The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex body representing India’s automobile retail industry, successfully concluded the fifth edition of its Finance and Insurance (F&I) Summit 2026 at Aurika, Mumbai Skycity.
The summit brought together leaders from India’s banking, finance, insurance and automobile retail sectors to discuss the evolving landscape of vehicle ownership and dealership viability. Serving as a key platform for collaboration between dealers, bankers and insurers, the event focused on the three pillars that drive dealership growth and profitability – wholesale finance, retail finance and insurance – while exploring emerging opportunities and challenges in vehicle financing and customer protection.
The event was graced by Dr. Pankaj Kanchan Rajesh Bhoyar, Minister of State for Home (Rural), Government of Maharashtra, as the Guest of Honour. The summit featured an extensive agenda with participation from senior industry leaders, including Dr. Rajan Pental, Executive Director, YES BANK; Raul Rebello, MD & CEO, Mahindra Finance; and Abhinav Garg, Head – Product & Partnership Governance, AU Small Finance Bank, among others.
A key highlight of the summit was the release of the third edition of the FADA Dealer Satisfaction Study for Finance and Insurance. Based on feedback from more than 700 dealerships across India, the study revealed an overall improvement in dealer satisfaction across wholesale finance, retail finance and insurance disbursements. At the same time, it identified important areas for improvement, particularly the need for enhanced training in the commercial vehicle (CV) segment and stronger funding support for the used-vehicle market.
Delivering the Presidential Address, C. S. Vigneshwar, President, FADA, highlighted the interdependence between dealers and their financial partners. “If an automobile dealership were a human body, the OEM is our heart, pumping the product lifeblood. Wholesale finance is the bloodstream – the working capital that must flow freely to keep the body energetic. Retail finance is our legs, allowing the customer to walk out with a vehicle, while insurance is our immune system, protecting us when the unexpected occurs. The dealer is the face the customer trusts, but you cannot have a healthy face on an unhealthy body. It takes all four of us – the OEM, the financier, the insurer and the dealer – working in perfect relay to serve the customer.”
Vigneshwar further urged dealers to adopt two essential practices for future success – conducting monthly reconciliation of all payouts and commissions, and continuously investing in the training of their F&I teams. He noted that F&I income is no longer merely “the icing on the cake”, but has become “a load-bearing wall of dealership viability.”
He also highlighted areas where dealer partners expect improvements across finance and insurance. “Our dealer partners have highlighted a few key areas for improvement across finance and insurance. In wholesale finance, they expect more transparent, demand-led funding and quicker transmission of interest rate reductions. In retail finance, there is a strong need for more robust used-vehicle funding solutions and smoother reconciliation processes. In insurance, faster claims settlements and stronger protection of dealer-led customer relationships remain critical priorities.”The summit concluded with the F&I Awards, recognising outstanding partners for excellence in disbursements, policy issuance and claims turnaround. FADA also reaffirmed its commitment to establishing clearly defined service commitments to ensure that India’s growth story continues unhindered by operational bottlenecks.