Aathira Varier

GIC Re to withdraw marine hull war risk cover in high-risk regions

Reinsurer withdraws marine hull war risk cover across key global hotspots, including West Asia and parts of the Black Sea, citing rising geopolitical tensions

Gold loan share in bank retail credit doubles to 6% in a year: RBI data

Additionally, the share of gold loans in overall retail loans of banks has now doubled to 6 per cent (January 2026), from 3 per cent as of January 2025

RBI workshop urges stronger governance and tech use to fight cyber frauds

At a two-day workshop with 60 banks, RBI called for stronger governance, better internal controls and greater tech adoption to counter rising cyber-enabled financial frauds

Gold loans drive 42% surge in secured lending in Q3FY26: Experian

Experian data shows secured loans growing 42% in Q3FY26, led by strong demand for gold loans, even as unsecured lending rebounded and home loans maintained steady momentum

Credit card spends dip slightly in January; issuances rise to 116.6 mn

Credit card spending eased to Rs 2 trillion in January after festive highs, though outstanding cards rose to 116.65 million as issuers recalibrated amid tighter norms and shifting customer profiles

India needs more qualified actuaries amid RBC, IFRS transition: Irdai Chair

Irdai Chairman Ajay Seth flags acute actuarial talent shortage, says capacity building critical as India adopts risk-based capital norms and aligns with IFRS standards

IFSCA to seek Centre's nod to open insurance-linked securities to investors

IFSCA will approach the Centre for approval to set up an SPV-based framework enabling investments in insurance-linked securities such as catastrophe bonds, aiming to broaden risk-sharing mechanisms

Hospitals becoming insurers could ease health care costs: Devi Shetty

Narayana Health's Devi Prasad Shetty says hospitals launching insurance arms could reduce friction with insurers, improve affordability and expand healthcare access in the coming years

LRS outward remittances fall 4.1% in Apr-Dec FY26 on lower travel spend

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

NRI deposit flows fall 16% to $11.2 bn in Apr-Dec 2025, shows RBI data

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

Distributor commission revamp could raise policyholders' returns: Experts

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

Risk-based deposit rules may dent bank profits by up to ₹12k cr: ICRA

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

NBFCs put artificial intelligence to work across lending value chain

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

Life insurance firms propose deferment of frontloaded commissions

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

LIC sets sights on sustained 60%-plus market share: MD & CEO R Doraiswamy

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

Don't see major impact of proposed mis-selling norms: Axis Max Life MD, CEO

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

RBI's new loan recovery norms: NBFCs may incur extra cost to train agents

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

RBI's proposed mis-selling norms may hit credit life business of insurers

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

Reserve Bank of India moots rules to rein in harsh debt recovery

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

India's outbound FDI moderates to $3.42 billion in January, shows RBI data

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