Insurance premiums: Parliamentary panel calls for lowering GST on insurance
Parliamentary panel recommends lowering of GST on health insurance, term policies
The Hindu Business Line

Tata AIA Life appoints Venkatachalam H. as chief executive officer and managing director
Tata AIA Life Insurance Company has announced that its board has appointed Venkatachalam H. as the new chief executive officer and managing director, subject to regulatory approval from IRDAI.

LIC Index Plus policy: Life Insurance Corporation introduces a new insurance-cum-savings plan. Ten key things to know
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has announced the launch of unit-linked, regular premium, individual life insurance plan Index Plus. The plan offers life insurance cover-cum-savings throughout the term of the policy, LIC said in a statement.

Ageas Federal Life Insurance launches multicap fund in ULIP portfolio; details here
Ageas Federal Life Insurance (AFLI) has introduced multicap fund within its Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) portfolio. This open-ended fund aims to generate returns through strategic investments in a diverse range of listed companies across different market capitalisations.

SBI Life Insurance buys KIMS shares worth Rs 239 cr in open mkt transaction

According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd purchased 11.49 lakh shares, representing a 1.4 per cent stake in KIMS.

CCI Approves Zurich Insurance’s Acquisition of Kotak General Insurance
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the Zurich Insurance Company Ltd’s acquisition of 70 percent stake in Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Ltd (KMGIC). In November last year, the Switzerland-based Zurich Insurance Group had agreed to acquire a 51 percent stake in KMGIC for about ₹4,051 crore through a combination of fresh capital infusion and share purchase.  This was billed as the largest investment by a global strategic insurer in an Indian non-life insurance company. 

Standardisation a critical pulse for better govt health care access
Three major moves announced in a span of the last 10 days or so can potentially shake up the hospital sector in India and alter access to health care for millions. However, industry stakeholders say that standardisation is key to ensuring these moves help the actual beneficiaries.
 

6 key factors to consider before buying a cancer insurance plan
It is crucial to address the importance of having a comprehensive cancer insurance plan. As medical costs rise and cancer cases continue to increase, safeguarding oneself financially becomes vital. This article highlights the key factors to consider when purchasing a cancer insurance plan, ensuring you make an informed decision for your health and financial well-being.

Health plans: Is it wise to opt for monthly payments?
Insurers have started promoting monthly and quarterly premium payment modes in an effort to make health plans affordable for all. Besides, they are also offering zero-cost EMI (equated monthly installment) options now. The idea seems to be appealing for many. Data obtained from insurance distributor Policybazaar shows that 33% of young salaried individuals (aged 26 to 35) prefer the monthly payment mode when purchasing such a policy for the first time. Interestingly, the trend is more pronounced in tier-III regions, where 44% of individuals have opted for monthly payments, compared to 31% in tier-2 cities and only 23% in metros.

Why family floater health plans aren’t for the elderly
Health insurance needs to be a critical component in your financial plans. That helps you meet any exigency, say financial advisers. It becomes even more important if there are elderly dependents in your family. At the same time, such health plans that cover senior citizens do not come cheap. Premiums have risen sharply, in tandem with the alarming increase in healthcare inflation. Under the circumstances, can a family floater health plan provide a breather?

Editorial. Reforms needed to make health policies truly cashless
Despite the proliferation of insurers and products, health insurance policies in India which are supposed to provide cashless reimbursement of hospital bills, rarely serve their intended purpose. Fortunately, the General Insurance Council, the industry body, has finally initiated steps to try and resolve at least one impediment to cashless treatment, which is the requirement that the policyholder use a hospital from the insurer’s approved network. The Council has data showing that as many as 37 per cent of health insurance customers incur out-of-pocket expenses on hospitalisation because they are unable to avail of cashless treatment. It is now proposing a ‘cashless-everywhere’ facility that will allow patients to file insurance claims, irrespective of whether they take treatment in a hospital in the insurer’s approved network or outside it.

LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management appoints Ravi Kumar Jha as MD & CEO
LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management appointed Ravi Kumar Jha as the company’s managing director and chief executive officer from January 31. 

CRED to buy wealth management firm Kuvera
CRED said on Tuesday it will acquire wealth management firm Kuvera in a cash and stock deal. It did not disclose the size of the deal. This marks the fifth acquisition for the Kunal Shah-led firm since its inception and second in the past year.

VC fund Lumikai expects surge in gaming investments in 2024
Bengaluru: The gaming sector is poised to attract more investor attention in 2024, leveraging the burgeoning India consumer narrative, according to a top executive at Lumikai, a venture capital (VC) fund dedicated to gaming.

100X.VC eyes 40 bets this year, sees funding recovery

Pre seed and seed stage venture capital firm 100X.VC is looking to make about 40 investments this year that will close out its second fund, while it expects investment momentum to start recovering following a funding drought since mid-2022. "We believe, structurally, India is on a bull run. There is a lot of sanity in themarket now,unlike 2021-22,and that is good for us because we get good quality founders. We have invested in over 60 deals from our second fund, and will have 40 deals happening this year, which will complete our fund founder and CFO Yagnesh Sanghrajka told FE. 

Sovereign Gold Bonds 2023-24 Series IV to open on Feb 12; all you need to know about SGBs
The public subscription for the Sovereign Gold Bonds 2023-24 Series IV will be open from February 12 to February 16, 2024, for a period of five days. The issuance is scheduled for February 21, 2024.

Govt targets to sell 40-45 tonnes of SGBs in FY25
The Centre has estimated 40-45 tonne (at current prices) of subscription for Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) in the interim Budget. According to the document of Statement of Liabilities of the central government, the current financial year’s provision under the liabilities of SGB, as per revised estimates was Rs 69,998 crore. This has been revised upwards to in FY25 to Rs 96,136 crore — an increase of Rs 26,138 crore.