Prudential plc has announced its acquisition of a 75 per cent stake in Bharti Life Insurance for approximately 3,500 crore, a strategic move to secure majority ownership in the Indian life insurance market. This acquisition necessitates Prudential reducing its holding in ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to below 10 per cent.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is reportedly planning to launch its much-anticipated initial public offering (IPO), estimated at around Rs 30,000 crore, in September, potentially valuing the exchange at over Rs 5 lakh crore.
Major life insurers in India reported close to double-digit growth in the value of new business (VNB) last financial year, primarily driven by increased sales of high-margin protection and non-participating (non-par) products.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has asked life insurance companies not to advertise unit-linked plans as investment products in a recent circular.
Indian stock markets this week will be primarily influenced by a series of corporate Q1 earnings, the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia, and fluctuations in crude oil prices, according to market analysts.
With momentum building around the IPO, the NSE saw a surge in retail investors in the last two years, making it one of the widely traded stocks in the unlisted market.
'I can feel the master's pain, because he must be sitting there and cursing and saying, 'Why was I born?''
The death toll from the Moshi waste processing unit collapse near Pune has risen to nine after the body of the last missing person was recovered. The incident, which occurred on July 8, involved a three-storey administrative building collapsing due to an adjacent garbage mound landslide. The company operating the plant has offered compensation, medical expenses, and jobs to the victims' families, while describing the event as an "act of God."
As heart disease increasingly impacts young Indians, understanding the complexities of health insurance, including higher premiums, waiting periods, and the benefits of specialised cardiac policies, becomes vital for financial protection.
There are four public sector general insurance companies.
Despite international crude oil prices falling to a four-month low, retail petrol and diesel prices in India are unlikely to be cut immediately because state-run refiners are still processing costlier crude purchased during the peak of the West Asia crisis, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
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.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, following a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, is expected to significantly ease India's crude oil supply risks, lower freight costs, and reduce inflationary pressures, as global oil prices have already dropped.
Indian IT services companies are set to significantly increase their acquisition spending to $6.5-7 billion this year, up from $5 billion last year, as they seek to boost revenue and capabilities in areas like Cloud, data, enterprise platforms, and AI amidst a challenging economic environment.
The data for individual weighted received premium (WRP) showed divergent trends for life insurers in December 2024. Overall, the industry's individual WRP grew 4.8 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y); LIC's individual WRP declined 13 per cent while private players saw 11.4 per cent growth.
India significantly increased its crude oil imports from Russia and the United Arab Emirates in June, securing supplies as the Strait of Hormuz began to reopen, with Russian barrels remaining attractive due to discounts and UAE supplies offsetting earlier uncertainties.
Many life insurance companies are yet to see a sharp spike in the sale of high-value policies as was widely expected in the aftermath of the government's decision to tax income from insurance policies having an aggregate premium above Rs 5 lakh in a year.
India Post is reinventing itself from a traditional mail service into a modern logistics, e-commerce, and real estate powerhouse. Several post offices situated inside major university campuses, called Gen Z post offices, have received a facelift, with cafe-like decor and wi-fi availability.
A doctor in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, has been suspended following an inquiry into alleged large-scale procedural irregularities, including a pacemaker implantation scam where nearly 50 per cent of evaluated patients underwent unnecessary advanced cardiac surgical procedures. The inquiry revealed fraudulent insurance claims, patient exploitation, and manipulation of medical records.
"Policy sales will be one of the focus areas for the company because looking at the large insurance gap, large number of people being uncovered. The only right way to go is to increase the number of policies," said Amit Jhingran, MD & CEO, SBI Life Insurance.
Students and families must stress test repayment capacity based on Indian salary standards.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
'Wipro's challenge is not lack of ideas. In fact, some of its recent structural moves are arguably bolder than peers.' 'The problem is proving it can operationalise these bets faster and more consistently.'
'I own a few cars that I have had specified minutely to my taste, and it does feel nice to know that there are no other vehicles like them anywhere in the world.'
API Holdings, the parent company of online pharmacy PharmEasy, has significantly reduced its debt from 1,800 crore to 1,050 crore and refinanced it at lower interest rates under CEO Rahul Guha, shifting its focus from 'growth at any cost' to profitability and aiming for a debt-free balance sheet before a potential stock market listing.
BJP MLA Dhirendra Singh has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to formulate a comprehensive policy covering education, healthcare, housing and social security for labourers.
HDFC Life Insurance reported a 4 per cent year-on-year increase in net profit to Rs 495.6 crore for Q4FY26, while its parent, HDFC Bank, announced a Rs 1,000 crore preferential share issuance to raise its stake to 50.5 per cent.
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.
Police in Kanpur have arrested a suspected mastermind behind a network of fake firms, forged documents, and suspected hawala transactions worth over Rs 3,200 crore.
Use these loans to meet emergency needs, and not to fund holidays or luxury purchases.
Despite Iran allowing 'non-hostile vessels' through the Strait of Hormuz, marine insurance premiums are expected to remain elevated due to persistent high-risk classifications and ongoing geopolitical tensions, with experts cautioning that the threat of attacks and collateral damage still exists.
Even as non-life insurers reported muted premium growth in October, standalone health insurers saw a robust 38 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) surge. This growth was driven by pent-up demand in the retail health insurance segment.
If the oil infrastructure is attacked by the United States, the whole area could be flooded with oil, spilling into the Persian Gulf.
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.
Reliance Industries' digital arm, Jio Platforms, may see its initial public offering (IPO) delayed to the second half of fiscal 2027, according to CreditSights. The delay is primarily attributed to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which could impact market conditions and investor sentiment.
In a move aimed at curbing the mis-selling of financial products, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed banning incentives paid to bank staffers by third parties such as insurance companies and mutual fund houses for selling their products and services. It has also proposed that banks must ensure their user interfaces do not deploy "dark patterns" to lure customers.
'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.
'So far our production is not affected. But every day the situation prolongs, it does bring risks in terms of shipments getting delayed.'
'We hope we will be able to at least end crashes that involve collisions with stationary vehicles as there will be an automatic warning.'
