Problem Statement

ICICI Bank had partial banking penetration within DIAL’s ₹33,000 crore airport ecosystem, which includes over 550 entities—comprising DIAL itself, JVs, third-party concessionaires, and cargo stakeholders. While ICICI held 100% coverage for DIAL, their presence among concessionaires and allied services was limited.

The challenge was to:

• Expand ICICI’s presence across underpenetrated verticals (retail, cargo, lounges, etc.)
• Identify digital disruption opportunities in a legacy-heavy infrastructure
• Create a differentiated banking playbook across both aeronautical and non-aeronautical services

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Our Approach

1. Ecosystem Mapping & Data Analysis

• Mapped ₹33,000 crore in annual transactions across >550 entities in the DIAL ecosystem.
• Assessed current banking product penetration (term loans, WC, POS, UPI, co-branded cards).
• Segmented stakeholders: DIAL, JVs, 3rd-party concessionaires, cargo players, and retailers.

2. Opportunity Sizing & Financial Benchmarking

• Identified high-potential areas like lounge banking, air cargo finance (~₹7,500 cr/mo), co-branded cards, and meet & greet services (CAGR 30%).
• Deep dived into unit economics and cost heads across major concessionaires to identify customized lending, payment and BNPL solutions.
• Developed a prioritization matrix based on market readiness, competition intensity, and ICICI’s strategic fit.

3. Product & GTM Strategy Design

• Recommended new digital-first solutions: UDF split-at-source, unscheduled airline slot booking, cargo terminal payment gateways.
• Created business cases including GTM plans for co-branded credit cards (launched with Hoi), digital lounges, and smart POS ecosystems.
• Defined API-led integration with DIAL’s app for seamless payments and passenger journey mapping.

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Impact Delivered

✅ Strategic Alliances & Debt Placement

• ₹800 cr subscribed by ICICI and other investors in DIAL’s bond issuance for capex funding (ET News confirmed).
• ₹400 cr MoU signed with Pushpak Airport Leasing Finance based on our recommendation.
• MoU signed to launch co-branded credit card with GMR Group, offering exclusive services (e.g., 10% on meet & greet via Hoi).

✅ Productization & Execution Enablement

• Full ecosystem GTM roadmap for ICICI including Lounge Banking, Cargo Finance, Travel App Integration, and Digital Lending backed by OCEN/AA stack.
• Identified ₹2,600 cr+ worth of non-digitized transactions for immediate digital capture via ICICI-led solutions.
• Replicable model created for scaling to other airports (Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa) with expected 8–10x growth in 4–5 years.

✅ Positioning ICICI as Digital Leader

• Shifted ICICI from a traditional bank to a fintech enabler within the airport infrastructure space.
• Designed proprietary frameworks around digital penetration, product-market fit, and competitive banking innovation.

Sample works: