Govt plans to increase overseas investment limit in insurance to 74%

With an aim to attract long-term investment from overseas, the Indian government is planning to increase the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit for insurance firms to 74% from the current 49% in the upcoming Union Budget. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is seeking inputs from the industry on government instructions and a report is expected to be submitted soon, said an ET report quoting a source aware of the development. On December 2, IRDAI in a letter to insurance firms had sought the opinion of stakeholders to increase…

Why the follow-unfollow method still persists on social media

In fifth grade, I remember signing in and out of MSN Messenger so my crush would finally notice me when he got a notification. I’d sit there staring longingly at the green icon next to his screen name, wondering what he could possibly be doing that was more interesting than talking to me. But I want to tell my sweet and naïve 10-year-old self that if he wanted to talk to me the first time, he would have found a way. Now, I have the foresight to see just how…

Can LIC’s investments in public sector units hurt policyholders?

In the last five years, Life Insurance Corp. of India’s (LIC) investments in state-run banks and the government’s disinvestment programme have almost doubled, according to news reports. Moreover, of the total investments made by LIC worth ₹26.6 trillion, as of March 2019, ₹22.6 trillion went into the public sector and only ₹4 trillion went into the private sector, showed data from the Reserve Bank of India. While this may work in favour of some of the public sector undertakings (PSUs), it’s not clear how it will impact the customers of the insurer. Disha Sanghvi asks experts how this might affect…

Here Are Seven Interesting Startups That Deliver Lifestyle Gains In The Residential Space

We’ve discussed the topic of real estate-as-a-service in this column enough that all readers will by now know what I’m talking about. Providing the right services to end users of real estate (be they residential tenants, office workers, or shoppers) has two very positive outcomes: greater customer satisfaction which increases their retention rates and possibly also the asset’s rent roll, as well as the possibility to tap into new revenue streams by bringing other services the customers also desire in situ. In the past, we looked at a few ways successful startups are leveraging…

The Election Fix: Have BJP’s attempts to solve India’s education problems done more harm than good?

Welcome to The Election Fix. On Sundays, we take a closer look at one theme that will play a significant role in India’s Lok Sabha elections. In the past, we’ve looked at things like agriculture and the discrimination faced by Muslims in politics. This week, Shreya Roy Chowdhury takes a look at education, from how the big promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party have turned into piecemeal efforts to the major challenges facing India’s policymakers in the future. We are running a reader survey about the Election Fix and what you would like to see from our…

Softbank may invest in Jio as Mukesh Ambani deleverages business

NEW DELHI: Japan’s Softbank is reportedly looking to make a $2-3 billion investment in India’s fastest-growing telecom firm Reliance Jio as billionaire Mukesh Ambani looks to deleverage business by selling stakes. This comes on the back of reports of Saudi giant Aramco in discussions to buy a 25% stake in Reliance Industries’ refining and petrochemical business for $10-15 billion. “Softbank has long been seen as a potential investor in Jio,” JPMorgan said in a research report.”For the past 2 years, our conversations with investors have highlighted expectations of Softbank investing in Jio and hence…