SBI Life Insurance

Updates with closing levels, adds market value loss of PB Fintech in paragraph 2

By Kashish Tandon and Ashwin Manikandan

Sept 24 (Reuters) - Shares of Indian insurance distributors and lenders with sizeable insurance distribution income fell on Thursday, led by a 36% plunge in PB Fintech PBFI.NS after India's insurance regulator proposed sharp curbs on commission payouts.

PB Fintech, the parent of insurance distribution platform Policybazaar, posted its biggest one-day drop on record, wiping out more than 314 billion rupees ($3.27 billion) in market capitalisation.

Turtlemint TURE.NS and Max Financial Services MAXI.NS settled 20% and 9.8% lower, respectively. HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IDFC First Bank and IndusInd Bank fell 1.1%, 4.6%, 4.7% and 4.2%, respectively.

The proposals made in a consultation paper released late on Wednesday would reintroduce commission caps across life, health and motor insurance that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had scrapped in 2023.

Under the proposed rules, banks and non-bank lenders would be barred from compulsorily bundling insurance with loans, and life insurance commissions would be staggered over the life of a policy rather than paid largely upfront.

While the reforms are aimed at lowering policy costs and curbing mis-selling, analysts said they could disrupt existing distribution models, weighing on growth in an industry that relies heavily on agent and bancassurance channels for business.

India is the world's 10th-largest insurance market, with premiums of 11.93 trillion Indian rupees ($124.42 billion) in fiscal 2025 and about 60 insurers, including global players such as Prudential Plc, Sun Life Financial and AIG that currently operate through joint ventures with local firms.

Macquarie described the proposed commission cuts as "steep" and likely to hurt near-term growth as insurers and distributors recalibrate business models.

The brokerage said PB Fintech appears the most exposed given its sensitivity to commission rates, while Axis Bank and HDFC Bank face greater risk than peers from a potential hit to insurance fee income.

Analysts at Emkay Global said the proposals could "redefine" insurance distribution economics, potentially rendering some business models unviable if implemented in their current form.

Top life insurers HDFC Life and ICICI Life Insurance slumped 6.7% and 4.4%, respectively. Life Insurance Corporation of India and SBI Life traded higher, climbing nearly 1% and 0.2%, respectively, while non-life insurer ICICI Lombard rose 4%.

Analysts at JPMorgan said in a note that the impact of the proposed reforms could be "topline negative" in the near term for insurers, though medium term impact could be "constructive" as it may lead to better product propositions for customers.

The proposed changes are part of planned reforms following New Delhi's opening up the sector to 100% foreign ownership earlier this year and as IRDAI seeks to bring coverage closer to global levels.

The consultation paper invites comments from the public until October 25.

($1 = 95.9500 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon, Ashwin Manikandan and Nishit Navin; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Ronojoy Mazumdar)

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Adds margin guidance in paragraph 2, management commentary in paragraph 7

By Nishit Navin

BENGALURU, July 24 (Reuters) - India's SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS reported a 22% rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, helped by strong demand for retail policies and higher premiums from group insurance.

The insurer also said it expects increased contribution of higher-margin individual policies in new businesses to drive up overall margins.

Net profit rose to 7.25 billion rupees ($75.11 million) for the quarter ended June 30, from 5.94 billion rupees a year earlier.

Annualised premium equivalent (APE), a standard measure of new business that combines regular and single premiums, jumped 36% to 53.8 billion rupees amid a fourfold increase in group insurance.

Value of new business margin — a measure of expected profit from new policies sold — fell to 26.2% from 27.4% a year earlier, near the lower end of the company's expected 26% to 28% range.

Overall margin shrank due to a sharp uptick in the share of lower-margin group business, booked in large, uneven batches, among new business during the quarter.

"We have definitely seen the margin bottoming out," SBI Life MD and CEO Amit Jhingran said in a post-earnings call. "Going forward, with higher focus on individual policies, margin is going to be towards the upper range of our guidance."

Last week, ICICI Prudential posted a near-15% rise in APE, while HDFC Life posted a 9% growth.

SBI Life's net premium income increased around 17% to 200.78 billion rupees. First-year premiums from new policies grew 40%, while renewal premiums increased 17.4%.

In the individual business, the share of non-participating policies — which typically carry higher margins as insurers do not share profits with policyholders — jumped to 49% from 38% a year earlier.

($1 = 96.5300 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Eileen Soreng and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)

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The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own. Updates to add graphic.

By Katrina Hamlin

HONG KONG, May 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Prudential PRU.L, 2378.HK has a punchy plan to shake up its life insurance business in India: it's buying a controlling stake in Bharti Life Insurance. Tapping its new partner's telco and asset management customers is a risky alternative to the tried-and-tested model of distributing products via a bank but could be an ingenious way to kickstart growth.

The $38 billion group agreed to acquire 75% of Bharti Life from ​Bharti Life Ventures and 360 ONE Asset Management ONEW.NS for $389 million, it said on Sunday.

That means Prudential CEO Anil Wadhwani is doing a switcheroo: the transaction requires Pru to reduce its stake in an existing venture with ICICI Bank ICBK.NS to under 10%, from 22%, per the company. It could well go on to divest what remains, leaving Bharti as its key partner.

The Indian business is in need of a reboot. New business sales there fell 2% last year, and its ranking among private life insurers fell to fifth from third a year earlier. That was a disappointing result for what ought to be a high-growth market. The world’s most populous country has only 3% penetration in the life insurance space, Prudential reckons.

Wadhwani’s solution is a creative one. Insurers often lean on large banks like ICICI to reach potential policy buyers. But the target’s main attraction is Bharti Airtel’s BRTI.NS nearly 300 million smartphone customers in India, compared with ICICI’s roughly 80 million retail banking clients, per data from Bharti and BCG Matrix. Overlapping markets in Africa could also open up other emerging markets, while the telecom company's asset management arm could help Pru reach India’s high net worth individuals.

But making it work could be tough. JioBlackRock, a joint venture between BlackRock BLK.N and Jio Financial Services JIOF.NS, is tapping additional distributors to sell its products after trying a digital direct model that leaned on its connections to Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecoms group.

And while the deal price seems fair, it’s not a bargain, valuing the company at just over $500 million, or around 1.5 times its embedded value as of September. That’s in line with the average for rivals SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS, HDFC Life Insurance HDFL.NS and the Life Insurance Corporation of India LIFI.NS, per Visible Alpha, and just below 1.6 times for ICICI Prudential Life Insurance ICIR.NS. Shareholders sent Pru’s stock down 2% in morning trade in Hong Kong. That's probably because Wadhwani's punt for better rewards in India comes with higher risks.

Follow Katrina Hamlin on Bluesky and Linkedin.

CONTEXT NEWS

Insurer Prudential said on May 17 that it has agreed to acquire a 75% stake in Bharti Life Insurance from ​Bharti Life Ventures and 360 ONE Asset Management for an initial cash consideration of $389 million, with a potential additional consideration of up to $78 million, subject to certain conditions.

Prudential’s Hong Kong-listed shares fell 2.26% to HK$116.8 in morning trade on May 18.

(Editing by Antony Currie; Production by Ujjaini Dutta)

((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can click on HAMLIN/[email protected]; Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))

** SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS stock falls as much as 3.1% to two-week low after reporting new business slowdown, marginal profit decline

** Median PT of 36 brokerages is 2,400 rupees; rating "BUY" - LSEG-compiled data

MARGIN PRESSURE TO EASE ON NEW PRODUCTS

** Ambit Capital ("BUY"; PT 2,300): Overall growth data ahead of peers

** HDFC Securities ("BUY"; PT 2,400): Geopolitical headwinds weighed on business; bets on co's exclusive access to SBI's SBI.NS massive distribution network, scope for improvement in margin-accretive traditional mix and cost leadership

** Bank of Baroda ("BUY"; PT 2,415): SBIL's gradual shifting toward higher-margin traditional products while reducing the ULIP share likely to aid margins

** Jefferies ("BUY"; PT up 2,550 from 2,500): new product launches to help growth; insurer gaining market share supported by parent bank and agency network; annual premium equivalent to accelerate

(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru)

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Rewrites throughout with comments from post-earnings call

By Nishit Navin

April 22 (Reuters) - India's SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS said on Wednesday it is well-positioned to handle any potential tightening of regulations on selling policies through banks as it continues to boost sales online and through agents.

India is stepping up efforts to curb misselling of financial products. In February, the central bank proposed draft rules to address such sales through lenders. The secretary at the finance ministry's department of financial services has urged banks to avoid exclusive insurer tie-ups, ET Now reported on Tuesday.

SBI Life, which gets more than 60% of business from the banks, with a substantial portion coming from parent State Bank of India SBI.NS, reported a slowdown in new business growth and a marginal decline in profit on Wednesday.

Analysts had expected business growth to moderate in the March quarter as the Middle East war spiked market volatility, weighing on demand for market-linked insurance products.

The insurer's net profit declined to 8.05 billion rupees ($85.9 million) for the three months ended March, down from 8.14 billion rupees a year earlier, dragged by a one-third rise in operating expenses.

Net premium income rose 16%, driven by growth in renewals and one-time premiums.

SBI Life's annualised premium equivalent sales — a key measure of new business — grew 5.5%, slowing from the 25% growth in the preceding quarter. Four brokerages had expected the firm to clock a growth of 8%.

The value of new business, or expected profit from new policies, dropped about 2% to 16.3 billion rupees while the margin on such business stood at 27.5% as of March-end, among the highest in the sector.

Last week, peer HDFC Life HDFL.NS reported slower new business growth, while ICICI Prudential Life's ICIR.NS profit rose.

($1 = 93.7725 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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March 11 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE - GETS TOTAL TAX DEMAND FOR 5.38 BILLION RUPEES

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];))

Feb 25 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• DIVIDEND OF 2.70 RUPEES PER SHARE

Source text: ID:nnAZN4SIA1K

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

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Adds details on annualised premium equivalent and new business growth from paragraph 6 onwards

Jan 28 (Reuters) - India's SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS reported a near 5% rise in third-quarter profit on Wednesday, aided by higher premium collections as tax cuts spurred retail demand for insurance products.

The insurer's net profit rose to 5.77 billion rupees ($62.87 million) for the three months ended December 31, from 5.51 billion rupees a year earlier.

Indian insurers saw higher demand in the third quarter after taxes on life insurance products were lowered to zero from 18% earlier, according to analysts.

SBI Life's net premium income grew 22% to 302.45 billion rupees. One-time premiums rose 24%, while premiums from older policies that were renewed jumped nearly 21%.

Its management expenses, however, rose more than 45% to 35.19 billion rupees, driven by a 28% rise in commissions paid to agents and a 36.6% rise in employee-related costs.

Annualised premium equivalent sales, a key metric that conveys the annualised total value of all single and recurring premium policies, rose nearly 25% to 86 billion rupees during the quarter, according to a Reuters calculation.

Analysts at Motilal Oswal expected strong growth in SBI Life to be driven largely by its bancassurance channel, in which the company sells products through banking partners.

This channel, particularly State Bank of IndiaSBI.NS's extensive branch network, contributed 62% to the overall APE of the insurer as of December-end.

The GST exemption on individual policies contributed to improved affordability and aided demand during the quarter, SBI Life CEO Amit Jhingran said in a statement.

SBI Life's value of new business, or expected profit from new policies, increased 22.5% for the quarter, per Reuters' calculation.

However, the government's move to do away with GST for insurance products hurt margins as insurers can no longer claim input tax credit.

This resulted in margins from new business contracting to 27.2% for the nine months ended December from 27.8% as of September-end.

($1 = 91.7750 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Sonia Cheema)

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Rewrites, adds details, background throughout

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Indian private lender IndusInd Bank INBK.NS said on Friday that its chairman Sunil Mehta will step down when his term ends in January, and named former State Bank of India SBI.NS Managing Director Arijit Basu as his successor.

Basu, the chairman of non-banking finance company HDB Financial Services HDBF.NS, will take over as IndusInd's chairman on January 31. Basu has also been the CEO at SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS.

Mehta's exit marks the latest senior leadership change at the private lender, which posted its largest-ever quarterly loss last fiscal year, following a $230 million hit to its accounts, with governance and accounting failures prompting the departure of former CEO Sumant Kathpalia and Deputy CEO Arun Khurana.

IndusInd Bank's shares fell 10% in 2025, making it the worst performer on the Nifty private bank index .NIFPVTBNK, which gained nearly 16%.

The shares were trading flat as of 12:56 p.m. IST on Friday ahead of the lender's December quarter results.

Reuters reported in December, citing sources, that Mehta, informed the board about his desire to step down at the end of his term. Mehta was the lender's chairman since January 2023.

In the past few months, IndusInd has also appointed a new chief financial officer, a chief human resources officer and several other senior executives.

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon and Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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Updates stock price in paragraph 2, adds details throughout

By Vivek Kumar M

Oct 17 (Reuters) - India's Canara HSBC Life Insurance CANR.NS made a muted debut on the bourses on Friday, as unappealing pricing and a crowded IPO market clouded the insurer's prospects.

Its stock was trading at 108.9 rupees, as of 10:50 a.m. IST, up 2.7% from its issue and listing price of 106 rupees, yielding the insurer a valuation of 105.15 billion rupees ($1.20 billion).

Peers SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS and HDFC Life Insurance HDFL.NS are valued around $21 billion and $18 billion, respectively.

Canara HSBC Life Insurance, which is a joint venture between Canara Bank and HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings, struggled to garner bids from retail and non-institutional investors earlier this week.

Retail investors subscribed 42% of their quota, while high-net-worth individuals subscribed a third of their shares in the $283 million IPO.

Thanks to qualified institutional buyers, the issue was subscribed 2.29 times, which was still lower than most other IPOs that opened in the last couple of weeks.

For instance, another Canara Bank-promoted entity, Canara Robeco Asset Management CANE.NS, received bids worth nearly 10-fold and closed 13% higher in its debut on Thursday.

Choice Broking said the insurer's valuation appeared to be fully priced, with price-to-enterprise value multiple, a stock valuation metric, of 1.6x, while industry averaged 2.4x.

"High dependence on bancassurance (where banks sell insurance) and relatively lower VNB (value of new business) margins compared to peers is expected to keep valuation multiples at a discount to peers," ICICI Direct said.

The insurer got 87% of its new business premium in fiscal year 2024-25 through bancassurance, with Canara Bank contributing 70.6% of this.

The listing caps a busy week for the Indian IPO market, which saw five stock debuts, including a blockbuster listing from LG Electronics India LGEL.NS and a muted start from the country's largest IPO of the year, Tata Capital TATC.NS. ($1 = 87.8387 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Harikrishnan Nair)

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NEW DELHI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled tax cuts for hundreds of consumer items, from soap to cars, in the biggest overhaul of the goods and services tax (GST), set to take effect from September 22.

Here are key highlights:

MAJOR CHANGES

India will have two key tax rates of 5% and 18% from September 22, versus four now. A new tax slab of 40% will apply to high-end goods, but all additional levies above that are to be abolished, bringing down effective tax rates on mid-size and big cars.

REVENUE LOSS, INFLATION IMPACT

The government estimates the cuts will cause revenue loss of 480 billion rupees ($5.5 billion), far lower than economists' estimate ranging from 1 trillion rupees to 1.8 trillion rupees.

Citi said India's inflation could ease as much as 1.1 percentage points if the cuts are fully passed through to consumers. India's retail inflation rate fell in July to its lowest in eight years.

TAX CUTS ON DAILY ITEMS

A tax panel approved lower GST of 5% on items of everyday use such as packaged food, medicines, toothpaste, fruit, milk products, talcum powder and shampoo, against 12% to 18% now.

The cut is expected to lift the sales of fast-moving consumer goods firms such as Hindustan Unilever HLL.NS, Nestle NEST.NS and Godrej Industries GODI.NS, while lowering costs for farmers.

It will abolish tax on individual life and health insurance products sold by companies such as LIC LIFI.NS, SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance ICIR.NS.

HOLIDAY BOOST TO SALES

The government has cut taxes on items such as cars, TVs and even cement, which could boost sales during the festival season that typically runs from the last week of September until November. India's tax panel also cut GST on air conditioners, ambulances, dishwashers, three-wheelers and hybrid vehicles.

Carmakers such as Maruti MRTI.NS and Toyota 7203.T, and manufacturers of consumer applicance such as LG Electronics LGEL.NS and Sony 6758.T are set to benefit immediately when the new rates kick in.

The tax panel also lowered the effective tax for big cars to 40% from the current rate of as much as 50%, making cars from Mercedes-Benz AGMBGn.DE, AUDI Aktiengesellschaft and BMW BMWG.DE attractive. GST on EVs was kept at 5%, giving relief to carmakers such as Tata Motors TAMO.NS and Mahindra & Mahindra MAHM.NS after a panel recommended an increase.

The government lowered taxes on fertiliser and tractors to help lower costs for farmers, recently come in the spotlight as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to protect them following a breakdown in India-U.S. trade talks.

MAIN LOSERS

GST was raised to 18% from 12% on apparel and clothing accessories that cost more than 2,500 rupees, which could hurt global brands such as Marks and Spencer MKS.L, Levi Strauss LEVI.N, and Zara.

The tax on coal went to 18% from 5%, but the effective tax rate on fizzy drinks make by PepsiCo PEP.O and Coca-Cola KO.N was held at 40%.

($1=87.5060 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aftab Ahmed; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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Adds comments from Maruti Suzuki chairman in paragraphs 7,8,9

By Nikunj Ohri, Aftab Ahmed and Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI, Aug 18 (Reuters) - India aims to slash taxes on small cars and insurance premiums as part of a sweeping reform of its goods and services tax (GST), a government source said on Monday, sparking a rally in Indian stock markets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration revealed plans over the weekend for the largest tax overhaul since 2017, with consumer, auto and insurance companies likely to emerge as the biggest winners when product prices drop from October, once the reform is approved.

The federal government has suggested lowering GST on small petrol and diesel cars to 18% from the current 28%, said the source who is directly involved in the matter.

The consumption tax on health and life insurance premiums may also be lowered to 5% or even zero from 18% currently, the same source said.

Shares of Maruti Suzuki MRTI.NS, the biggest seller of small petrol cars in India, surged nearly 9% on Monday, leading a rally in auto shares that helped push India's benchmark Nifty index 1.3% higher, on course for its best day in three months.

Shares of other carmakers such as Mahindra & Mahindra MAHM.NS, as well as motorbike manufacturers like Hero MotoCorp HROM.NS and Bajaj Auto BAJA.NS, which will also benefit from tax cuts, jumped 2%-4% on Monday.

Stocks of insurance companies such as ICICI Prudential ICIR.NS, SBI Life SBIL.NS, and LIC LIFI.NS rose as much as 2%-5% before pairing some gains.

Modi's deep tax cuts will strain government revenues but have drawn praise from businesses and political pundits who say they will bolster his image in an ongoing trade fight with Washington.

Maruti Chairman R.C. Bhargava said the tax rationalisation is a "huge reform".

"With more affordability, more people will come into the purchasing system," said Bhargava, who declined to comment on proposed tax cuts on small cars until the fine print is out.

"This restructuring of the GST will increase competitiveness of Indian products and the opening of trade borders will bring in the necessary competition. Competition, combined with your ability to produce and sell at lower prices, makes for the best efficiency," he added.

Federal government officials over the weekend said New Delhi has proposed only two rates of taxation -- 5% and 18% -- under the revamped structure. The highest 28% rate will be abolished.

The new proposal, however, will impose a 40% tax on 5-7 "sin-goods" like tobacco products and luxury items.

The announcement will not be effective until the GST Council, which is chaired by the federal finance minister and has representatives from all states, gives a nod. A meeting is expected by October.

India's finance ministry did not reply to an email seeking comment.

PUSH FOR SMALL CARS

Sales of small cars, defined as those having engine capacity below 1200cc for petrol vehicles and 1500cc for diesel and not exceeding 4 metres in length, have slowed over the last few years as buyers switched to bigger, feature-rich SUVs.

Small cars made up a third of the 4.3 million passenger vehicles sold in the world's third-largest automobile market last fiscal year, down from nearly 50% pre-COVID, industry data showed.

The segment makes up half of all cars sold by Maruti, majority-owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor 7269.T, which saw its market share plunge to about 40% from over 50% in the last five years as sales of its Alto, Dzire and Wagon-R models dropped.

Carmakers Hyundai Motor India HYUN.NS and Tata Motors TAMO.NS also stand to gain.

Cars with higher engine capacity that currently attract 28% GST and an additional levy of up to 22% - resulting in total taxes of about 50% - may come under a new special rate of 40%, the source said.

The government source added that details are being firmed up to consider if any extra levies should be imposed over the 40% to keep the overall tax incidence for big cars the same at 43%-50%.

On the other hand insurance penetration in India continues to remain low, at 3.8% of GDP, in 2024, according to research firm Swiss Re Institute. The companies believe lowering of GST will help boost sales of insurance products.

(Reporting by Nikunj Ohri; Editing by Aditya Kalra, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Susan Fenton)

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Aug 4 (Reuters) - AU Small Finance Bank Ltd AUFI.NS:

• PARTNERS WITH SBI LIFE FOR INSURANCE ACCESS

Source text: ID:nBSEb96Vjk

Further company coverage: AUFI.NS

(([email protected];;))

July 24 (Reuters) - India's SBI Life Insurance Company SBIL.NS posted a rise in first-quarter profit on Thursday, aided by healthy premium from policy renewals.

The firm's profit rose 14% to 5.94 billion rupees ($68.75 million) for the quarter ended June 30 from 5.20 billion rupees a year earlier.

($1 = 86.3950 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

(([email protected];))

April 24 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE Q4 PAT 8.14 BILLION RUPEES

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE Q4 NET PREMIUM INCOME 238.61 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];))

April 15 (Reuters) - India's ICICI Prudential Life Insurance ICIR.NS on Tuesday reported a surge in fourth-quarter profit, helped by strong demand for its group insurance offerings.

The insurer's standalone profit more than doubled to 3.86 billion rupees ($45 million) for the quarter ended March 31. Its quarterly net premium income grew 11% to 16.37 billion rupees, driven by a 30% jump in single premiums.

Demand for its market or unit-linked insurance plans (ULIP) dropped during the fourth quarter as India's stock markets underwent a sharp correction.

In the previous quarters, demand for ULIPs rose consistently as the stock markets traded at record high levels.

However, analysts pointed out that a rise in the demand for group insurance plans during the January-March quarter has boosted premium income for ICICI Prudential.

Group insurance policies cover multiple people in the same plan and are generally taken by companies to provide coverage for employees.

ICICI Prudential's value of new business (VNB), or expected profit from new policies, rose 2.5% to 7.95 billion rupees for the quarter, according to Reuters calculations.

However, the insurer's annualised premium equivalent (APE) sales, which is the total value of all single- and recurring-premium policies, fell 3.1% to 35.02 billion rupees during the quarter due to the drop in the sales of ULIPs.

Meanwhile, ICICI Prudential's VNB margins for the full year deteriorated to 22.8% from 24.6% a year ago.

ULIPs accounted for 48.3% of the company's overall product mix, down from 50.8% a year earlier.

Peer HDFC Life HDFL.NS will report its quarterly results later this week, while SBI Life Insurance SBIL.NS is scheduled to post its earnings next week.

($1 = 85.7230 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

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March 26 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• GETS TAX PENALTY AMOUNT OF 238 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nNSE8lMTq7

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];))

March 24 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD - RECEIVES INCOME TAX ORDER

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE - ORDER INCLUDES TAX DEMAND OF 3.53 BILLION RUPEES INTEREST OF 785 MILLION RUPEES

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD - INCOME TAX ORDER HAS NO ADVERSE MATERIAL IMPACT ON SBI LIFE

Source text: ID:nBSEbPzhJq

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];))

Feb 28 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE - DIVIDEND OF 2.7 RUPEES PER SHARE

Source text: ID:nBSEf6VtM

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];))

Feb 26 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD - TOTAL GST DEMAND AMOUNTS TO 396 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE4TkxGN

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];;))

Feb 24 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LTD - APPOINTS DORABABU DAPARTI AS DEPUTY CEO EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 24, 2025

Source text: ID:nBSEb9BY8M

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];;))

Feb 3 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE CO - GOT TAX ORDER FOR DEMAND OF 396.8 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE8zZh1Q

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];;))

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - India, on Saturday, raised the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 100% from the current 74%, a move aimed to boost overseas investments and improve insurance penetration in the country.

The change applies to insurers that invest their entire premium in India, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, while presenting the annual budget.

Existing regulations and conditions governing foreign investment in the sector will undergo review and simplification, Sitharaman said.

In November, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's (IRDAI) chairperson, Debasish Panda, said the government should allow 100% FDI in insurance.

"To stick to India's target of 'insurance for all' by 2047, we need a lot of capital ... we need a lot of new entities to come in, there may be some consolidation happening," Panda had said.

Shares of insurance companies such as SBI Life SBIL.NS and HDFC Life HDFL.NS rose 2.3% each, while ICICI Prudential Life ICIR.NS gained 3%.

(Reporting by Siddhi Nayak; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

(([email protected]; +91 22 6921 7848; Reuters Messaging: X: https://twitter.com/siddhiVnayak))

Jan 17 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• 9M FY25 VNB MARGIN AT 26.9%

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

(([email protected];;))

** Shares of SBI Life Insurance Co SBIL.NS fall ~3% in 2024, set to snap three-year winning streak

** Insurer down ~1% at 1,391.80 rupees during the session, on track for third straight session of losses, if trend holds

** YTD, Nifty financial services index .NIFTYFIN and Nifty 50 index .NSEI up ~9% each

** Avg rating of 31 analysts covering SBIL at "buy" while peers ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co ICIR.NS and HDFC Life Insurance Co HDFL.NS also rated "buy" - data compiled by LSEG

** Median PT for SBIL at 1,940 rupees - LSEG data

** YTD, ICIR up ~21% while HDFL down ~5%

(Reporting by Dimpal Gulwani in Bengaluru)

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Dec 30 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• APPROVES INVESTMENT OF 66 MILLION RUPEES IN BIMA SUGAM

• INVESTMENT FOR NOT EXCEEDING 10% OF PAID-UP EQUITY CAPITAL OF BIMA SUGAM

Source text: ID:nBSE379vPd

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

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Nov 12 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• APPOINTS CHALLA SREENIVASULU SETTY AS CHAIRMAN AND NOMINEE DIRECTOR

Source text: ID:nBSE2s9rYP

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

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Nov 7 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• GETS TAX ORDER WITH TOTAL AMOUNT OF 3 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE3QZ8v4

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

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Oct 23 (Reuters) - SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE INSURANCE H1 FY25 VNB MARGIN AT 26.8%

Source text for Eikon: [ID:]

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS

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SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd SBIL.NS:

• SBI LIFE- DINESH KUMAR KHARA RESIGNED AS A NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE7kll5H

Further company coverage: SBIL.NS