Page 21 - Aathira Varier

Health, motor insurance policy sales jump on GST exemption, festival cheer

The GST exemption on insurance and festive demand have driven strong growth in health, motor segments, with ICICI Lombard, SBI General, Star Health reporting sharp upticks in sales, premium collection

GST waiver alone not enough to deepen penetration, say insurers

Insurers say the GST exemption will make policies cheaper and spur demand, but awareness, innovation, and efficiency are key to improving India's insurance penetration

BS BFSI Summit: Bima Sugam to transform insurance sector, says industry

Bima Sugam will unify India's insurance market, boost rural reach, and make policies more transparent and affordable, said experts

Credit card spends hit record ₹2.2 trillion in September on festive boom

Festive shopping, GST rate cuts, and heavy bank offers push card spending to an all-time high; HDFC, SBI Cards, and ICICI Bank lead growth

RBI denies approval for Dia Vikas Capital's 5% stake purchase in ESAF SFB

The central bank has refused approval for Dia Vikas Capital's proposed 5% stake purchase, prompting ESAF SFB's board to review its promoter scheme and next steps

VFS Capital withdraws small finance bank licence application: RBI

The NBFC-MFI, which reported a 117% rise in profit in FY25, has withdrawn its SFB licence application filed under RBI's on-tap licensing framework

A month after GST rationalisation, affordability boosts insurance sales

Insurers pass on the full tax benefit to customers, but withdrawal of input tax credit is pushing them to trim commissions, rework product mix and absorb higher costs

SBI General Insurance expects GST cut to hit profitability in near term

SBI General Insurance's Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naveen Chandra Jha spoke with Aathira Varier in a virtual meeting about the company's strategies for maintaining growth

A month on, GST 2.0 positive for customers, insurers face teething issues

Sales and inquiries see a spike, even as insurers plan to use multiple levers, including renegotiating commissions with distributors, to reduce the impact of withdrawal of input tax credit (ITC)

Credit card transactions surge, but debit card transactions decline: RBI

The report also highlighted that private sector banks continue to dominate the credit card segment, focusing on digital and co-branded offerings for customers

SFBs boost secured lending as they move towards universal bank status

AU, Ujjivan, and Jana Small Finance Banks increase share of secured assets in line with RBI's diversification guidelines for voluntary conversion to universal banks

Corporate profits up nearly threefold since pandemic: RBI's bulletin

RBI research finds corporate profits nearly tripled in four years, aided by pent-up demand, manufacturing resilience, and deleveraged balance sheets

Travel, education drag outward remittances under RBI's LRS in August

India's outward remittances fell 17.7% YoY to $2.6 bn in August 2025, led by lower travel and overseas education spending amid tightening US visa norms

Reliance General aims to double health insurance business in 3-4 years

CEO Rakesh Jain says health segment to rise to 38% of overall portfolio as GST relief boosts demand and retail health gains traction

Yes Bank Q2 net profit rises 18% to ₹654 cr on higher non-interest income

The provisions of the bank saw 47.5 per cent Y-o-Y rise to Rs 419 crore in the quarter

Listing of PSU financial subsidiaries to unlock value: DFS Secretary

M Nagaraju says listing subsidiaries of state-owned financial entities will unlock value, strengthen corporate governance, and enhance market oversight

Private life insurers see early demand surge after nil GST rollout

Private life insurers report strong post-GST growth as customers respond positively to the nil GST regime; term insurance demand surges 2.5x, say ICICI Prudential, HDFC Life

All GST benefits will go to customers: HDFC Life Insurance MD & CEO

HDFC Life sees 50% surge in retail term sales after GST cut; CEO Vibha Padalkar outlines margin recovery, product mix shift, and strategies to offset ITC impact

HDFC Life Q2 profit up 3% YoY to Rs 447 crore as premium growth sustains

Net profit rises to Rs 447 crore; APE up 8.6% and VNB grows 7.6% even as GST exemption impacts margins and investment income

ICICI Lombard General Insurance's Q2 net profit up 18% at ₹819 crore

The combined ratio of ICICI Lombard stood at 105.1 per cent in Q2FY26 as against 104.5 per cent in Q2FY25