SBI Life Insurance has appointed Vishal Bhatia as its Chief Information Technology & Digital Officer (CIDO), based in Mumbai. Bhatia brings more than 24 years of experience in digital transformation, strategy and execution across the banking and financial services sector.
In his new role, he will oversee SBI Life’s technology and digital initiatives, with a strong emphasis on driving innovation, customer-centric solutions and AI-powered transformation to support the insurer’s growth plans.
Prior to this appointment, Bhatia served as Chief Digital Officer at Canara Bank, where he led large-scale digital programmes capable of supporting more than 10 crore customers. His initiatives helped the bank secure the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s top ranking for digital adoption for three consecutive years, a recognition of its success in expanding digital banking channels and customer engagement.
Earlier, he was Chief Technology Officer at Kotak Mahindra Bank, where he built the wealth and investment platform Kotak Cherry, which reached over 1.5 crore customers. He also played a major role in setting up IDFC First Bank from the ground up, managing technology selections, integrations and implementations. His career has also included senior leadership roles at Société Générale, ABN Amro and Infosys, giving him wide exposure across public sector, private and foreign banks as well as IT services.
Bhatia has contributed to India’s broader digital finance ecosystem as an active member of the RBI Innovation Committee, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Indian Banks’ Association. He has been involved in shaping landmark innovations such as UPI, IMPS and RuPay, which have transformed the country’s payment infrastructure.
Announcing the move, Bhatia said he was “thrilled” to join SBI Life and looked forward to working with the teams and partners to “shape the next phase of digital and technology transformation, innovation powered by AI and customer-centric growth.”
SBI Life, one of India’s largest private life insurers, has been steadily enhancing its digital and technology capabilities to align with evolving customer expectations and regulatory priorities. The CIDO role is seen as pivotal to its next phase of expansion.
Bhatia holds an MBA in Finance from ICFAI University, Hyderabad and a degree in Electronics Engineering from Nagpur University.
