RCap gets RBI nod to sell stake in RLife

The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's financial services arm Reliance Capital today said it has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for its proposed 26% stake sale in Reliance Life Insurance to Japan's Nippon Life.

The company had signed a definitive agreement to sell a 26% stake in Reliance Life Insurance to Nippon Life Insurance for Rs 3,062 crore earlier this year. The deal was subject to regulatory approvals.

The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) has already granted in-principle approval for the proposed stake sale. Following RBI clearance for the deal, IRDA will now grant final approval for completion of the transaction, Reliance Capital said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Commenting on the development, Reliance Capital CEO Sam Ghosh said, "We are delighted to receive the RBI approval, bringing us closer to concluding this transaction very shortly."

"This is great news as we move closer to completing the transaction," Nippon Life Insurance President Yoshinobu Tsutsui said.

This transaction pegs the total valuation of Reliance Life Insurance at around Rs 11,500 crore.

Nippon Life is a 122-year-old Global Fortune 100 company and the seventh largest life insurer in the world. It is a leading private life insurer in Asia and Japan.

RCap figures among the country's top-four private sector financial services and banking groups in terms of net worth.