Capital market regulator Sebi on Tuesday rejected the competing open offer made by the US-based entity Danny Gaekwad Developments & Investments for acquisition of Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL) as it did not meet necessary regulations.
India currently performs around 6,00,000 to 7,00,000 laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (Lasik) and refractive procedures a year, and the uptake is accelerating.
Customers must sign the agreement promptly to avoid disruptions. They should read it thoroughly and understand their rights and obligations.
The overall physical presence of life insurance companies in Tier-II and Tier-III cities increased in FY23 compared to a year ago period on account of the higher impetus given to financial inclusion by the government and insurance regulator, as well as recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest data released by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai). It is the first time that there has been growth in the number of offices since the financial year 2019-20.
Irdai on Friday extended the 'use and file' procedure for the most of the life insurance products, thereby allowing insurers to launch new products without prior approval of the regulator. This comes days after Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) extending similar relaxations to health insurance products as well as general insurance covers. In a press release, Irdai said that in its continuous endeavour towards the reform agenda taken up towards having a fully insured India, it has extended the 'use and file' procedure for most of the life insurance products.
India has a huge untapped population which doesn't have facilities for financial aid and insurance, and it is perhaps plausible to look at the option of having niche players catering to smaller sectors akin to non-banks and microfinance institutions in lending, said Rakesh Joshi, member (Finance & Investment), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai). Speaking at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit, Joshi said, "Today, most of our insurance companies operate at a national level. There is arguably a case for having differentiated operations, which cater to niche sectors the same way we have non-banking financial companies (NBFC) and microfinance institutions in lending." "The capital requirement for niche players may not be as large as those having national ambitions. "Enabling these niche players, which require lower capital, will enhance the penetration in areas which hitherto had not seen traction from large players," he said.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has fined 10 insurance companies, including both the insurance arms of the Bajaj Auto Group, Reliance General, United India, Iffco-Tokio, New India Assurance and Shriram Life for non-compliance with various guidelines. The violations varied from opening branch offices without seeking the regulator's permission to violation of advertisement guidelines and non-fulfilment of social sector obligations.
Health insurance claims are often denied due to exclusions in policy terms. Buyers frequently overlook the fine print or misinterpret clauses.
The removal of tariffs would result in health insurance becoming the second-largest business for general insurance companies over the next three years.The health insurance premium which stood at Rs 675 crore in 2001-2002 has risen to Rs 3,200 crore by March 31, 2007.
The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDA) and non-life insurance companies are working towards setting up a pool for creating a capacity within India to underwrite risks from natural catastrophes.
'As our per capita income increases and various demographic segments emerge, the need for various kinds of protection and risk covers will become even more explicit.'
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.
General insurance companies are likely to see a surge in demand for health insurance in the coming months due to falling air quality in the country. The health insurance segment has registered a strong growth after the pandemic due to higher awareness. In the first half of financial year 2023-24, the segment grew by 24.4 per cent to Rs 54,713.52 crore from Rs 43,981.54 crore in H1FY23, driving growth of the non-life insurance industry.
If you have questions related to online insurance frauds, then Piyush Ranjan, chief technology officer, Coverfox Insurance, will answer your queries.
Several life insurance companies in the country are preparing to take on the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India over unit-linked insurance plans.
The United States Agency for International Development will provide a $10 million technical aid for development of Indian insurance sector over the next four years.\n\n\n\n
The four public sector general insurance companies -- New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, and National Insurance Company -- have lost 800 basis points (bps) in market share in last five years to their private counterparts, the data from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai) revealed. In 2018-19, the four had a cumulative market share of 40.04 per cent, with New India Assurance having a market share of 14 per cent and United India Insurance with a market share of 9.63 per cent. But, gradually in the past five years, these state-backed firms have lost their market share to private sector players, due to the declining health of their business.
Insurance funds will soon start flowing to special economic zone projects, agro-processing and infrastructure projects, domestic satellite services and social infrastructure like educational institutions and hospitals.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Monday proposed relaxations for asset management companies (AMCs) to serve pooled non-broad-based funds, giving an opportunity to fund houses to expand their business.
Having got the regulatory clearance to offer add-on insurance policies, non-life insurers are now preparing to launch the same in the coming weeks. Some of the insurers have said, however, that they need some time to launch these products. They say that, unlike commercial products which can be launched straight away, products meant for retail consumers need a certain level of preparation before they are ready for sale.
Securities Exchange Board of India chairman C B Bhave, and Insurance Regulatory Authority of India chief J Harinarayan had separate meetings with finance secretary Ashok Chawla on Monday over the ongoing tussle between the two regulators over equity-linked insurance schemes.
LIC and GIC employees will go on strike on Tuesday to lodge their emphatic protest against the 'ill-advised' two Bills the Government of India introduced in Parliament on Monday. The office bearers of Insurance Employees' associations said the increase in FDI limit under external pressure results in increased access to private foreign capital over domestic savings, thereby weakening the public sector LIC of India.
'The committee has been constituted. Different government departments and FSDC members are part of it.'
'With a very stable technology with limited functionalities, a large network has spanned out.'
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Milind Vadjikar your insurance, stocks, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
India's insurance industry is set for a makeover as it seeks to survive and grow in a changed environment that dawned on September 1. With a three-month spat over who will regulate unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) settled, the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (Irda) in July announced sweeping changes to the way insurance companies do business.
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Chairman T S Vijayan also said the regulator is mulling to bring out norms for sub-brokers of insurance products.
Personal data like mobile numbers, PAN, addresses and pre-existing medical conditions of about 3.1 crore customers of Star Health Insurance is allegedly available on a website created by a hacker identified as xenZen. The hacker claimed that Star Health's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) sold all the data and later tried to change the terms of their deal.
'We have opened 100 branches in the last one and a half years. Our manpower is also in place.'
Implementation of BI tools can improve the bottom line by 10-15 per cent of insurance companies.
Being a member of the World Trade Organisation and General Agreement on Trade in Services, India will have to lift restrictions on foreign capital in insurance.
Mauritius-based IndusInd International Holdings and other Hinduja group entities are expected to make payments worth Rs 9,661 crore for the acquisition of bankrupt Reliance Capital (RCap) only after getting all the legal and regulatory clearances, including from the Supreme Court, thus delaying the closure of the transaction. A source close to the development said that according to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order dated February 27, the payment for the acquisition was to be made within 90 days from the NCLT's approval of the resolution plan and after receiving all legal and regulatory clearances.
Numbers could be classified further into (140) marketing and (160 or 161) for service calls to easily identify the purpose of the call in the future.
Players seek separate deduction for long term savings, or alternatively hike in exemption limit U/s 80 C; also seek longer period of carry forward of losses under Income Tax Act and also to increase FDI limit from 26% to 49%
In a huge relief for senior citizens, the entry age for health insurance has been extended to 65 years. But, will it come at a cost?
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