SBI Life Insurance has appointed Vishal Bhatia as its Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO). Confirming the development, Bhatia shared, “Thrilled to share that I have joined SBI Life Insurance Limited as Chief Information Technology & Digital Officer (CIDO), Mumbai. Blessed with God’s grace and the best wishes of my family, friends, and mentors. Excited to collaborate with the dynamic teams at SBI Life and ecosystem to shape the next phase of Digital and Technology transformation, innovation powered by AI and be part of exciting future growth for this esteemed organization and customer centric solutions.”
Bhatia brings with him over 24 years of experience across the banking and financial services sector, with expertise spanning retail, MSME, agriculture, corporate loans, wealth management, liabilities, trade finance, payments, cards, ATM, and merchant management solutions. Of these, the last 14 years have been in leadership roles, driving strategy and execution in areas such as digital transformation, technology, fintech, API banking, data, and AI.
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During his career, Bhatia has built more than 40 products and implemented over 400 applications, including platforms capable of scaling to serve more than 10 crore customers. He has led teams of 500+ members and played a pivotal role in setting up IDFC First Bank, Deutsche Bank, and ABN Amro Bank in India from the ground up, overseeing vendor selection, implementation, integrations, and go-live operations.
Most recently, at Canara Bank, Bhatia was at the helm of digital transformation initiatives, helping the bank secure the first position in MeitY’s digital rankings for three consecutive years. His earlier leadership roles include serving as CTO at Kotak Mahindra Bank, where he developed the “Kotak Cherry” wealth management and investment platform, which catered to over 1.5 crore customers.
His professional journey also spans key roles at Societe Generale, Infosys, and IDFC Bank, giving him a wide-ranging perspective across PSU, private, foreign banks, and IT services. An active committee member with RBI Innovation, NPCI (UPI, IMPS, Rupay), and the Indian Banks’ Association, Bhatia has also worked extensively with leading technology stacks and core banking platforms such as Finacle, TCS Bancs, and Oracle Flexcube.
With his appointment, SBI Life Insurance aims to accelerate its digital and technology-driven transformation journey, strengthening customer-centric solutions while advancing its innovation agenda.
