Aathira Varier

Irdai's proposed commission caps could hit distributor incomes, with banks and NBFCs facing pressure from lower payouts on insurance products

Lenders with multiple insurer tie-ups and incentive-led payouts could face a sharper impact, while L&T Finance is seen as the most exposed among NBFCs

PB Fintech may explore manufacturing insurance products by seeking a licence as it assesses the impact of Irdai's proposed commission cuts on its distribution business

Proposed commission cuts could trigger broker consolidation and squeeze bancassurance, while tighter expense limits may put additional pressure on smaller insurers

Credit card spending fell to Rs 2.02 trillion in August as online spends declined 7 per cent, while the number of outstanding cards rose to 124.05 million

PB Fintech plunged 36 per cent and Turtlemint fell 20 per cent as analysts warned proposed commission cuts in health, term and motor insurance could hit earnings

Calls for underwriting overhaul, performance-linked talent management

A three-day public sector bank strike at the end of September could reduce life insurers' business through the bancassurance channel by 10-15 per cent, industry officials say

SBI Chairman C S Setty says stronger bank profitability, credit demand and asset quality give the sector greater capacity to support investment and India's next stage of growth

The regulator proposes phased cuts to insurers' expense limits, new commission caps and a ban on compulsory bundling of insurance with loans to lower costs and curb mis-selling

FlexiLoans expects lending to small businesses to reach Rs 2.4-2.6 trillion in July-December 2026, driven by festive demand and growing digital commerce in non-metro markets

Insurers and distributors have seen higher policy purchases and coverage levels since the GST exemption, though the initial surge in demand has moderated from a higher base

Premium rates are hardening by nearly 25-30 per cent, mainly through a reduction in discounts, according to Bajaj General Insurance

Outbound equity FDI commitments rose to $1.14 billion in August, while guarantees for overseas units increased to $2.23 billion from $1.2 billion a year earlier

Cash in circulation rises 12.5% as UPI grows, raising concerns that MDR could slow the shift to digital payments

ICICI Prudential MF and SBI MF together bought over half of LIC's ₹31,552-crore OFS, sharply raising mutual funds' holding in the insurer

ICICI Prudential Life CEO Anup Bagchi says tax incentives for policies of 10 years or more could help insurers build stable liability pools for infrastructure investment.

Life and general insurance shares gained amid expectations that Irdai could lower commissions paid to distributors, particularly banks, potentially reducing distribution costs.

The two fund houses bought LIC shares worth Rs 17,145 crore in August, while mutual funds together accounted for an estimated 76.5 per cent of the government's OFS.

Economists say the rate hike cycle could be shallow, with 50-75 bps hike in the current cycle