Monday, February 19, 2007

BSE may consider new listing platform for SMEs

The Bombay Stock Exchange is open to the idea of creating a separate platform for small and medium enterprises, SMEs to tap the capital markets.
“We can always explore the possibilities (for a separate platform) for SMEs because they have a different need and one has to take that into consideration,” BSE’s CEO and managing director Rajnikant Patel told PTI.
“Can you charge the same listing fees that is charged by the national level exchanges? SMEs have small capital bases and they need differential pricing,” he said. There is a strong case for a separate trading platform for SMEs to enable them raise risk capital.
The London Stock Exchange has received a very good response for its Alternative Investment Market (AIM) for medium and small companies, where regulatory norms are diluted.
As stricter corporate governance norms were being insisted on by the national-level bourses - the BSE and the National Stock Exchange - it was increasingly becoming difficult to tap them.
Small and medium enterprises are coming in hordes to raise money from the capital market but stock exchanges cannot afford to dilute compliance norms for them, reports DNA

Monday, February 12, 2007

Insurance cover for AIDS patients

Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) is designing an insurance policy against AIDS.
It is tying up with NGOs and micro finance institutions for access to data that will aid in designing of health insurance products, which have AIDS insurance as a rider.
"We will soon be starting a pilot to test these products and are looking at creating comprehensive health insurance plans," said Ms Rupalee Ruchismita, Research Head and Co-ordinator, Centre for Insurance and Risk Management, IFMR. She was speaking at a seminar organised by the National Insurance Academy. IFMR is in talks with life and non-life insurance companies to market these products.
Currently, AIDS insurance is not offered in India and insurers have complained that lack of representative data has kept them from venturing into the segment. Globally, the Government of Uganda was the first to offer AIDS insurance to 25,000 miners. IFMR is also working on technology solutions like RFID chips for tagging cattle and bringing down claims ratios in livestock insurance.
The institute is also working on flood and multiple drought insurance products.
source:Business Line

Thursday, February 8, 2007

IRDA worried over surge in Unit-Linked Plans

Individuals fancy unit-linked invstment plans (ULIPs) feeling they only have an upside in exposure to equity market, but the insurance regulator is concerned.

The regulator, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda), about two weeks ago commenced an internal study to understand the reasons behind life insurance companies giving preference to selling ULIPs over traditional insurance products.

Irda Chairman C S Rao said, “We are studying the impact of regulations on traditional policies. We want to examine whether there are features in traditional plans that inhibit their growth?”

ULIPs have been a major factor in life insurers enjoying over 100 per cent growth in new business premium over the last few years.

The government-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) have witnessed over 180 per cent increase in its new business premium income in the current financial year, thanks to its agents going on an overdrive for selling ULIPs. About 71 per cent of LIC’s new premium income of Rs 23,585 crore came from ULIP sales.

The share of ULIPs for the largest private sector life insurer, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, as well as for Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance in their new business premium income is about 90 per cent.

One of the major drivers for life insurers to sell more ULIPs is the solvency margin. The insurance component in the amount invested in ULIP is about 20 per cent, which results in a much lower capital requirement.

The life insurers have to provide a much higher capital for traditional products, where the entire premium paid is accounted for insurance cover.

The regulator’s idea behind the internal study is to work out a plan for popularising traditional insurance products.

“One of the reasons could be the solvency margin. We will study what needs to be done to bring about a balance (between ULIPs and traditional products),” Rao said.

Rao also pointed out life insurers might be focusing on selling ULIPs as the investment risk is borne by a policyholder as against the insurance company in the case of traditional policies. “In a few years, the move will stabilise. We don’t want to take any step (now) that will act as a hindrance towards insurance penetration,” Rao added.

Sanjay Jain, head marketing at Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, said “Customers prefer ULIP because of their transparent nature wherein they can decide returns at every stage. Customers want to take the benefit from the strong growth in equity market, which they would not have benefited in a traditional product.”

Source: Business Standard

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Public sector insurers lose 9% market share this fiscal

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the sole public sector player, may be regaining its lost market share, but its counterparts in the general insurance business continue losing business to private parties at a much faster pace.

Numbers released by the regulator, IRDA, depict that the four public sector general insurers have lost 9% market share in the first nine months of 2006-07. By comparison, they had lost only about 6% of their pie to private players during in the whole of 2005-06.

The eight private insurers controlled 26% of the market till March 2006. Which increased to 35% in the first nine months of 2006-07. Interestingly, their share during 2005-06 rose from 20% in March 2005 to 26% in March 2006 — a rise of only 6%.

The four public sector general insurers — National Insurance, Oriental Insurance, New India Assurance and United India Insurance — collectively controlled around 65% of the market by December 2006, against 74% in December 2005. Incidentally, the entire general insurance industry has witnessed a 24% growth in premium income during the first nine months of the current fiscal. Total premium income for the period stood at Rs 18,577 crore in the period under consideration, against Rs 15,023 crore in the previous period.

Private insurers registered a higher total premium income of Rs 6,517.9 crore in the period under consideration against Rs 4,010.4 crore in the previous corresponding period. The four public sector insurers, on the other hand, recorded a total premium income of Rs 12,059.3 crore in the first nine months of the current financial against Rs 11,012.4 crore in the nine months period of 2005-06.


Source: Times News Network

Mkts close on all time high: Sensex breaches 14600


The markets ended on a new high on the back of heavy buying seen in scrips across sectors. Sensex breached 14,600 levels. The Sensex is up 164.94 points or 1.14% at 14643.13, and the Nifty up 28.35 points or 0.68% at 4224.25.

About 1303 shares have advanced, 1333 shares declined, and 39 shares are unchanged.

The BSE Small Cap Index closed at 7,697.81 up 0.5%.

The BSE Midcap Index closed flat at 6,186.86.

read more....

GOVERNMENT ESTIMATION FOR FY 07

Govt releases FY07 growth estimate figures
2007-02-07 11:30:14
The government has released growth estimates for various sectors for the current financial year. The government has estimated GDP growth for FY07 at 9.2% versus 9% year on year, while services growth is estimated at 11.2%, and industry growth at 10%.

The government has also estimated FY07 farm growth at 2.7% versus 6% YoY, and manufacturing growth at 11.3% versus 9.1% YoY.

The government estimates FY07 mining output at 4.5% versus 3.6% YoY, and construction output at 9.4% versus 14.2% YoY.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Uday Sankar Roy takes over as MD & CEO of SBI Life Insurance

Uday Sankar Roy has taken over as managing director & CEO of SBI Life Insurance from the incumbent, S Krishnamurthy, who retired at the end of January, 2007. Roy, a post-graduate in Science, joined State Bank of India in January 1972 as a probationary officer. During his tenure in SBI for over 34 years,. Roy has held several key assignments in various Circles of the Bank including the Banks’ London office and at the Corporate Centre in Mumbai. His previous assignment was as Chief General Manager of SBI’s oldest Circle, now spanning the states of West Bengal, Sikkim and the Bay Islands, from 2005. Besides, managing banking operations, Mr. Roy as Chief General Manager of SBI’s IT Global Hub at Belapur, Mumbai, was instrumental in implementing SBI Connect network and Core Banking software across the Bank.

Micro insurance may be let off from service tax

With the Union Budget just round the corner, micro insurance may be in for some good news. The government is planning to exempt micro insurance products from the service tax net.Microinsurance products are basically small premium policies that range between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 50,000. They are subject to much more liberal norms and are targeted to the underprivileged and lower income groups.The service tax imposed at present is 12.24% and the revenue generated from it is growing at over 60%. The premiums of micro insurance products are small and taxing it would mean more cash outgo from the insured’s pocket, who comprise of potters, farmers, craftsmen from the lower income groups.However, broadly speaking, micro insurance exposes insurance companies to good opportunities in terms of excellent growth prospect.

Indra Nooyi chosen as Pepsi chairman

The board of directors of PepsiCo on Monday announced that it has elected CEO Indra K Nooyi, 51, as chairman of the board too, effective from May 1.

The current chairman Steven S Reinemund, 58 retires on May 2, as he had announced last August.

Nooyi, who assumed the position of CEO of the more than $32 billion global convenient food and beverage company in October, will thus become the fifth chairman and CEO and the first woman in PepsiCo's 42-year-old history, following Reinemund (2001-2006), Roger A Enrico (1996-2001), Wayne D Calloway (1986-1996) and Donald Kendall (1971-1986). Herman W Lay served as PepsiCo's first chairman from 1965-1971), while Kendall served as chairman.

read more....

Monday, February 5, 2007

India confident of Pension, Insurance Reforms

London: India has said that it was confident of pushing through reforms in the insurance sector to allow greater foreign ownership as also the pension sector, as it seeks more overseas investments to sustain high growth.

Finance minister P Chidambaram told the Indo-British partnership network in London yesterday that the government was confident of mustering broad-based support for the pension fund regulatory and development authority bill as well as a bill for allowing greater FDI in insurance.

"Given patience and time, these bills will become law," Chidambaram said, adding that the government had to move cautiously in view of reservations expressed by some coalition partners... read more

Aviation Insurance - A Report

With the entry of several low cost airlines along with fleet expansions by existing ones and increasing corporate aircraft ownership, the Indian aviation insurance market is all set to take off in a big way.
Estimated to be in the region of Rs.3.5 billion, aviation insurance premium business is growing at a fast clip. At present the government-owned four non-life insurers are the major players in this segment as they cover public sector airlines like Air India and Indian. read more....

Sunday, February 4, 2007

upcoming events....

NMIMS's , Mumbai
MBA Actuarial Science Batch is organising a Seminar called 'SIGMA' on 11th February.

Date: Sunday, February 11, 2007

Venue: Auditorium, Institute of Hotel Management Veer Savarkar Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028.

Event Schedule:
09:00 am – 09:30 am Registration
09:30 am – 10:00 am Inauguration

10:00 am – 11:00 am Session I: Insurance
 Recent Developments in Life Insurance – Issues and Prospects.
 De- tarrification
 Tapping the rural life insurance market.
 Capital Structure of Insurance Companies.
 Insurance Companies & Investments


11:00 am – 11:30 pm Breakfast

11:30 pm – 12:30 pm Session II: Banking & Financial Services
 Risk Management Issues in the Banking Sector.
 Risk Management Issues in Mutual Funds
 Second Generation Reforms in the Banking Sector


12:30 pm – 01:30 pm Session III:
 Mergers & Acquisition
 Taxation of Insurance

01:30 pm – 02:30 pm Lunch

02:30 pm – 03:30 pm Session IV: Pensions & Health Reforms
 Recent Developments in Health Insurance.
 Pensions – Financing of old age lifestyles.


03:30 pm – 04:30 pm Panel Discussion: Emerging Roles of Actuaries

Chairperson: Ms. Hillevi Mannonen (President. IAA)
Panel Members: Dr. R. Kannan (President, ASI)

04:30 pm – 05:00 pm Valedictory Address

Fact Book

Facts about Insurance Industry and other financial services...

http://www.financialservicesfacts.org/financial2/world/world/

start sharing.......

Warren Buffet

Dear all,

I found something to read on great Warren Buffet, i thought i should share it with u all.

http://webcompilation.googlepages.com/webcompilation.htm

enjoy.....

Welcome Note

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