Introduction
SBI Card is India's second-largest credit card issuer, with about 18.6% of cards in force as of March 2026. The market is changing quickly. RuPay credit cards can now be linked to UPI, so a credit card can be used at any small merchant with a QR code. Google Pay and other UPI apps are becoming a distribution channel for cards, and SBI Card has launched the fully digital Google Pay Flex SBI Card. Growth is shifting to smaller cities and new-to-credit customers, while regulators watch unsecured lending closely. The prompt asks how SBI Card should compete as credit cards move onto UPI. I'll clarify the goals, analyse the market, set a vision and roadmap, prioritise initiatives, plan execution, define KPIs, manage risks and summarise.
The key question is who owns the customer. When a card lives inside Google Pay, SBI Card risks becoming an invisible balance sheet. A strong answer balances fast growth through partners with building direct relationships.
Step 1
Clarify the Strategic Goals (3-4 minutes)
Questions for the interviewer:
- What is the main goal: market share, profitable growth or customer quality? Hypothetical answer: Grow cards in force and spends while keeping credit costs stable.
- Which customers? New-to-credit and smaller-city customers are the growth pool; existing customers should not be ignored.
- Timeframe? Three years.
- Constraints? RBI rules on co-branding and card issuance, unsecured lending risk weights, and SBI Card's cost of funds.
Reframed goal: Make SBI Card the leading credit card on UPI for India's next 5 crore card users, while keeping credit costs within risk appetite.
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