loading
loading
Gurugram-based insurance distribution platforms InsuranceDekho and RenewBuy have completed their merger, creating a combined entity that will operate under the InsuranceDekho brand. InsuranceDekho founder and CEO Ankit Agrawal will lead the merged company, while the founders of both businesses will continue with the organisation. The combined entity claims to be India’s largest AI-enabled insurance distribution platform in terms of the insurance premium generated through POSPs in FY26. It had a premium book exceeding ₹6,600 Cr, more than 6 Lakh digital partners, and coverage across 98.57% of India’s pin codes as of March 31, 2026. Together, InsuranceDekho and RenewBuy claim to have facilitated the issuance of more than 2 Cr insurance policies since their inception. The combined platform offers more than 750 insurance products across motor, health, life, travel, commercial, and corporate insurance through partnerships with 52 insurers. The merger brings together InsuranceDekho’s presence across northern and western India with RenewBuy’s network in southern India. The companies are positioning the combined business as a pan-India insurance distribution platform capable of competing with players such as Policybazaar, Turtlemint, and Acko. Both Agrawal and RenewBuy CEO Balachander Sekhar emphasised three priorities for the merged entity — combining the companies’ technology and distribution capabilities, providing better tools to insurance partners, and expanding access to insurance across India. Against this backdrop, Inc42 caught up with Agrawal to understand the rationale behind the merger, the capabilities RenewBuy brings to the combined business, how the companies plan to integrate their networks, technology, and teams, and where the combination could create new growth opportunities. Here are the edited excerpts from the conversation: Inc42: Why was a merger the right route for InsuranceDekho and RenewBuy instead of continuing to scale independently? What can the combined company achieve that either business could not have achieved on its own? Ankit Agrawal: The consolidation brings together complementary strengths. InsuranceDekho has a strong presence across northern and western India, while RenewBuy has a strong presence in southern India. Both organisations also bring their respective technological capabilities and relationships with insurers to the table. More importantly, both organisations share the same underlying belief that India’s digital insurance partners are the backbone of financial protection for crores of families, especially in Bharat. Together, we can build a single pan-India platform. Our immediate focus is on disciplined execution and ensuring that the integration is seamless. Inc42: Besides strengthening InsuranceDekho’s presence in southern India, what capabilities, distribution strengths, or customer segments does RenewBuy bring to the combined business? Ankit Agrawal: RenewBuy brings strong on-ground relationships, a well-established advisor network across southern India, its technology stack, and its insurer relationships. These capabilities are strong on their own and will now combine with ours to create a broader, more comprehensive platform. While InsuranceDekho has a strong foothold in northern and western India, our presence in southern India is still growing. With RenewBuy’s reach and technology stack, the combined business will have a level of pan-India depth that neither company could offer independently. Inc42: What does the combined business look like in terms of premiums facilitated, customers, products, and the agent or POSP network? Ankit Agrawal: The combined business serves more than 2 Cr customers and has a premium book exceeding ₹6,600 Cr. The merged entity offers more than 750 insurance products across categories from 52 insurance providers. The merger makes InsuranceDekho India’s largest AI-enabled insurance distribution platform by insurance premium generated through POSPs in FY26. With more than 6 Lakh digital partners, the combined business can reach customers across India at scale. Inc42: You are bringing together two large distribution networks and technology stacks. What does the integration timeline look like, and which parts do you expect to be the most complex? Ankit Agrawal: Integration is our immediate priority, and we are approaching it with disciplined execution. There are three key elements we need to bring together: two advisor networks, two technology stacks, and two sets of insurer relationships. We want to ensure that these elements come together without disrupting the experience of the people who use the platform, particularly our partners and customers. Inc42: With Balachander Sekhar and RenewBuy’s other founders continuing with the merged entity, how will leadership responsibilities and decision-making be divided? Ankit Agrawal: Both founding teams will continue with the combined organisation. That was a deliberate choice because we wanted continuity in leadership and execution, rather than a transition that would disrupt what is already working. Balachander and RenewBuy’s other founders will continue to lead the strengths they have built, particularly around the advisor network and relationships. Decision-making across the combined business will remain collaborative, with both leadership teams participating in those discussions. Inc42: There will inevitably be overlaps across teams, management, and functions. How are you approaching these overlaps, and should employees expect any restructuring as part of the integration? Ankit Agrawal: As with any two organisations coming together, there will be some overlaps. However, our priority during this transition is to bring together the best of both organisations. We want to approach this thoughtfully and ensure that we do what is right for our employees, partners, and customers. Inc42: India’s insurance distribution market is becoming increasingly competitive, while insurers are also strengthening their own direct and digital channels. What does the combination allow you to do differently, and where do you see your competitive advantage? Ankit Agrawal: Insurers strengthening their direct and digital channels changes the market, but it does not change what gets a family covered: trust carried by an advisor, not just an app. That has always been our core belief, and it is now backed by a combined network of more than 6 Lakh digital partners across 98.57% of India’s pin codes. This combination allows us to bring together two advisor networks, two technology stacks, and two sets of insurer relationships on a single platform, rather than two smaller platforms competing for the same reach. Our advantage is not just technology or distribution. It is the combination of both in a way that neither company could offer independently. Inc42: Between motor, health, life, and commercial insurance, where do you see the biggest growth opportunity for the combined platform over the next three to five years? Ankit Agrawal: We see growth opportunities across all four segments: motor, health, life, and commercial insurance. The combined platform improves our ability to serve all these segments better, simultaneously, through the same advisor network and technology infrastructure across every part of the country we now reach. The larger opportunity lies in bringing these categories together. For example, the same trusted advisor who has sold motor insurance to a family for years can also help it access health and life insurance. This ability to cross-sell across categories at the scale we now have is what the combination unlocks.
document fetched 2026-09-02 06:33 · canonical https://inc42.com/features/insurancedekho-renewbuy-ankit-agrawal-on-making-of-a-pan-india-insurance-distribution-giant