Page 8 - Aathira Varier

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

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance's Q2 net profit up 19% at ₹299.26 crore

While expenses dropped 6 per cent to ₹2,152 crore, net commission rose 3 per cent to ₹1,272.7 crore

GST changes, ITC removal may have weighed on insurers' profitability in Q2

Analysts see 50-150 bps VNB margin compression for life insurers and sustained combined ratios for general insurers after GST rate changes and ITC removal

AIIEA opposes govt's move to open top PSU posts to private sector

AIIEA says allowing private executives to head PSU insurers undermines nationalisation and could demoralise staff, while experts see scope for merit-based reforms

Irdai asks insurers, distributors to form fraud risk management framework

Irdai has asked insurers and reinsurers to implement anti-fraud frameworks and cybersecurity systems by April 2026, including data sharing and blacklisting via IIB

Govt opens up State Bank of India managing director position to pvt sector

FSIB may hire HR agency to carry out behaviour and competency assessment of candidates

Life insurers' new business premium rises 14.8% in September 2025

Robust group segment performance led by LIC and private players drives 14.8 per cent year-on-year growth in new business premium for life insurers

Rethink insurance delivery to reach rural India: Irdai's Deepak Sood

Deepak Sood says India's digital infrastructure enables universal insurance, but the industry must reinvent distribution models to reach all socio-economic groups

PFRDA to expand NPS coverage to include agri sector and gig workers

PFRDA Chairman S Ramann says the regulator aims to extend pension coverage through FPOs, self-help groups and fintech tie-ups, and may allow gold and silver investments

Canara HSBC Life Insurance public issue to raise nearly ₹2,500 crore

The life insurer's Rs 2,500-cr IPO is an offer for sale by existing shareholders, with CEO Anuj Mathur saying no fresh capital is needed for expansion

Multi-line general, health insurers log muted growth after GST revamp

Multi-line general insurers grew 1.94% and standalone health insurers 3.09% in September, while specialised players saw strong premium expansion

Rebuilding trust, regaining biz momentum key priorities for IndusInd Bank

The private sector lender is also looking to enhance productivity through innovations in areas such as fintech

RBI's Basel III norms to lower banks' capital requirement from 2027

RBI's revised Basel III norms, effective April 2027, to lower capital needs for banks with reduced risk weights on MSME and housing loans, boosting CET1 ratios

Q2 loan race: HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank shine; IndusInd deposit books fall

RBL Bank also reported healthy growth, with loans up 14 per cent Y-o-Y to ₹1.02 trillion and deposits up 8 per cent Y-o-Y to ₹1.16 trillion

ECL norms to have bigger impact on banks with higher unsecured loans

Expected credit loss framework to replace incurred loss model from April 2027; analysts say lenders with higher unsecured retail and microfinance exposure will see bigger provisioning impact

Banks move to continuous cheque clearing, funds in hours from October 4

From October 4, cheques will be cleared on a near real-time basis under a new continuous clearing system, replacing the batch process and speeding up fund access

Life insurers cut agents' slice to give customers the full GST pie

Commission payouts reduced by 18% as insurers pass GST cut benefits to customers