Agents of change: How women are becoming key players in rural insurance
Hyderabad: Women from disadvantaged backgrounds are becoming key agents in driving financial inclusion in the underserved rural markets. Insurers are recruiting women agents from self-help groups (SHG) and other sections of the rural society to work as ‘Bima Vahaks’. “Many insurers, including us, have started recruiting Bima Vahaks from among the women entrepreneurs in the villages. We already have around 2,200 in the pipeline,’’ Anuj Tyagi, MD & CEO, HDFC Ergo General Insurance told businessline.  While women agents are not new for corporations like LIC, the work is mostly done by the male members of the family though the agency is registered in the name of a woman. But now, women are beginning to take on direct roles. 

Term Insurance Uptake Rises in Tier-2 Cities as Digital Advisors Support Awareness
 

SEBI chief warns against unregistered advisors, digital dabba trading amid surge in investor scams
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey stressed the need to strengthen investor protection, warning that unregistered advisory groups continue to lure individuals into unsafe trading channels and that dabba trading keeps resurfacing in new digital forms.

EPFO union opposes posting of deputed officers to cadre restructuring panel
The EPF Officers' Association (EPFOA) has written a letter to the Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, Ramesh Krishnamurthi, seeking the removal of the deputation clause from the terms of reference (TOR) of the cadre restructuring (CR) committee constituted by the EPFO on November 25.

Best performing Kotak equity mutual funds
Kotak Mutual Fund, founded in 1998, has grown significantly over the years, expanding its product range. It’s the 5th largest mutual fund house in India managing assets worth Rs 5.8 trillion (tn) as of 31 October 2025.

Stocks, mutual funds gaining fast as savers shift allegiance from banks
For every ₹100 worth of savings invested in bank deposits, households invested ₹45.2 in MFs and equities in 2024-25 (FY25), shows a Business Standard analysis of data from the November Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Bulletin. The corresponding figure was ₹21.2 in 2023-24 (FY24). The total money that MFs manage was ₹79.9 trillion as of October 2025. This is 33 per cent of the aggregate banking deposits of ₹241.7 trillion. MFs accounted for around 29 per cent of bank deposits in March 2025. A combination of low deposit rates, increased financial literacy, and ease of investment through financial technology platforms has caused more money to flow into MFs and the stock market.

Axis AMC eyes Rs 30,000-crore Alternates book, bets on private credit
Axis Asset Management Company expects its “Alternates” portfolio to grow fourfold over the next five years, driven by India’s rapidly expanding affluent base and its demand for sophisticated investment products such as alternative investment funds (AIFs), private equity and credit, and commercial real estate.

Sebi revamps mutual fund distributor incentives to bring new women investors, B-30 investors in the fold
https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2025/Nov/27/mutual-fund-distributors-to-get-rs-2000-for-each-new-investor-says-sebi

SBI to garner Rs 12,500 crore through bonds in FY26; Expects NIM stability even after probable RBI rate cut
SBI Chairman C S Setty has said that Rs 25,000 crore equity capital raised through the qualified institutional placement route earlier this year would support Rs 12 lakh crore credit growth and maintain a capital adequacy ratio of 15 per cent over 5-6 years.

GIFT City IFSC draws Saudi, UAE & Kazakh reinsurers as premiums soar four-fold
Ahmedabad: GIFT City’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is attracting a new wave of global reinsurers, with fresh applications from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kazakhstan. The developments come amid a four-fold surge in reinsurance business, reflecting the growing appeal of GIFT IFSC as a regional reinsurance hub.