told Kanal, “Cross-selling is severely impacting the core banking operations of RRBs, diverting focus from their primary mandate of rural upliftment. Foreign tours, reviews, and structured meetings sponsored by third-party insurance companies are fostering unethical and corrupt practices.”

“Branch staff are being harassed to prioritise third-party product sales over core banking activities. This trend must be addressed urgently to protect the integrity and mission of RRBs,” the employee added.

Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank: Targets Mimic T20 Thrill

Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank (JRGB) has pushed the campaign further with its dynamic T20-like structure. As per the provided details, sales targets are promoted as ‘innings,’ and achievements—both individual and team-based—are prominently displayed. Moreover, the star performers are showcased with orange and purple caps, fostering competitive tension among employees.

Image: IPL format in JRGB its points table and star performers

As claimed by employees, aggressive push to cross-sell insurance often sidelines regular banking activities, leaving little time for core responsibilities. “This campaign might look fun from afar, but internally, it’s a sprint with no finish line to cross-selling,” remarked a JRGB staff member.

Unions in Regional Rural Banks like Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB), Telangana Grameena Bank (TGB), and Saurashtra Gramin Bank (SGB) have recently raised their voices against mounting cross-selling pressures.

The SBI-driven cross-selling push unfolds against the backdrop of the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman’s cautionary remarks to banks regarding the risks of cross-selling and mis-selling practices.

SBI’s Larger Strategy: A Double-Edged Sword

SBI’s IPL-style campaign across 13 sponsored RRBs reflects a broader strategy to drive insurance product sales through rural banking networks. While the initiative creatively engages employees, however a large section of employees and officers consider it to be a disruptor of social banking undermining financial inclusion in underserved regions.