Beside health and life insurance, which other policies should you go for?
Pradeep Funde, Senior Vice-President, Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers, says the products that are coming in the market now cover the policies, the coverages which were exclusions to start with. For instance, medicals you never had gauged, the expendables that were covering the policy. Now among others, there are policies which have riders that are available in the market which you can go and buy.”

Regulators must collaborate on international standards, says Irdai chief
“…regulatory authorities should collaborate on international standards and harmonise regulations wherever possible, given the interconnectedness of the global financial system. This approach ensures consistency and also minimises regulatory arbitrage,” Panda said at the event organised by Excellence Enablers.
 

For SMBs, insurance can play a crucial role in ensuring business continuity: Rakesh Kumar, Square Insurance
Small businesses face numerous threats which go beyond their financial and economic viability. Theft, natural calamities and even cyberattacks can prove to be a death knell for a firm. This is where business insurance plays an important part. In a conversation with ET Digital, Rakesh Kumar, Founder, Square Insurance, highlights the importance of insurance, the different types of insurance available, the ways to select one and how the insurance sector has evolved. Edited excerpts:

Kotak Mahindra Bank to sell 51% stake in Kotak General Insurance to Zurich Insurance for Rs 4,051 crore
Kotak Mahindra Bank will sell majority stake in subsidiary Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company to Zurich Insurance Company for Rs 4,051 crore.

‘Kotak will expand general insurance business with proceeds of Zurich deal’: Jaimin Bhatt, chief financial officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd sold a 51% stake in its non-life insurance company to Zurich Insurance Co. for ₹4,000 crore. In an interview, Jaimin Bhatt, chief financial officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank, comments on the strategy behind the sale and the valuation the business is seeking.

Edited excerpts:

Chola MS more than doubles PAT in first half of FY24
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd, a joint venture between Murugappa Group and Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group (Japan) has more than doubled its Profit After Tax (PAT) at ₹ 164 crore for the first half of this fiscal when compared with ₹ 73 crore PAT in H1 of previous fiscal. Thecompany reported a 33 per cent increase in its half-yearly gross written premium (GWP) at ₹ 3,708 crore, aided by the re-entry into crop insurance which contributed to 10 per cent growth (out of 33 per cent) among other factors.

‘Sebi has to balance development, regulation, investor protection
 

National Pension System: How will the new NPS rule benefit subscribers and who benefits from the SLW option?
National Pension System: As part of a proposed change in the National Pension System (NPS) withdrawal rules, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will allow automatic withdrawals periodically from the NPS subscribers corpus fund. “Following Regulation 3 and Regulation 4 of PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the NPS) Regulations, 2015 and amendments therein, it is proposed to provide the option of phased withdrawal of the lump sum through Systematic Lump Sum Withdrawal (SLW) facility," the PFRDA said in its circular dated 27 October 2023.

Sebi simplifies offer documents of mutual fund schemes
To boost ease of preparation of the Scheme Information Document (SID) by mutual funds and increase its readability for investors, markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday simplified and rationalised the format of offer documents. The revamped format is aimed at streamlining the dissemination of relevant information to investors, rationalising the preparation of SID and facilitating its periodic updation by mutual funds.

Investor protection: AMFI prescribes norms for mutual fund ads
Mumbai: The Association of Mutual Funds in India has made it mandatory for mutual funds to display only the 10-year compounded annual rolling returns prescribed by it in non-scheme related pamphlets and advertisements. In March, market regulator SEBI had said that the advertisements by some asset management companies did not comply with the letter and spirit of the code prescribed by it.

Baroda BNP Paribas MF mops up ₹1,103 cr via small-cap NFO
Mumbai: Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund has mopped up ₹1,103 crore through its new fund offer on small-cap which was open for subscription between October 6-20. The scheme reopened for investment on Wednesday. This is the seventh NFO by Baroda BNP Paribas Asset Management since the two entities merged in March, 2022. Suresh Soni, CEO, Baroda BNP Paribas Asset Management said the NFO has received wide participation from many investors and distribution partners across cities and towns.

DSP Mutual Fund launches DSP Gold ETF Fund of Fund – Check details
DSP Mutual Fund has announced the launch of DSP Gold ETF Fund of Fund, an open-ended Fund of Fund scheme investing in DSP Gold Exchange Traded Fund. The scheme offers investors a convenient way to invest in gold like a normal mutual fund scheme, compared to the physical version, with the freedom to trade easily.

Edelweiss Gold ETF, DSP Gold ETF FoF open for subscription this week; should you invest?

Two new fund offerings or NFO will open for subscription this week. Edelweiss Gold ETF is open for subscription and DSP Gold ETF FoF will open for subscription later this week.

Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields tumble to 3-week lows on refinancing relief
Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields tumbled to three-week lows on Thursday, continuing a rally from Wednesday on relief that the US Treasury Department announced smaller-than-expected increases in longer-dated Treasury supply.

Time's right to buy g-secs with rates near a peak

Mumbai: Long-tenure bonds aren't the most glamorous instruments in the investable universe. But they would offer solid returns now - at the peak of a rate-hardening cycle where inflation-adjusted guaranteed returns are positive.

A gush of state bonds may upend market dynamics

Mumbai: Even as the sword of large-scale open market bond sales by the Reserve Bank of India hangs over the debt market, state governments in the poll season have upset bond traders' demand-supply calculations by overshooting their stated borrowing plans.

Demand for 50-year government bond seen firm from insurance firms
“We expect strong demand from the long-term investors. The 50-year bond has been introduced in response to a long-standing demand from the long-term investor community and, hence, we see no dearth of demand,” said Badrish Kulhalli, head (fixed income), HDFC Life Insurance.