News for 'Direct Banking Channels'

Attractive valuations make ICICI Prudential Life Insurance a long term buy

Attractive valuations make ICICI Prudential Life Insurance a long term buy

Rediff.com26 Oct 2023

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company (IPru) is struggling to generate growth in the value of new business (VNB). This is due to a combination of weak growth through the parent bank's channels, a shifting product mix in favour of unit-linked life insurance policies (ULIPS), and higher payouts to third-party channels. Leverage from current investments, a further reduction in contributions from ICICI Bank, and a pick-up in non-participating policies from the end of the year is key for this metric in the near to medium term.

Valuations support ICICI Prudential Life despite margin challenges

Valuations support ICICI Prudential Life despite margin challenges

Rediff.com30 Jan 2025

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance (IPRU) disappointed the market even though some analysts said the Q3FY25 results were in line. Most analysts cut margin estimates. The insurer reported M9FY25 growth of 8.5 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in value of new business (VNB) premium to Rs 1,575 crore, while total annual premium equivalent (APE) grew 27.2 per cent to Rs 6,910 crore.

It's back to the drawing board for payment banks

It's back to the drawing board for payment banks

Rediff.com15 Mar 2024

RBI's exercise will take into account standards of governance, the viability of the payment bank (PB) business model, and changes, if any, if needed.

The Harsh Reality For Wayanad Survivors

The Harsh Reality For Wayanad Survivors

Rediff.com27 Mar 2025

In Kerala's society, known for its high material standard of living, plunging into a state of having nothing overnight can be terrible for one's social standing and sense of self-esteem. Rehabilitation entails piecing a community back together after a disturbance and while its aim is noble, the act of reassembling will bring alive disparities and inequalities, explains Shyam G Menon.

'Our industry outperformance is not a one-year story'

'Our industry outperformance is not a one-year story'

Rediff.com24 Mar 2025

'What is working is quality management, great teams, engineers, platforms, and highly differentiated services.'

Will money in hand from tax breaks spur housing demand?

Will money in hand from tax breaks spur housing demand?

Rediff.com21 Apr 2025

Real estate developers are hoping that the slew of tax concessions announced in Union Budget 2025, set to take effect this financial year, will spur demand for affordable and mid-segment housing, even as the broader housing market shows signs of fatigue.

Rahul Gandhi makes cold coffee at Keventers

Rahul Gandhi makes cold coffee at Keventers

Rediff.com10 Jan 2025

During the conversation with the owners, Gandhi delved into the fascinating journey of the iconic start-up that seamlessly blends legacy with modern ambition.

Provide Aadhaar cards to displaced people, SC directs UIDAI, Manipur govt

Provide Aadhaar cards to displaced people, SC directs UIDAI, Manipur govt

Rediff.com25 Sep 2023

Observing that it does not propose to run the administration in Manipur, the apex court said necessary verifications shall be carried out before issuing the Aadhaar cards expeditiously.

'Help! I'm Stuck In Rs 15 Lakh Debt'

'Help! I'm Stuck In Rs 15 Lakh Debt'

Rediff.com12 Mar 2025

Ask rediffGURU and PF and MF expert Janak Patel your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.

'RBI Not Overly Concerned About GDP'

'RBI Not Overly Concerned About GDP'

Rediff.com6 Dec 2024

'The central bank has highlighted that the slowdown in growth has been limited to a few sectors and overall growth is expected to pick up in the second half of the year.'

Ketan Parekh among 3 banned from securities markets

Ketan Parekh among 3 banned from securities markets

Rediff.com3 Jan 2025

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Thursday debarred Ketan Parekh, the stock market operator involved in the stock market scam of 2000, Singapore-based trader Rohit Salgaocar, and one other individual from the securities market for alleged front-running of trades of a United States (US)-based foreign portfolio investor (FPI). The FPI manages around $2.5 trillion worth of funds globally.

Draft framework: RBI for more options to authenticate digital payments

Draft framework: RBI for more options to authenticate digital payments

Rediff.com1 Aug 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday issued a draft framework for alternative authentication mechanism for digital payments, wherein it has mandated that all digital payment transactions would have to be authenticated with an additional factor of authentication (AFA), except small value contactless card payments for up to Rs 5,000 at point of sale terminals, e-mandates for recurring transactions, and small value digital payments through offline mode, among others. Additionally, it has said that all digital payment transactions, other than card present transactions, have to ensure that one of the factors of authentication is dynamically created, i.e., the factor is generated after initiation of payment; is specific to the transaction; and cannot be reused.

'Comedians Usually Bounce Back'

'Comedians Usually Bounce Back'

Rediff.com15 Feb 2025

'Unless a comedian is involved in something society deems unforgivable...'

'Aim is to double individual first-year premiums in 3 yrs'

'Aim is to double individual first-year premiums in 3 yrs'

Rediff.com27 Apr 2024

'Currently, our individual first premium would be in the Rs 3,000-Rs 3,200 crore range. We want to take that to about Rs 6,000 crore in three years.'

Nestle, IndusInd, Bandhan, Asian Paints from BSE 500 index hit 52-week lows

Nestle, IndusInd, Bandhan, Asian Paints from BSE 500 index hit 52-week lows

Rediff.com20 Dec 2024

Share prices of Nestle India, Asian Paints, Bandhan Bank, Tata Technologies, AU Small Finance Bank and Avenue Supermarts, all a part of the BSE 500 index, have hit their respective 52-week lows on the BSE in Thursday's intra-day trade after a sharp correction in the equity markets.

Depositors queue up as Yes Bank's ATMs shut down

Depositors queue up as Yes Bank's ATMs shut down

Rediff.com6 Mar 2020

Harried Yes Bank depositors rushed to ATMs to withdraw cash but faced multitude of problems including closed down machines and long queues, after the RBI placed the bank under a moratorium, capping maximum withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account for a month. Aggravating the problems of depositors were difficulties accessing the internet banking channel, which ensured that they can't transfer the funds online as well.

RBI Guv Shaktikanta Das to demit office on Tuesday

RBI Guv Shaktikanta Das to demit office on Tuesday

Rediff.com9 Dec 2024

Shaktikanta Das will demit the office on Tuesday after completing six years as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra will replace him as the 26th Governor. He was appointed as the Governor on December 12, 2018, after the abrupt exit of Urjit Patel.

FinMin's diktat to banks on selling insurance

FinMin's diktat to banks on selling insurance

Rediff.com23 Dec 2022

Concerned over rising incidence of mis-selling, the finance ministry has directed heads of public sector banks to put in place strong mechanisms to avoid unethical practices for selling insurance policies to customers. The Department of Financial Services has received complaints that fraudulent and unethical practices are adopted by banks and life insurance companies for procuring policies from the bank customers, a letter addressed to chairpersons and managing directors of public sector banks said. There have been instances where life insurance policies were sold to customers aged above 75 years in Tier II-III cities.

How To Avoid Being SCAMMED For Tax

How To Avoid Being SCAMMED For Tax

Rediff.com28 Aug 2024

Scammers sometimes misuse personal information collected during tax preparation, leading to identity theft or unauthorised financial transactions.

Unclaimed insurance funds higher in agent-sold policies: Analysts

Unclaimed insurance funds higher in agent-sold policies: Analysts

Rediff.com4 Mar 2024

The unclaimed funds within the life insurance sector are higher from policies sold by agents as against other channels like bancassurance or a digital platform, said analysts and officials from insurance companies. Unclaimed life insurance funds refer to the proceeds of insurance policies including death or survival benefits not claimed by the beneficiary or the policyholder. Bancassurance means selling an insurance product through banks.

Small Town India Falls In Love With MFs

Small Town India Falls In Love With MFs

Rediff.com24 Dec 2024

More than 50 per cent of SIP accounts come from semi-urban and rural areas.

RBI bars Navi Finserv, 3 other NBFCs from extending loans

RBI bars Navi Finserv, 3 other NBFCs from extending loans

Rediff.com18 Oct 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred four non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), including two microfinance institutions (MFIs), from sanctioning and disbursing loans for charging exorbitant interest rates to the borrowers. These four entities are Asirvad Microfinance, Arohan Financial Services (also an MFI), DMI Finance, which provides personal, consumption, and micro, small and medium enterprises loans, and Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal's Navi Finserv, which offers home and personal loans. The ban will take effect on October 21 to "facilitate closure of transactions in the pipeline", the regulator said in a statement.

African lions make longest swim in search of female

African lions make longest swim in search of female

Rediff.com11 Jul 2024

Possibly in search of lionesses, two lion brothers swam 1.3 kilometres across an African river known to be infested with hippos and crocodiles, making it the longest documented swim for African lions with visual evidence.

RBI set to launch UPI-like unified lending platform

RBI set to launch UPI-like unified lending platform

Rediff.com27 Aug 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will launch the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) nationwide in due course, aiming to transform India's lending sector, similar to how the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) revolutionised the payments ecosystem, Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Monday.

Max Life plans to hire 30K agents, open up to 100 offices in FY25

Max Life plans to hire 30K agents, open up to 100 offices in FY25

Rediff.com30 May 2024

Max Life Insurance plans to hire 30,000 agents and open 50 to 100 new offices in the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) to drive premium growth, said Prashant Tripathy, managing director and chief executive officer of the company. The private insurer's total agent count will rise to 1,30,000 in FY25. It added 47,957 agents in FY24, 54 per cent more than the year before.

SBI to hire over 15,000 in FY25 to boost operations, expand network

SBI to hire over 15,000 in FY25 to boost operations, expand network

Rediff.com13 May 2024

State Bank of India (SBI) is planning to recruit over 15,000 people in 2024-25, increasing the strength of those in the field for marketing. The recruits will be also for deployment in the bank's operations subsidiary and expanding the branch network. The operations subsidiary - State Bank Operations Support Services - became functional last year.

Kavitha funneled excise scam funds for AAP's Goa poll: CBI chargesheet

Kavitha funneled excise scam funds for AAP's Goa poll: CBI chargesheet

Rediff.com23 Jul 2024

Special judge for Central Bureau of Investigation cases Kaveri Baweja took note of the charge sheet on Monday observing that there was sufficient evidence to proceed against her in the case.

Rs 11K crore IPO in sight, Swiggy projects quick commerce as the future

Rs 11K crore IPO in sight, Swiggy projects quick commerce as the future

Rediff.com4 Nov 2024

On the cusp of launching its Rs 11,327 crore initial public offering (IPO) next week, food and grocery delivery major Swiggy believes quick commerce to be its future growth engine and anticipates that it will outpace its core food delivery business over the next five years. Currently, the quick commerce business of Swiggy - backed by Prosus and SoftBank - is 40 per cent of the size of its food delivery revenues.

How Banks Are Tackling Cyber Frauds

How Banks Are Tackling Cyber Frauds

Rediff.com14 Sep 2022

To educate customers on the modus operandi of financial fraudsters and share inputs on safe banking habits, banks are now coming up with awareness campaigns aimed at preventing customers from falling into the trap of fraudsters.

Pros and cons of Indian banks' cross-selling initiatives

Pros and cons of Indian banks' cross-selling initiatives

Rediff.com28 Dec 2020

In a bid to gain a bigger share of the customer's wallet, banks are ramping up their cross-selling initiatives.

RBI's retail direct scheme could be a game changer

RBI's retail direct scheme could be a game changer

Rediff.com12 Nov 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday launch two schemes of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that may go a long way in changing how the household sector invests, and complains if anything goes wrong with their savings. These schemes - retail direct and an integrated ombudsman - will be launched by the Prime Minister virtually, in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. With the introduction of retail direct, a common man can directly take a position in government securities (G-Sec), considered to be the safest asset class a sovereign can offer.

Climate change poses challenges for monetary policy: RBI

Climate change poses challenges for monetary policy: RBI

Rediff.com8 Apr 2024

Frequent weather shocks caused by climate change pose challenges for the monetary policy as well as downside risks to economic growth, a Reserve Bank report said. Global average temperatures are on a rise, with accompanying increase in extreme weather events (EWE), and the economic and social impact of global warming is becoming increasingly evident, said RBI's Monetary Policy Report - April 2024. The report said that climate change has increased the frequency and ferocity of weather shocks, posing challenges for monetary policy.

Tsari Yatra May Help Ease India China Tensions

Tsari Yatra May Help Ease India China Tensions

Rediff.com2 Jan 2025

Why can't the Indian government propose to the Chinese a corridor circumambulating the Holy Mountain where people from both sides could perform the yatra again? asks Claude Arpi.

ATM Charges To Go Up After Polls

ATM Charges To Go Up After Polls

Rediff.com16 May 2024

The interchange fee -- paid by the card-issuing bank when a customer swipes at another bank's ATM, including at white-label ATMs -- may be raised to Rs 20 to Rs 23.

Review Your Mutual Fund Portfolios!

Review Your Mutual Fund Portfolios!

Rediff.com19 Aug 2024

'If their allocation to certain segments have become high due to strong returns over the past three-four years, they should rebalance their portfolios and bring them in line with their long-term asset allocation.'

Do You Need To Get A New PAN Card?

Do You Need To Get A New PAN Card?

Rediff.com29 Nov 2024

First things first: For those wondering if they need to reapply, the answer is no.

SC directs crypto scam accused to disclose bitcoin password to ED

SC directs crypto scam accused to disclose bitcoin password to ED

Rediff.com28 Mar 2022

The Supreme Court on Monday asked a crypto-currency scam accused to disclose the username and password of his bitcoin wallet to the Enforcement Directorate and cooperate with the investigation in the money laundering case against him.

Private banks seeing jump in number of online frauds

Private banks seeing jump in number of online frauds

Rediff.com6 Jan 2022

The total amount of fraud reported by banks showed a drop in 2020-21 - for the first time in eight years - though there is an emerging trend of private sector banks reporting a larger number of frauds related to card and internet banking. According to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India, commercial banks reported Rs 1.38 trillion of frauds in 2020-21, as compared to Rs 1.85 trillion in the previous year. The first half of the current fiscal year saw banks reporting frauds worth Rs 36,342 crore.

Delhi Police gave us no FIR, neither reveal offences: NewsClick

Delhi Police gave us no FIR, neither reveal offences: NewsClick

Rediff.com4 Oct 2023

"What we have been able to gather is that Newsclick stands accused of offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), for purportedly carrying Chinese propaganda on its website. All devices, laptops, gadgets, phones, etc have been seized in the past. All emails and communications have been analysed under the microscope," the statement by NewsClick read.

FDI prefers green channel

FDI prefers green channel

Rediff.com7 Jan 2004