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DPDP Insights › Banking, financial services and insurance › Sales department

DPDP for the Sales department in BFSI

Reviewed by InfraVeritas360 ResearchFirst published Last reviewed

Sources: DPDP Act, 2023 and DPDP Rules, 2025 (MeitY) · RBI KYC Master Direction · RBI · RBI · RBI

Relationship managers, DSAs and branch sales teams hold lead lists and customer contacts. Consent decides which leads they may call.

Written for: Sales department, Banking, financial services and insurance. Open this seat in the interactive tool

What is different here

Branch targets push cross-selling of insurance, cards and loans, and that is where consent is tested most. DSAs and connectors often keep their own lead lists, which may have no consent record. Leads bought from aggregators need proof of consent before anyone calls them.

The first four things to sort out

  1. Call only leads that show a consent record in the CRM.
  2. Share leads through the CRM, never on chat groups.
  3. Ask DSAs where each lead came from.
  4. Log a customer's stop request the same day.

A worked example

Sales department

A DSA sends loan leads from its own list

  1. Week 1A DSA sends a spreadsheet of personal loan leads.
  2. Week 1Sales asks for the consent source. The DSA can show a web form for some leads; the rest came from an old contact list.
  3. Week 2Only leads with a consent source go into the CRM. The DSA is reminded of the data schedule in its agreement.
  4. AfterDSA leads are accepted only through the partner portal, with a consent field.

Evidence kept

  • Lead file and consent proof
  • Note on leads not accepted
  • Reminder to the DSA
  • Portal change

Accept a lead only with its consent source.

What others in the sector usually do. Many sales teams start by moving lead sharing into the CRM, so the consent record travels with the lead.

Where it usually goes wrong, by organisation type

Organisation typeHotspots
Scheduled commercial bankCross-selling insurance and mutual funds on account terms; Business correspondent devices and paper forms in villages; Old core banking archives with no deletion path
Co-operative bank (urban or rural)Vendor-run core banking with admin access from the vendor's office; Member and share registers kept on open shelves; Directors and staff who are also members and relatives of borrowers
NBFC and digital lenderApps asking for contacts, photos and call logs; Collection agents sharing borrower details with family or employers; Leads bought from aggregators with no consent record
Insurance company (life, general or health)Medical reports passed to TPAs and hospitals by email; Agent and broker access to policyholder data; Claims data kept long after the claim is closed
Broking, depository and wealthAuthorised persons with client lists on personal phones; Research-tip calls to people who never consented; Client KYC copies shared over email with partners
Payments and fintechCard numbers in logs and support tickets; Merchant onboarding documents in shared drives; Fraud models that use data beyond what users were told

8 questions the Sales department asks, answered in full

Can we cross-sell insurance, cards or mutual funds to existing customers?

Short answer: Only with separate, specific consent

Only with specific consent for that purpose. Account opening terms do not count as consent to receive offers or to have data shared with a partner insurer or fund house. Service messages about the customer's own account are different and do not need marketing consent.

What the law says

Section 6 needs specific consent for each purpose. Section 5 needs a notice that names the purpose. Section 6 · Section 5 · Rule 3 · Section 8(1)–(2)

Steps
  1. Separate service messages from offers in your systems.
  2. Ask consent for offers and partner sharing separately, by channel.
  3. Record consent by purpose and partner.
  4. Check the record before each campaign.
  5. Pass withdrawals to partners the same day.
Evidence to keep
  • Consent records by purpose and partner
  • Campaign approval with consent check
  • Withdrawal logs
Common mistakes
  • Using account terms as consent
  • Partners calling from their own lists
  • Withdrawal not reaching partners

What can our lending or banking app collect from a phone?

Short answer: Need-based only, with explicit consent

Only what you need, with explicit consent. RBI's Digital Lending Directions already bar access to contacts, files, media and call logs, and allow one-time access to camera, microphone or location for onboarding or KYC. DPDP adds a notice, the right to withdraw and the right to know what was collected.

What the law says

Section 6 needs consent limited to what is necessary. RBI's Digital Lending Directions, 2025 set specific limits. Section 6 · Section 5 · Rule 3 · Section 8(5) · Rule 6

Steps
  1. List every permission the app asks for.
  2. Remove permissions not needed.
  3. Ask camera and location only at the KYC step.
  4. Show the notice in the app before sign-up.
  5. Check partner apps the same way.
Evidence to keep
  • Permission list with reasons
  • App store listing
  • Partner app review
Common mistakes
  • Contacts permission for 'reference checks'
  • Third-party analytics SDKs collecting device data
  • Partner apps not reviewed

Can we send offers to past customers and leads?

Short answer: Only with separate consent and an easy way to stop

Marketing needs consent that is separate and specific, unless the person clearly expects it from the relationship. Bought or scraped lead lists are risky because you cannot show consent. Every message should carry an easy way to stop.

From your seat: Sales department. Use only leads with a consent source.
Example in BFSI

Telemarketing must follow TRAI's preference rules as well as DPDP consent.

What the law says

Section 6 sets the consent standard. Section 5 needs a notice. Section 9 bars targeted advertising at children. Section 6 · Section 5 · Rule 3 · Section 9 · Rules 10, 12

Steps
  1. Separate service messages from marketing messages.
  2. Ask marketing consent separately, with a clear action.
  3. Stop using bought lists unless the seller can show consent for you.
  4. Add an easy stop option to every message.
  5. Respect the telecom preference rules for calls and SMS.
Evidence to keep
  • Marketing consent records
  • Lead source records
  • Stop requests and their handling
Common mistakes
  • Treating account sign-up as marketing consent
  • Agency lists with no consent proof
  • A stop option that does not work

Someone withdraws consent. What has to stop, and how fast?

Short answer: Stop that use quickly, across every system and vendor

Withdrawal must be as easy as giving consent. Once someone withdraws, you and every vendor working for you must stop that use within a reasonable time. What was done before withdrawal stays lawful, and data that a law requires you to keep is kept.

From your seat: Sales department. Stop requests take effect the same day.
Example in BFSI

A customer taps 'stop offers' in the app. The dialler, SMS tool and partner insurer must all stop within a day.

What the law says

Section 6(4) to 6(6) give the right to withdraw at any time, with the same ease, and require processors to stop as well. Section 8(7) then asks for erasure unless a law requires retention. Section 6 · Section 8(7) · Rule 8 · Section 8(1)–(2)

Steps
  1. Give one simple way to withdraw on every channel where consent is taken.
  2. Record the withdrawal against the person and the purpose.
  3. Push the change to every system and vendor that uses that purpose.
  4. Confirm to the person, in writing, what has stopped and what is kept by law.
  5. Check a sample every month to see that the change actually reached every list.
Evidence to keep
  • Withdrawal log with time stamps
  • Proof that downstream systems and vendors updated
  • Confirmation sent to the person
Common mistakes
  • Withdrawal by email only, while consent was one tap in an app
  • Stopping in the main system but not in vendor lists
  • Deleting records a law requires you to keep

Staff share personal data on WhatsApp and personal email. What do we do?

Short answer: Yes, this is a common breach; give staff a safer option

Sending personal data to the wrong chat or a personal account is one of the most common breaches. Banning messaging rarely works. Give staff an approved tool that is easy to use, set simple rules, and make it safe to report a wrong send at once.

From your seat: Sales department. No customer lists on personal chat.
Example in BFSI

Relationship managers share lead lists and statements on chat. Give them a CRM route.

What the law says

Section 8(5) asks for reasonable safeguards. A wrong send is a breach under Section 2(u), and Section 8(6) applies. Section 8(5) · Rule 6 · Section 8(6) · Rule 7

Steps
  1. Ask teams how they actually share files and photos today.
  2. Provide an approved tool for that job.
  3. Set three simple rules: approved tool, no personal accounts, report wrong sends.
  4. Teach the rules with real examples from your own work.
  5. Treat a quick report as good behaviour, not a disciplinary case.
Evidence to keep
  • Approved-tool policy
  • Training record
  • Incident reports of wrong sends
Common mistakes
  • A ban with no alternative
  • Punishing people who report
  • Ignoring group chats with vendors

What about call recordings and customer service screens?

Short answer: Yes, with notice, a retention period and masking

Call recordings, chat transcripts and agent screens hold a lot of personal data. Tell callers that calls are recorded and why, keep recordings for a set period, limit who can listen, and mask card numbers and passwords on screen and in recordings.

From your seat: Sales department. Follow TRAI rules for calls and SMS.
Example in BFSI

Never record card numbers or OTPs. Pause recording when customers read them out.

What the law says

Section 5 needs notice, Section 8(5) needs safeguards, and Section 8(7) needs erasure after the purpose. Section 5 · Rule 3 · Section 8(5) · Rule 6 · Section 8(7) · Rule 8

Steps
  1. Play a short recording notice at the start of calls.
  2. Set a retention period by call type.
  3. Pause recording when card or other sensitive details are given.
  4. Limit replay rights to quality and complaint teams.
  5. Lock agent screens and stop phones on the floor if data is sensitive.
Evidence to keep
  • Recording notice script
  • Retention settings
  • Replay access list
Common mistakes
  • Recordings kept indefinitely
  • Card numbers in recordings
  • Open replay access for all supervisors

Someone asks what data we hold about them. What do we send?

Short answer: Yes, a clear summary, inside the published timeline

Send a summary of the personal data you hold about them and what you do with it, and the names of the other organisations you shared it with and what was shared. Check the person's identity first, log the request and keep a copy of your reply.

From your seat: Sales department. Pass data requests to the DPO's register.
Example in BFSI

The summary should list partner insurers, credit bureaus and collection agencies that received data.

What the law says

Section 11 gives the right to a summary and the list of organisations it was shared with. Rule 14 asks you to publish how requests are made and to answer within the period you publish. Sections 11–14 · Rule 14 · Section 8(9)–(10) · Rules 9, 14

Steps
  1. Log the request in one register the day it arrives.
  2. Verify identity using details you already hold.
  3. Search every system, including vendors' copies.
  4. Write a plain summary: what data, why it is used, who received it.
  5. Send it, and file the request, search notes and reply.
Evidence to keep
  • Request register
  • Search notes for each request
  • Copy of each reply with date
Common mistakes
  • Sending raw database dumps
  • Forgetting data held by vendors
  • No identity check before sending

The sections you will use most

Other rules that sit alongside DPDP

RuleWhat it saysWhat it means alongside DPDPSource
Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 and RBI KYC Master Direction, 2016Keep transaction records for at least five years from the transaction, and identity records for at least five years after the relationship ends.These periods override an erasure request. Explain the retention to the customer and stop every other use.RBI KYC Master Direction
RBI Master Direction on IT Governance, Risk, Controls and Assurance Practices, 2023In force from 1 April 2024 for commercial banks, larger NBFCs, credit information companies and all-India financial institutions. Requires IT governance under the board, audit trails, logging and incident reporting to CERT-In and RBI.Most of the DPDP security duty is already here. Map controls once and use the evidence for both.RBI
RBI Master Direction on Outsourcing of IT Services, 2023The regulated entity stays responsible for outsourced IT, with contracts, audit rights and exit plans.Line up DPDP processor contracts with this direction, so one schedule meets both.RBI
RBI direction on storage of payment system data, 2018All data relating to payment systems must be stored only in India.This is stricter than DPDP Section 16, and it continues to apply.RBI
RBI rules on card storage and tokenisation (from 1 October 2022)Only card issuers and card networks may store actual card data. Others use tokens, created with the cardholder's explicit consent.Check logs, call recordings and support tickets for card numbers.RBI
RBI (Digital Lending) Directions, 2025Collect only need-based data with prior explicit consent and an audit trail. Apps should not access contacts, files, media or call logs; one-time access to camera, microphone or location is allowed for onboarding or KYC with consent.Your app permissions and lending partner contracts are where DPDP and RBI meet.RBI
IRDAI Information and Cyber Security Guidelines, 2023Report cyber incidents to CERT-In within six hours, and to IRDAI within 24 hours of the CERT-In report.One incident plan should run the CERT-In, IRDAI and Data Protection Board steps together.IRDAI
SEBI Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework (CSCRF), 2024Security, logging and incident-reporting duties for SEBI-regulated entities. Stock brokers and depository participants report cyber incidents within six hours.Use CSCRF evidence for DPDP security, then add notices, consent and rights.SEBI
CERT-In Directions, 28 April 2022Report specified cyber incidents within six hours. Keep ICT logs for 180 days within India. Sync clocks to Indian time sources.Applies to every BFSI entity in addition to the regulator's own clock.CERT-In
Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005Governs what credit information is shared with credit bureaus and how errors are corrected.Credit bureau sharing has its own law; DPDP rights requests about bureau data should point to that process too.Act
RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021Customers can escalate unresolved complaints to the RBI Ombudsman.Privacy complaints may reach both the Ombudsman and the Data Protection Board. One complaint log helps.RBI
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