India’s insurance penetration dips, but density inches up
New Delhi: India’s insurance penetration fell to 3.7 per cent in 2023-24 from 4 per cent in the previous fiscal, despite the insurance regulator’s sustained efforts to advance the ‘Insurance for All by 2047’ vision, IRDAI’s Annual Report for 2023-24 showed.

Business correspondents meet Irdai, seek consent to sell insurance products
 

How non-participating plans by insurers work as investment option
 

What happens to your unclaimed LIC funds after maturity? How nominees can claim their money – Govt explains
Every year, lakhs of LIC policies mature, and thousands of policies become due for payment due to death claims. However, in some cases, claimants and nominees do not come forward to claim their rightful money. So, what happens to these funds when they remain unclaimed?

Tata AIA launches fund tracking Nifty 500 Multicap Quality 50 Index
 

In a first, micro insurance premium in life segment tops Rs 10k cr in FY24
In 2023-24, new business premium (NBP) in life insurance’s micro-insurance segment, which targets low-income groups, surpassed Rs 10,000 crore for the first time, according to the financial year’s Annual Report by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai).

‘Crop, motor, health and commercial to equally contribute to portfolio by FY26’
Universal Sompo General Insurance, known for its focus on motor and crop insurance, is setting its sights on expanding its health and commercial lines portfolio. In an interaction with Narayanan V, managing director and CEO Sharad Mathur shares the strategic rationale behind this diversification. Excerpts:

Trump policies on tariff, deregulation, immigration policy, tax cuts will impact global economy
Chennai: Amidst challenging investment climate, Ashwani Dhanawat, Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, Shriram General Insurance Company, says he sees opportunities in Indian equities over the next two-three quarters. The insurance company plans to scale up its current equity exposure from ₹775 crore to ₹1,200 crore.

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Claim rejections by health insurance companies rise by 19.10% to Rs 26,000 crore
Source Credit:George Mathew , The Indian Express

AB Capital infuse Rs 23 crore into health insurance arm via rights issue
 

Government committed to improve quality spending in FY26: Finmin report amid legal tussle with SEBI
The government will continue its focus on improving quality spending, strengthening the social security net and bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of the GDP in FY26, a finance ministry document said.

Sebi suspends Bharat Global trading after stock rally 10,000 per cent in one year

Mumbai: The market regulator Sebi has ordered the suspension of trading in Bharat Global Developers’ stocks, which have surged more than 10,000 per cent in the past year.

EPFO adds 13.41 lakh net members during Oct
New Delhi: Retirement body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Wednesday said that it has seen net member addition of 13.41 lakh members in October.  This signifies increased employment opportunities and heightened awareness of employee benefits, bolstered by EPFO’s effective outreach initiatives, according to Union Labour Ministry. The provisional payroll data for October, released on Wednesday, showed that EPFO had enrolled around 7.50 lakh new members in October.

ESIC upgrades IT systems to improve service delivery
 

ELSS Mutual Funds: Best funds with up to 50% returns in 2024! See top-10 list of tax-saving funds
ELSS Mutual Funds: Today, investors have a wide range of options, including fixed deposits, debt instruments, equities, real estate, and more. While some investments, like bank fixed deposits, offer fixed returns in the range of 7% to 8%, these returns may not meet the expectations of all investors. On the other hand, options like equities, whether directly or through mutual funds, can deliver higher returns but lack the assurance of fixed returns.

Angel One Mutual Fund eyes distribution edge to ace passive race
  

Mutual fund industry on a high, asset surges Rs 17 trillion in 2024
 

FPI inflows drop sharply in 2024; rebound anticipated in 2025
New Delhi: After a robust 2023, foreign investors significantly scaled back their investments in Indian equities in 2024, with net inflows amounting to over ₹5,000 crore, as elevated domestic valuations, coupled with geopolitical uncertainties prompted investors to adopt a more cautious stance. “Looking ahead to 2025, FPI flows into Indian equities could see a recovery, supported by a cyclical upswing in corporate earnings, particularly in domestic-oriented sectors like capital goods, manufacturing, and infrastructure,” Vinit Bolinjkar, Head of Research, Ventura Securities, said.

Sell-downs surge 60% in 2024 as promoters, PEs divest stakes
Mumbai: Private equity firms and promoters have been actively monetising their stakes in listed companies in 2024. The proof of that is in the surge in sell-downs via block and bulk deals at around $74 billion so far, higher by 60 per cent from last year, according to data provided by Prime Database.

Investcorp sees India as an attractive market for PE investors
Despite headwinds and a challenging funding environment, the Indian Private Equity eco-system is proving to be resilient and a consistent performer, offering robust growth prospects, attracting both domestic and international investors, according to Gaurav Sharma, Head of India Investment Business at Investcorp, a global alternative asset manager.

KKR, Bain offer over $5bn each for 7-Eleven co’s assets

KKR offered around 800 billion yen ($5.1 billion) for York Holdings, an entity due to be spun out of the Japanese retailer, two of the people said. Rival US firm Bain offered around 1.2 trillion yen, one person said. Local buyout firm Japan Industrial Partners offered around 750 billion yen, one said.