Just read an article in the latest issue of Outlook titled "The Vanishing Middle"- which went on to talk about how intermediaries are being threatened with shrinking margins and new technology.
It covered three basic sectors:
- DSAs in banking sector
- TPAs in General Insurance
- Travel Agents

With around 5000 people, TPAs are probably the smallest of the lot (the article puts the DSA number at 35,000 and travel agents at 150,000). But interestingly all these 5000 are employed by 23 odd TPAs who currently have the IRDA license.

The various arguments in favor of a possible demise of this category of players were: