Aathira Varier

Outward remittances under RBI's LRS fell 4.12% YoY in Apr-Dec FY26 to $21.36 bn as travel and education spends moderated, though remittances for investments and property purchases surged

Inflows into NRI deposits fell nearly 16% in Apr-Dec 2025 to $11.2 bn, led by a sharp drop in FCNR(B) flows, though outstandings across NRE and NRO accounts continued to rise

Industry executives say revising life insurance distributor commissions could improve policyholder returns by lowering acquisition and operating costs, even if premiums remain unchanged

ICRA says the new risk-based deposit insurance premium framework, effective April 2026, could reduce bank profitability by up to ₹12,000 crore a year, though stronger banks may see gains

Bajaj Finance, L&T Finance and Tata Capital are embedding AI and GenAI across the lending chain-from acquisition to servicing-to enhance growth, efficiency and risk oversight

Industry players meet Irdai chief; upfront payouts may be deferred to reduce acquisition costs

Doraiswamy says policy sales have gathered momentum after the goods and services tax (GST) rationalisation on individual life insurance premiums, increasing affordability for customers

Sumit Madan talks about RBI's proposed guidelines on mis-selling and their likely impact on the company and the sector, the firm's business plans going forward, among other issues

From a customer perspective, the stricter norms are welcome, industry executives said

RBI's draft rules on bundling and consent could dent credit life insurance and bancassurance income, though insurers say overall impact will be limited

The proposed norms will come into effect from July 1, 2026. Feedback on the draft may be submitted by March 4, 2026

India's outward FDI stands at $3.42 billion in January 2026, easing from December levels, with equity, loans and guarantees showing mixed trends

Indian companies filed ECB and FCCB proposals worth $4.43 billion in December, the highest monthly amount in FY26, led by NBFCs and infrastructure-linked borrowers

RBI has proposed raising the unsecured loan cap for urban co-operative banks to 20 per cent of advances, revising norms on unsecured lending and housing loan tenors

Both life and non-life insurers reported strong January premium growth, supported by a favourable base effect and the GST exemption on individual life and health insurance premiums

Thrissur-based ESAF Small Finance Bank will wait at least two years to seek a universal banking licence as it pivots to secured lending to improve asset quality and profitability

Banks are shifting from unsecured loans to gold-backed lending amid rising gold prices, but RBI says low LTVs and limited exposure pose no systemic risk

Targeted RBI campaigns and incentives have sharply increased the pace of unclaimed deposit settlements, pushing monthly payouts to over Rs 1,000 crore, compared with Rs 100-200 crore earlier, RBI said

The Reserve Bank of India will replace the flat-rate deposit insurance premium with a risk-based framework from April 2026, aiming to reward stronger banks and encourage better risk management

Private life insurers reported stronger demand for ULIPs in Q3FY26 as equity markets gained sharply. Customers also shifted towards higher sum assured plans with protection-linked riders