Ajinkya Kawale, Aathira Varier

Stories by Ajinkya Kawale, Aathira Varier

RBI lens on 8 fintech companies in P2P lending space

RBI lens on 8 fintech companies in P2P lending space

Rediff.com   28 Jan 2025

Currently there are 26 licensed players in the P2P lending sector but only 10-11 are actively operating.

Private sector banks' credit costs up in Q3FY25 on higher provisions

Private sector banks' credit costs up in Q3FY25 on higher provisions

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2025

Private sector banks that announced their earnings for the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2024-25 (FY25) reported a rise in credit costs due to higher provisions, mainly for unsecured retail loans.

BharatPe targets IPO in 18-24 months, Ebitda profitability in FY25

BharatPe targets IPO in 18-24 months, Ebitda profitability in FY25

Rediff.com   15 Jan 2025

Fintech firm BharatPe is targeting an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 18-24 months with the company expecting profitability at an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and ammotisation (Ebitda) level for FY25, chief executive officer (CEO) Nalin Negi said.

Life insurance Dec new biz premium falls 21.7% to Rs 30,218.71 crore

Life insurance Dec new biz premium falls 21.7% to Rs 30,218.71 crore

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2025

The new business premium (NBP) of life insurance companies dropped 21.7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 30,218.71 crore in December 2024 on the back of a steep fall in business. According to data published by the Life Insurance Council, LIC's premium dropped 41.15 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs 13,523.87 crore while private insurers reported 7 per cent growth in NBP to Rs 16,694.85 crore as the industry absorbs the impact of the revised surrender value norms.

Insurers to double down on tech, rural expansion for growth in '25

Insurers to double down on tech, rural expansion for growth in '25

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2025

The Indian insurance industry is set to focus on customer-centric technological adoption and expansion into rural areas to drive growth in 2025.

Draft DPDP rules: Task cut out for banks as operational challenges loom

Draft DPDP rules: Task cut out for banks as operational challenges loom

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2025

The draft digital personal data protection (DPDP) rules, which require banks to obtain explicit consent from their customers before using their data for purposes beyond the original intent, although is being followed in spirit, leaves no room for regulatory arbitrage, experts said. They said that the potential business impact is difficult to assess at this stage, but the formalisation of these rules will mean banks now need to establish clear data processing agreements with third-party entities to ensure compliance.

Muted deposit and credit growth sends PSB stocks into a tailspin

Muted deposit and credit growth sends PSB stocks into a tailspin

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2025

Shares of state-owned bank stocks were under pressure on Monday due to muted deposit and credit growth numbers reported by these lenders in the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2024-25 (FY25). The Nifty PSU Bank index was down 4 per cent, with Union Bank of India emerging as the biggest loser as its shares fell 7.5 per cent to close at Rs 114.7, followed by a 5.7 per cent drop in shares of Bank of Baroda (BoB) to Rs 228 and a 4.7 per cent slide in shares of Bank of India to Rs 99.8 on the National Stock Exchange.

'We want to grow better than industry, mindful of biz quality'

'We want to grow better than industry, mindful of biz quality'

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2025

'Health and motor insurance will continue to be our two most important segments'

Slowing credit growth, margin pressure await banks in 2025

Slowing credit growth, margin pressure await banks in 2025

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2025

In 2025 banks are in for challenges such as pressure on margins and slowing credit growth. With the likelihood of a repo rate cut in February or April, external benchmark-linked loans of banks will be repriced immediately. However, deposit rates are expected to adjust more gradually, which could impact the net interest margin (NIM) - a key measure of profitability for banks.

Crypto assets can negatively impact financial stability, says RBI report

Crypto assets can negatively impact financial stability, says RBI report

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2024

Widespread use of crypto assets, including stablecoins, can have a negative impact on the macroeconomic and financial stability of a country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Monday. In its Financial Stability Report (FSR), the banking regulator highlighted that excessive use of crypto assets can reduce effectiveness of monetary policy, worsen fiscal risks, circumvent capital flow management measures, divert resources available for financing the real economy and threaten global financial stability.

Fire, engineering insurance premiums likely to move up by 60% in 2025

Fire, engineering insurance premiums likely to move up by 60% in 2025

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2024

In 2025, Indian firms may face higher premiums for fire and engineering insurance covers as reinsurers are likely to revise rates due to rising claims from catastrophic events and higher loss ratios, according to people in the know.

Number of UPI apps grows in 2024, yet top two command maximum market share

Number of UPI apps grows in 2024, yet top two command maximum market share

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2024

In 2024, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) approved 20 third-party Unified Payments Interface (UPI) applications, a record since UPI's launch in 2016. This surge reflects growing interest from financial technology (fintech) companies, driven by the integration of credit products like UPI-linked credit cards and pre-approved credit lines.

Small ticket transactions drag avg retail payments value by 48% in 3 years

Small ticket transactions drag avg retail payments value by 48% in 3 years

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2024

The average value of retail digital payments dropped 48 per cent from Rs 8,769 in March 2021 to Rs 4,560 in March 2024 due to a growing preference to use digital modes of transactions for small value payments, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) report on the trend and progress of banking in India.

Crypto wrap 2024: Bitcoin, altcoins remain popular among Indian investors

Crypto wrap 2024: Bitcoin, altcoins remain popular among Indian investors

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2024

The majority of crypto investors in the country have invested in mainstream virtual digital assets (VDAs) such as Bitcoins, altcoins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Ethereum, followed by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and stablecoins, a compilation of year-end reports of crypto majors CoinDCX and CoinSwitch revealed. The crypto exchange platform CoinDCX reported that 14.6 per cent of total investments on its platform were allocated to Bitcoin, while CoinSwitch saw the share of the VDA at 7 per cent.

Mobikwik leads IPO debut with 90% surge; Vishal, Sai Life gain around 40%

Mobikwik leads IPO debut with 90% surge; Vishal, Sai Life gain around 40%

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2024

All the three companies that made their stock market debut on Wednesday delivered huge day-one gains for investors. Shares of digital payment major One Mobikwik Systems surged 90 per cent, while that of fashion retailer Vishal Mega Mart and pharma firm Sai Life Sciences gained around 40 per cent each. These stellar debuts came despite the benchmark indices logging continuous declines since their initial public offerings (IPOs) closed on Friday.

NPCI Lists Digital Scam Warning Signs

NPCI Lists Digital Scam Warning Signs

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2024

UPI-related frauds have accounted for a cumulative loss of Rs 2,145 crore across 2.7 million reported incidents.

Bad loans in P2P more than doubles to Rs 1,163 cr in FY24

Bad loans in P2P more than doubles to Rs 1,163 cr in FY24

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2024

Bad loans in the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry more than doubled in financial year 2024 (FY24) to Rs 1,163 crore from Rs 472.1 crore in FY23, said a financial services company on Monday. Non-performing assets (NPAs), as such loans are officially called, were a modest Rs 14.7 crore at the end of FY19 when P2P lending was in its nascent stage, according to Capitalmind Financial Services that accessed data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through a right to information application.

The ambitious plans of Flipkart-backed super.money

The ambitious plans of Flipkart-backed super.money

Rediff.com   17 Dec 2024

Flipkart-backed super.money is on an expansion spree and plans to expand its range of offerings in credit and wealth management after launching its operations in July this year. The Bengaluru-based fintech company is on track to roll out credit products such as credit on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), unsecured credit cards, and personal loans within the first half of the next calendar year (2025).

AI tool MuleHunter to tackle financial fraud

AI tool MuleHunter to tackle financial fraud

Rediff.com   9 Dec 2024

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday said the central bank has developed an innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) based model MuleHunter.ai to address the growing issue of mule bank accounts that are often used for committing financial fraud. Developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, the new initiative is piloted with two public sector banks.

Bitcoin at $100,000: Milestone likely to boost Indian investors' rush

Bitcoin at $100,000: Milestone likely to boost Indian investors' rush

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2024

The recent Bitcoin rally, which saw the cryptocurrency surge past the $100,000 mark on Thursday, is drawing Indian investors in droves. Cryptocurrency platforms in India are experiencing a significant uptick in activity and user sign-ups, driven by the optimism surrounding "crypto-friendly" Donald Trump's US presidential election victory.