Page 16 - Aathira Varier

RBI proposes 3-year break for co-op banks' directors after 10 yrs on board

Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act has prescribed a ceiling on the continuous tenure of directors on both state and central co-operative banks and urban co-operative banks, raising it from 8 to 10 yrs

Cap or stagger distributor payouts: Life Insurance Council committee

RBI has flagged high expense structure, particularly acquisition costs of insurance companies, in its recent report

Positive business outlook nudges banks to hire for sales growth: Experts

"In terms of hiring strategies for lenders, hiring is now more focused on the business side rather than collections," said a private sector bankers

Non-life insurance premium rises 8.6% to ₹28,447 crore in Dec on GST revamp

In April-December period, premiums are up nearly 14% YoY

GST rate cuts spur credit growth for banks in third quarter of FY26

Banks report strong loan growth in Q3 FY26 as GST rate cuts lift demand, with credit outpacing deposits for most lenders even as funding pressures persist

Banks see strong deposit growth in Q3 outpaced by rapid credit expansion

HDFC Bank's C/D ratio surges to 99.5%

Banks see double-digit credit growth in Q3 FY26 on strong lending

Six banks reporting Q3 FY26 business updates recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in advances, while deposit growth also remained healthy across public and private lenders

Bank credit demand from industry gains momentum as loan growth accelerates

The data showed credit to 'Micro and Small' and 'Medium' industries continued to exhibit double-digit expansion

Health insurance coverage rises in FY25 even as policy sales decline

During the year, premiums collected under the health insurance segment grew 9.12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.17 trillion

Misselling grievances against life insurers up 14% in FY25, says Irdai

Mis-selling complaints against life insurers rose over 14% in FY25 even as total grievances dipped marginally, prompting Irdai to flag concerns and seek corrective action

Microfin borrower indebtedness rises marginally in Sept after two-year dip

RBI's Financial Stability Report shows microfinance borrower indebtedness edged up in September 2025 after a two-year decline, even as credit and active borrowers fell in H1 FY26

High distribution costs limit insurance coverage, says RBI in FSR report

RBI's Financial Stability Report said high distribution-led costs are embedded in pricing, hurting affordability and penetration, while insurers' conservative investing may weaken product appeal

Public sector banks' staff count rises for first time in five years

RBI data show public sector banks added staff in FY25 for the first time in five years, while private banks' headcount fell, led by a sharp drop at ICICI Bank

Corporate lending to rebound as loan-bond rate gap narrows, RBI eases norms

Analysts expect banks' corporate credit to pick up as the bond-loan rate gap narrows and RBI reforms, including acquisition financing and eased exposure norms, begin to bite

Misselling in insurance sector a significant concern: Irdai annual report

Irdai has flagged mis-selling as a major concern in India's insurance sector, asking insurers to conduct root-cause analysis, even as penetration remained unchanged at 3.7% in FY25

Bank fraud amount rises 30% to ₹21,515 crore in April-September H1FY26

Banking system fraud amount rose to ₹21,515 crore in April-September FY26, up 30 per cent year-on-year, even as the number of cases fell sharply to 5,092

Number of UCBs declines to 1,457 in FY25 as RBI consolidation continues

India's urban co-operative banks fell to 1,457 at end-March 2025 from 1,926 in 2004, as RBI consolidation continued via mergers, closures and licence cancellations

SFB asset quality worsens in FY25; GNPA rises to 3.6%: RBI report

RBI's Trends and Progress report said small finance banks saw weaker asset quality and lower profits in FY25, even as balance sheets expanded at a faster pace than other banks

Reforms, robust demand may drive insurance growth back to double digits

After a muted FY26 so far, India's insurance industry is expected to return to double-digit growth in FY27, aided by regulatory changes, GST rationalisation and improving demand across segments

Small business credit exposure rises 16% to ₹46 trillion: CRIF-Sidbi report

Small business credit exposure rose 16.2 per cent to ₹46 trillion as of September 2025, though growth moderated from the previous quarter amid cautious underwriting and seasonality