The loss of input tax credit (ITC) following the rationalisation of the goods and services tax (GST) on individual life and health insurance from 18 per cent to nil is may weigh on the profits of life insurers in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025-26 (FY26).
Behind the aesthetics of an entrepreneurial lifestyle lies a silent financial crisis that nobody is talking about: Freelancers are sprinting toward a retirement brick wall.
India has launched an open Health AI benchmarking platform to evaluate artificial intelligence models on diverse Indian datasets before deployment at a population scale. The initiative aims to strengthen AI-driven claims management under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The remarkable rise of smallcaps reflects the emergence of a broad set of specialised businesses operating in industries where the sectoral tailwinds remain considerably stronger than macroeconomic headwinds, points out Debashis Basu.
Rajesh Mehta, Chairman of Rajesh Exports, has distanced his firm from LIC's investment decisions, stating, "We don't even know where LIC's office is. We have no contact, no connection. This decision of buying shares through the secondary market is their own decision in a prudent commercial manner."
The RBI will now charge banks different deposit insurance fees based on how risky they are, allowing safer banks to pay less premium.
Indian companies recorded their highest profit margins in 21 quarters during Q4FY26, reaching 11.3 per cent, primarily due to significant savings from lower employee costs and reduced interest payments, which offset rising raw material prices.
Hospital stocks have emerged as a strong theme in 2026, outperforming benchmark indices due to robust earnings growth, improved occupancy, higher average revenue per occupied bed, and aggressive expansion plans by major chains.
The Union Cabinet's decision to raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 100 per cent is unlikely to significantly boost foreign investment as distribution remains a critical factor, requiring overseas players to partner with Indian businesses, experts said.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries
The All India Insurance Employees' Association has opposed the government directive seeking to open up top posts in the state-owned insurers to the private sector, saying this would lead to greater private influence and "eventual privatisation".
'We are staying away from making forward-looking statements on when we will reach 1 trillion, etc. But growth will be rapid; it's only a matter of time.'
'Other sectors that manage the savings pools of Indians are giving tough competition to life insurance companies.'
The CBI has registered a new case against Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications Ltd for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 3,750 crore to the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have been fiscally stressed for a considerable period of time, and there are no easy ways to mobilise revenues to meet the cost of the promised freebies, particularly in the prevailing difficult economic scenario, points out M Govinda Rao.
Is the current rally telegraphing a durable peace plan in West Asia, boosted by United States (US) President Donald Trump's incoherent and contradictory posts on social media?
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticises the AAP-led Punjab government for political instability and lack of industrial development, while promoting Haryana's investor-friendly policies and industrial growth initiatives.
Major Indian banks, including Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and RBL Bank, have reported a decline in employee headcount in FY26, attributing the reductions to significant investments in technology and automation yielding productivity gains across operations.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected a 6.9 per cent GDP growth for the current financial year, citing concerns over commodity prices and supply chain disruptions stemming from the West Asia crisis.
Issuers have allotted nearly four times as much to mutual funds (MFs) as they have to insurance companies in recent quarters. MFs invested Rs 21,976 crore as anchor investors in initial public offerings (IPOs) on a trailing four-quarter basis, according to data from Prime Database.
Over the past three years, the appointments of 20 candidates selected through the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection were cancelled or offers were withdrawn due to poor credit history.
India's privatisation push, once projected as a cornerstone of economic reform, has suffered another setback, with the Centre set to call off the IDBI Bank stake sale, highlighting the political and structural constraints shaping the country's disinvestment policy, experts say.
'Being an important institution in the banking system, we are subject to regulatory supervision, both offsite and onsite.' 'When you look at the intensity at which these levels of supervision come, we, on the board and in management, believe there should not be any surprises.'
The Indian IPO market is experiencing a significant surge in preliminary filings, with 38 companies submitting papers to SEBI in March 2026, driven by a combination of improved issuer confidence, strategic regulatory compliance, and private equity investors seeking exits amidst volatile market conditions.
With Income Tax Act 2025 in force, your tax choice can quietly cost you big money if you're not paying attention. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains how
Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announces Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, has reached 2.13 million users and 231,000 drivers. The platform operates on a zero-commission model, prioritising driver welfare and expansion into Tier 2 and 3 cities.
Understand policy inclusions and exclusions to avoid surprises during claims.
'LIC will reduce but not fully exit its stake in IDBI Bank, which remains an important bancassurance partner,' says LIC of India' MD and CEO R Doraiswamy.
The benchmark BSE Sensex's trailing 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple has declined to 20.2x, its lowest since May 2020, driven by a record $42 billion FPI selloff since September 2024 and concerns over corporate earnings and economic growth.
The BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 declined around 4.5 per cent each since the start of the West Asia conflict.
A nationwide strike called by central trade unions saw a mixed response across India, impacting various sectors and states differently, with some areas experiencing disruptions while others remained largely unaffected.
West Asia conflict triggers sharp sell-off in Indian markets, with realty, banking and auto stocks leading losses amid energy shock fears.
India's household debt climbed to 41.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of March 2025, marking a sustained rise from its five-year average of 38.3 per cent, with consumption-related loans accounting for bulk of the borrowings, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its Financial Stability Report.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
Iran is fighting a different war: Older, slower, and in some ways more dangerous. Iran doesn't need to shoot down an F/A-18. It only needs to make the Strait of Hormuz feel dangerous long enough for insurance markets, shipping companies, and oil futures traders to do the rest. Prem Panicker continues his must-read daily blog on the war in the Middle East.
India's high cost of capital due to relatively shallow corporate bond markets, limited institutional investor depth, sovereign risk premia, and regulatory restrictions on capital flows, is a constraint on private investment and long-run growth, the Economic Survey, authored by Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran, said.
Leading non-banking financial company (NBFC) Shriram Finance on Friday said Japan-based MUFG Bank would invest Rs 39,618 crore, or $4.4 billion, to acquire a 20 per cent stake on a fully diluted basis through a preferential issue of equity shares.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries
'Was the five-day pause ever meant to hold, or was it simply another instrument of signaling, of positioning, of buying time in a war where even the pauses are tactical?' asks Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
'There is a challenge in repositioning yourself, maybe reinventing yourself.'
