Insurance | inves4: Indian Equity Investing

Insurance costs under lens: RBI flags high-cost distribution driving premium growth, warns of medium-term pressure

The Reserve Bank of India has flagged emerging structural pressures in the insurance sector, warning that premium growth is increasingly being driven by high-cost, distribution-led strategies rather than improvements in operating efficiency, even as the sector remains stable in the near term, according to its latest Financial Stability Report.“While posing no near-term systemic risks, the … Read more

Shriram to list insurance arms in the next 2 years

“Maybe a year or two from now. So once we reach a certain scale, we will do it. Maybe general first, then life next,” Shriram Finance’s Executive Vice Chairman Umesh Revankar said. “Both are doing well. They are profit-making from inception. We have not added any capital in both the companies,” he further added. Shriram … Read more

Nitin Gadkari requests withdrawal of GST on life, health insurance premiums

India’s Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on life insurance and health insurance premiums. Currently, both life insurance and health insurance premiums attract a GST rate of 18 per cent. In a letter to Sitharaman, Gadkari noted that … Read more

Health insurer Niva Bupa files IPO papers to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore

Indian health insurer Niva Bupa has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore (nearly $360 million), draft papers showed on Monday. The company, majority owned by British United Provident Fund (Bupa), said it will issue fresh shares worth up to Rs 8 crore as part of the offering. … Read more

Axis to increase stake in Max Life

Max Life (ML) is a subsidiary of Max Financial Services Limited (MFSL). ML is currently 87% owned by MFSL and 13% by the Axis group. In 2021, Axis Bank had announced the deal for the acquisition of a stake in ML The lender then through its entities, had collectively acquired a 12.99% stake in Max … Read more

Narayana eyes insurance

Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) is in discussions with the regulator (IRDAI) to get into the health insurance business. The plan is to sell a bundled health insurance package that proposes to offer comprehensive care from outpatient consultations to ordering medicines, to health check-ups, diet, physiotherapy and surgeries. In an interview to ET, Viren Shetty, executive vice-chairman … Read more

Launch insurance products for the disabled, mentally unwell: Irdai

Regulator Irdai has asked general and standalone health insurers to offer a specific cover for Persons with Disabilities (PWD), persons afflicted with HIV/AIDS, and those with mental illness. In a circular, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) asked the insurers to determine the price of the product in line with the IRDAI … Read more

buffett: Warren Buffett deepens insurance exposure with $11.6 billion Alleghany deal

Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway has struck an $11.6 billion deal to buy Alleghany Corp, the owner of reinsurer TransRe, just weeks after the 91-year-old billionaire bemoaned the lack of good investment opportunities. Alleghany adds to Berkshire’s already large insurance portfolio, which includes Geico auto insurance, General Re reinsurance and a unit that insures against major … Read more

Life insurers’ new biz premium income nearly flat at Rs 24,466 cr in Dec

Life insurers’ collective new business premium income stayed nearly flat from a year ago at Rs 24,466.46 crore in December 2021, data from Irdai showed on Friday. The new business premium, or the first year premium, of 24 life insurance companies had stood at Rs 24,383.42 crore in December 2020. IPO-bound insurance behemoth LIC, however, … Read more