The total benefits paid by private life insurance companies to policyholders rose by 5.98 per cent to Rs 1.57 trillion during 2022-23. This figure stood at Rs 1.49 trillion in the corresponding year-ago period. On the other hand, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) paid out 4 per cent fewer benefits at Rs 3.39 trillion from Rs 3.53 trillion in 2021-22.
Equity markets may witness a gradual up-move this week with some volatility as both election and earnings season are nearing their end, analysts said, adding that global trends and trading activity of foreign investors would hold significance in dictating investors' sentiment. Benchmark indices, which had a record-breaking rally last week, would also track global oil benchmark Brent crude and the rupee-dollar trend. The monthly derivatives expiry on Thursday may also fuel volatility in markets.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Equity fundraising through initial public offerings (IPOs) rose 20 per cent during the financial year 2023-24 (FY24). During the period, 76 Indian corporates raised Rs 61,915 crore through main board IPOs, compared to Rs 52,116 crore mobilised by 37 IPOs in 2022-23, as disclosed by PRIME Database. However, if one excludes the mega Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) IPO, which came out in 2022-23, IPO mobilisation increased by 58 per cent from last year.
The National Commission indicted LIC for working in cahoots with doctors for baseless certificates to repudiate claims and held this to be an unfair practice.
'While some women allow themselves to be exploited so that they can climb up the ladder, there are many voiceless and silent people who get exploited by men in powerful positions.'
Equity fundraising through initial public offerings (IPOs) rose 20 per cent during the financial year 2023-24 (FY24). During the period, 76 Indian corporates raised Rs 61,915 crore through main board IPOs, compared to Rs 52,116 crore mobilised by 37 IPOs in 2022-23, as disclosed by PRIME Database. However, if one excludes the mega Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) IPO, which came out in 2022-23, IPO mobilisation increased by 58 per cent from last year.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a dollar-rupee two-year sell-buy swap auction for $5 billion on March 8, which will suck out rupee liquidity from the system. The swap will be in the nature of a simple sell/buy foreign exchange from the RBI side, in which a bank will buy US dollars from the central bank and simultaneously agree to sell the same amount of US dollars at the end of the swap period. "With a view to elongating the maturity profile of its forward book and smoothen the receivables relating to forward assets, it has been decided to undertake sell/buy swap auction of $5 billion on March 8, 2022," the RBI said in a statement. The auction cut-off will be based on the premium amount in paisa terms up to two decimal points.
Private life insurers experienced reasonable growth in the July-September quarter (second quarter, or Q2) of 2023-24 (FY24), and the October data is also encouraging. The individual weighted received premium (WRP) for private players grew by 19.8 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in October. However, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India had slower growth, pulling the industry growth rate down to 13 per cent Y-o-Y.
'LIC's proposed investment will come out of what is technically called the 'policyholders funds'.' 'As the name implies, these monies belong to policyholders; that is, you, me and 25 crore others who have taken a total of 30 crore policies from LIC.' 'It is not the government's or LIC's money to play poker with,' says S Muralidharan, former managing director, BNP Paribas.
State-un insurer LIC has pared its stake in Infosys to 5.96 per cent, reducing its holding in the IT major in the last quarter with an estimated sale of shares worth over Rs 2,000 crore.
'Those betting against PSUs will likely be punished in this upswing.'
The exposure, which is for the period ended September 2019, is across various platforms such as life funds, pension funds, and unit-linked funds.
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Friday got its first female managing director and another new MD.
While IDBI Bank's 140 million customers and 1800-odd branches will come in handy for LIC to hawk insurance, the bank can use LIC's massive agent network to sell its retail loans. But if it is run the same way it had been in the past and LIC is a proxy of the government, then it has no future, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Children's plans contribute close to 10 per cent to the total premium collected through the 50-odd life insurance products across the country.
Private insurance firms say, over the past few years, they have been investing on digital technologies to reach semi urban and rural areas.
Insurer has also made fresh investments since December 2015 quarter when RBI told banks to recognise bad loans
The next step for the Life Insurance Corporation of India is to approach market regulator Sebi, as the bank, which is also state-owned, is a listed entity.
Private life insurers are expected to deliver decent growth in the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (Q1FY24) on the back of stronger group business performance and easing supply-side constraints on individual protection. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), though, is likely to see a decline. Healthy 12 per cent year-on-year (YoY) retail annual premium equivalent (APE) growth for private players, coupled with 11 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in LIC, will pull retail APE growth to a mere 3 per cent YoY in June 2023.
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.
According to sources, in a January 6 letter to the department of financial services under the finance ministry, LIC said it wanted to stop sponsoring LIC Nomura Mutual Fund, and might offer some of its stake in LIC Housing Finance to other shareholders.
The Government is likely to stand guarantee to Life Insurance Corporation for risk management losses instead of amending LIC Act to allow it to tap the market or infuse fresh capital.
P V Subramanyam clears some misconceptions about debt funds.
Insurer likely to support Ratan Tata; reduction in stake might have been profit booking.
'At the policy's maturity, the total premium is refunded.'
rediffGURU Jinal Mehta answers readers' financial planning and health insurance queries
LIC Chairman T S Vijayan on Friday said that V K Sharma will take over as the CEO of its housing finance arm, early next week. Sharma has been chosen to replace LIC Housing Finance CEO Ramachandran Nair, who was arrested by the CBI on charges of involvement in housing-loan bribery case on Wednesday.
The election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the Reserve Bank of India's commitment to contain inflation have sparked the improved confidence.
The Life Insurance Corporation of India has opened a branch in Muscat to cater to over 300,000 non-resident Indians in Oman.
India's biggest life insurer and financial institution has turned to its 'turnaround man' to restore credibility to prime subsidiary LIC Housing Finance (LICHF). Vijay Kumar Sharma, 52, formally took over as its CEO on Wednesday. Sharma comes from Chennai, where over the past one year he turned LIC's south zone into the best performer after a 20-month slowdown.
Analysts say strengthening bank's capital will boost earnings, bank needs chief with long stint to run show
Three leading domestic voting advisory firms are not on the same page over the proposed demerger and separate listing of ITC's hotel business, ITC Hotels. Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS) has recommended a vote "against" the resolution, while InGovern and Stakeholders Empowerment Services (SES) have advised their clients to vote in favour. Voting on the resolution is currently underway.
Roy joined the largest insurance company in the country in 1981.
With over Rs 55,000 crore debt, Air India management has been trying to pare burden by monetising non-core real estate properties.
Reserve Bank of India on Thursday said 15 large NBFCs, including LIC Housing Finance, Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance and Tata Sons, will be subject to enhanced regulatory requirements. The central bank has categorised NBFCs into Base Layer (NBFC-BL), Middle Layer (NBFC-ML), Upper Layer (NBFC-UL) and Top Layer (NBFC-TL). A list of 15 large Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) falling in the Upper Layer category has been released.
The Life Insurance Corporation of India has sold more than 15.46 mn individual policies during the current financial year with a collection of more than Rs 68,254.3 million (Rs 6825. 43 crore), posting a growth rate of more than 35 per cent as on Feb