Bima Sugam: One-Stop Platform for All Insurance Needs

Bima Sugam is like one giant, safe online mall for insurance, which both insurers, customers and intermediaries can use. In one place, customers will be able to find insurance plans, compare them, buy the one they like, keep their policy safely online, and ask for help if something goes wrong. Similarly, insurers and intermediaries will be able to use the platform to sell and manage their policies.

Bima Sugam is being built as part of India’s official digital rails for insurance, backed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). It is a public utility, not a private seller site.

By making insurance easier to access and simpler to use, Bima Sugam is set to become a key part of India’s journey toward “Insurance for All.” Read this article to know what Bima Sugam is exactly, why it has been created, who can use it, and its features and benefits.

Bima Sugam is a one-stop solution and digital marketplace for insurance products and services. Through the Bima Sugam portal, insurance buyers and insurers can interact, enabling the purchase and sale of insurance policies in one place. Initiated by IRDAI, the platform is designed to digitise and automate the entire insurance lifecycle, from 56policy purchase to claim settlement.

Bima Sugam was launched on September 17, 2025, by Bima Sugam India Federation (BSIF).

It brings together all key stakeholders, including insurance companies, policyholders, intermediaries, insurance repositories, and external data sources, onto a single, integrated platform. Users can access a wide range of insurance types, including life, health, motor, travel, property, and agriculture insurance.

India’s insurance penetration is around 1%, far below the global average of 3.9% (1). To address this gap and achieve the national vision of "Insurance for All by 2047," IRDAI introduced Bima Sugam in 2024. It is designed to provide simple, fair, and transparent access to insurance for every Indian citizen, regardless of location or tech familiarity.

The platform aims to accelerate digital adoption, improve customer experience, foster innovation and competition, and serve as a model for other developing economies.

• To Boost Digital Adoption: With India projected to become the 6th largest insurance market by 2032, Bima Sugam aims to accelerate digital adoption in the sector.
• To Simplify Insurance: The platform focuses on streamlining the process of purchasing, renewing, and managing insurance.
• To Make Insurance Accessible for All: The platform is designed to reduce complexity for first-time buyers and enable its access to semi-urban and rural areas.
• To Drive Innovation and Competition: Bima Sugam fosters innovation by encouraging insurers to develop new and more flexible products to cater to a broader customer base.
• To Serve as a Global Inspiration: With its goal to increase insurance penetration, Bima Sugam is not only setting a precedent for India but also aims to become a model for other emerging economies looking to boost their own insurance sectors.

The Bima Sugam platform can be used by:

• General Public
• Insurance Companies
• Intermediaries
• Insurance Aggregators
• Regulators

The platform offers several features customised for customers, insurers and intermediaries to enable them to explore, buy, sell and manage policies online efficiently.

Key Features For Customers

• Single Digital ID (Bima Pehchaan): Customers can access and manage all their insurance policies through one secure digital ID.
• Unified Dashboard: Policies across life, health, motor, travel, and other insurance types are visible on a single dashboard for easy management.
• Instant Online Purchase and Payment: Users can buy policies instantly online and complete payments securely without visiting physical offices.
  
• Aadhaar-based e-KYC: Paperless onboarding is enabled through Aadhaar-based verification, making the process faster and simpler.
• Seamless Claims Submission: Customers can submit claims and track their status in real-time through the platform.
  
• Single-Window Servicing: All policy servicing requests, including updates and renewals, can be managed in one place.

Key Features For Intermediaries

• Unified Dashboard: Intermediaries can discover products from multiple partner insurers and manage them from one dashboard.
• Quote Generation and Policy Selling: The platform allows seamless generation of quotes and online policy sales.
  
• Digital Onboarding of Customers: Intermediaries can onboard customers digitally while ensuring all processes comply with IRDAI regulations.

Key Features For Insurers

• Customised Product Listings: Insurers can offer their products on the platform and reach new customer segments.
• End-to-End Digital Policy Lifecycle: Policies can be issued, serviced, and claims managed entirely digitally, improving efficiency.
• Automated Compliance and Audit Trails: The platform maintains regulatory compliance automatically while providing audit capabilities.
• Integration with India Stack APIs: Insurers can process KYC, payments, and onboarding digitally, enabling faster go-to-market for new products.

Here’s a step-by-step look at how a user will use the Bima Sugam platform:

What Can Insurance Buyers Do on the Bima Sugam Portal?

• Registration: Users can sign up easily with Aadhaar-based KYC or any valid ID proof.
• E-Bima Account: Once registered, a secure online account will be created to store all insurance policies in one place.
• Search and Compare: The platform will show policies from different insurers with standard details, making it simple to compare options.
• Buy Policies: Users can purchase policies online with instant documents and safe payment options.
• Policy Services: After buying, policyholders can renew, update details, port policies, cancel if needed, and get quick support.
• Claims: Claims can be filed and tracked online, while insurers and TPAs will handle verification and settlement faster through the platform.

What Can Insurers Do on the Bima Sugam Portal?

• Platform Integration: Insurers will connect to Bima Sugam using standardised APIs.
• Product Listing: Insurance products will be uploaded in a standardised format, making them easily accessible and comparable for users.
• Digital Policy Issuance: Policies will be issued digitally with instant e-documentation and secure processing.
• Customer Data Access: Insurers will securely access a centralised KYC (Know Your Customer) repository and a unique customer ID to personalise offerings and improve risk assessment.
• Service Management: Insurers will handle renewals, updates, cancellations, and porting requests directly through the platform.

The platform offers distinct benefits for customers, intermediaries, and insurers, ensuring that all stakeholders experience a more efficient, secure, and seamless insurance ecosystem.

Benefits For Customers

• Unified and Secure Access: Customers can manage all insurance policies securely through a single digital ID linked to Aadhaar, PAN, and mobile, offering convenience and privacy.
• Simplified Policy Management: The platform simplifies policy management by allowing easy claims, nominee updates, grievance redressal, and seamless servicing.
• Cost, Time, and Transparency Advantages: Users can save time and money by comparing policies, choosing the best options, purchasing online, and understanding coverage and pricing clearly.
• Financial Inclusion and Continuity: Bima Sugam promotes financial inclusion by providing access to insurance in both urban and rural areas, ensuring uninterrupted coverage even when switching insurers.

Benefits For Intermediaries (Agents and Brokers):

• Verified Digital Identity: Intermediaries get a verified digital identity, secure access to multiple insurers, and a trustworthy presence in the marketplace.
• Streamlined Client Management: The platform streamlines client management, enabling digital onboarding, product discovery, policy sales, and servicing from a single dashboard.
  

Benefits For Insurers

• Market Expansion and Product Innovation: Insurers can use Bima Sugam to reach new customer segments, offer customised products, and leverage the digital platform to expand their presence.
• Operational Efficiency and Compliance: The platform enables insurers to manage the end-to-end policy lifecycle digitally, including issuance, servicing, and claims; ensures regulatory compliance, mitigates fraud, and provides automated audit trails.
  
• Digital Integration and Faster Go-to-Market: Insurers can integrate seamlessly with India Stack APIs to perform KYC, process payments, and onboard customers digitally.

The portal is in its initial stage, where it displays the inception, mission, vision, values, regulatory guidelines and general information regarding the upcoming services. It also has calculator features such as Human Life Value Calculator, BMI Calculator, Retirement Planning Calculator and Child Education Planner Calculator.

The Bima Sugam portal is expected to become fully functional for the general public in phases starting in December 2025.

Here’s what to expect:

• The first phase will go live, enabling basic features like comparing and purchasing insurance policies.
• Additional services such as claim settlement and policy renewal will be introduced gradually as insurers and ecosystem partners complete their tech integrations.
• Security, compliance, and scalability are key priorities during this phased launch.