Bharti AXA bullish on Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Life insurance player Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company has lined up major expansion plans in Kerala.

The company, which currently operates in Kozhikode and Kochi, opened its third branch in the state in Thiruvananthapuram this week.

The company plans to expand its presence in the state to 13 branches - Kottayam, Thrissur, Kollam, Kannur, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad and Thiruvalla by December this year.

According to Bharti AXA Life Chief Operating Officer Tim Thomas, while the Kerala market as a whole is characterised by a powerful combination of high literacy rate and good disposable incomes, Thiruvananthapuram, in particular, is home to a large educated and urbanised population.

As the largest and most populous city of Kerala, and a major academic hub, the city provides us a good opportunity to offer our quality financial protection and wealth management services to this large and potential market".

"The company would continue to expand its footprint in the state to fully tap its growth potential. We will make a difference for our customers here through well-performing products, highly qualified advisors and a world-class customer service platform," he added.

In addition to the Thiruvananthapuram branch, Bharti AXA Life has also extended presence in Airtel Relationship Centres (ARCs), where Bharti Airtel customers would have access to a range of life insurance services and advice on financial protection.

The company's initiative at the ARCs includes dedicated financial advisors supported with relevant branding and product literature.

Thomas said, "In Thiruvananthapuram, we will be present in two ARCs by the end of February. We will establish our presence in ARCs across Kerala covering Kottayam, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kollam by March 2008. We are already present in four ARCs in Kochi."

"The ARC initiative is a part of Bharti AXA Life's distribution channel, Telcassurance, aimed at reaching out to the 57 million national telecom customer base of Bharti Airtel," the COO pointed out.