Subrata Panda &Amp; Sohini Das

Stories by Subrata Panda &Amp; Sohini Das

Ahead of IPO, LIC's Q3 net profit zooms on surplus model change

Ahead of IPO, LIC's Q3 net profit zooms on surplus model change

Rediff.com   12 Mar 2022

Under the new model, the surplus distribution in the participating policyholders' fund has been modified to 90:10 in a phased manner, wherein 90 per cent will go to policyholders and 10 per cent to shareholders. Further, 100 per cent of the surplus generated out of the non-participating business will be available for distribution to all shareholders.

Sebi asks Indiabulls to take a few corrective measures

Sebi asks Indiabulls to take a few corrective measures

Rediff.com   5 Mar 2022

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in its investigation against Indiabulls Housing Finance has found the mortgage financier non-compliant with regards to unavailability of certain information on its website as well as its internal policy. Thereby, it has directed the company to take corrective measures and inform the stock exchanges in a months' time. Several public interest litigations (PILs) and FIRs were filed against Indiabulls Housing Finance back in 2019, alleging irregularities, siphoning of funds, and other violations committed by the promoters of the company.

Explained: Why RBI kept key rates unchanged

Explained: Why RBI kept key rates unchanged

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2022

Members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) felt that though the Indian economy was resilient in the third wave, it, however, lost some momentum and with inflation likely to soften, there is room to continue with the accommodative stance and support revival, the minutes of the MPC meeting released on Thursday revealed. The six-member MPC voted to keep the policy rate unchanged and continued with the accommodative stance at its meeting on February 10. However, external member Jayanth Verma voted against the stance because he felt a switch to neutral was long overdue and the current stance has become counterproductive and deflects focus away from addressing recessionary trends that date back to at least 2019.

India Inc braces for fallout of Russia-Ukraine crisis

India Inc braces for fallout of Russia-Ukraine crisis

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2022

Stocks of Indian companies with exposure to Europe fell on Tuesday amid concerns about the impact on their sales in case the Russia-Ukraine crisis worsens and the US and its allies impose economic sanctions on Russia. While top conglomerates, including Reliance Industries, the Tata group, and Aditya Birla Group, said they did not have any significant exposure to Russia, executives of some of the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and tea companies said they were monitoring the situation closely as they earned substantial income from the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine after announcing that Russia would recognise their independence.

LIC gets until Jan 2023 to dispose of 'other investments'

LIC gets until Jan 2023 to dispose of 'other investments'

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2022

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has received the insurance regulator's nod for time till January-end 2023 to dispose of investments in pension, group and life annuity funds, which do not fall in the "approved investment" category. Had the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai) denied more time to transfer the investments to shareholders' fund at amortised cost, the loss that would have accrued in the profit and loss account (shareholders account) would have been Rs 5,365.83 crore as of September 2021, LIC said in its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP).

PSBs up loan growth target as corporate demand revives

PSBs up loan growth target as corporate demand revives

Rediff.com   14 Feb 2022

This is following revival of demand from the corporate sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), even as a nascent economic recovery is taking shape. Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks had accelerated to 9.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) by the end of December 2021 after breaching the 7 per cent-mark in November, for the first time since April 2020.

LIC AUM rose Rs 1 trn from March-Sep '21

LIC AUM rose Rs 1 trn from March-Sep '21

Rediff.com   10 Feb 2022

Initial public offering (IPO)-bound Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India's assets under management (AUM) increased to Rs 38 trillion as of September 2021, compared with Rs 37 trillion as of March 2021, said sources in the know. Its AUM is almost 3x the AUM of all the private life insurers in the country and over 15x more than the AUM of the second largest life insurer, SBI Life, as of September 2021. SBI Life's AUM was approximately Rs 2.4 trillion as of September 2021, said sources.

HDFC Bank issues record credit cards in third quarter

HDFC Bank issues record credit cards in third quarter

Rediff.com   24 Jan 2022

In the quarter gone by (Q3 of FY22), private lender HDFC Bank issued around 950,000 credit cards, its highest ever credit card issuance in any single quarter. Since the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revoked the embargo on it in August 2021 to issue new credit cards, the lender has issued 1.37 million credit cards. This is according to a senior bank executive, who was present in an analysts' call after the lender's Q3 earnings. In Q3, we achieved the highest ever issuance, with 950,000 card issuances.

Number of Covid symptomatic kids jump, post-recovery issues a concern

Number of Covid symptomatic kids jump, post-recovery issues a concern

Rediff.com   14 Jan 2022

While the infection has been mild in most reported cases, those below two years of age are showing signs of acute infection.

Omicron impact: Demand for health insurance products picks up pace

Omicron impact: Demand for health insurance products picks up pace

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2022

With Covid-19 cases across the country rising rapidly once again, demand for health insurance products has spiked. Insurers are seeing an uptick in inquiries for such products and underwriting more premiums in the segment. Already, health insurance was growing at a rapid pace since the onset of the pandemic as awareness around risk had heightened among consumers. But the country recorded more than 600,000 Covid-19 cases in the past week, which is almost a six-fold rise than the previous week. Owing to this, the spike in demand for health insurance products is inevitable, experts said.

'We have to ensure vaccines work against new variants'

'We have to ensure vaccines work against new variants'

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2022

Adar Poonawalla says it took a five-minute chat with his father Cyrus before making the decision to manufacture Covishield. The bet paid off, and handsomely. Serum Institute now has the capacity to make 4 billion doses of Covishield annually.

Covid Cost Insurers Rs 250 Billion

Covid Cost Insurers Rs 250 Billion

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2022

2.75 million of the 3 million Covid-related health claims were settled.

Covaxin shelf life extended, Bharat Biotech relabels old stocks

Covaxin shelf life extended, Bharat Biotech relabels old stocks

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2022

The company had in December said that the CDSCO had approved a 12-month shelf life for Covaxin, which was nine months earlier, Sohini Das reports.

Does India have enough jabs to expand vaccination drive?

Does India have enough jabs to expand vaccination drive?

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2022

A back of the envelope calculation shows that India has roughly over 680 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines consisting primarily of Covishield doses.

Covishield accounts for 88% of Covid jabs in India

Covishield accounts for 88% of Covid jabs in India

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2022

Serum Institute has the capacity to make 250 million doses of Covishield monthly.

Covaxin safe for children: Bharat Biotech

Covaxin safe for children: Bharat Biotech

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2021

Bharat Biotech is targeting to manufacture one billion doses of its intra-nasal vaccine in 2022 which is under clinical trials now.

IPO hard sell: LIC boasts of Rs 37-trillion AUM before overseas investors

IPO hard sell: LIC boasts of Rs 37-trillion AUM before overseas investors

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2021

At a closed-door meeting with global investors, the largest asset manager in the country boasted of its nearly Rs 37 trillion assets under management (AUM) - 16.6 times that managed by the second-largest insurer SBI Life. The numbers are as of March 31, 2021. The assets of LIC are 1.2 times the net assets of the entire Indian mutual fund industry, which had AUM of Rs 31.43 trillion as of March 31, 2021 (about Rs 37.3 trillion until November this year). The standalone assets that LIC manages are equal to 18.7 per cent of India's GDP and worth more than gross domestic product (GDP) of the UAE, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

Why RBI Is Wary About Big Techs

Why RBI Is Wary About Big Techs

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2021

They straddle many different (non-financial) lines of business with sometimes opaque overarching governance structures.

'I have raised Rs 90,000 crore'

'I have raised Rs 90,000 crore'

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2021

'The ship has been stabilised.' 'For the last 6-7 quarters, profitability is stable around Rs 250-Rs 300 crore.'