Term insurance premium may see a fresh round of re-pricing

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Term insurance premium could see a further increase this year with many re-insurers understood to be reviewing rates again.

“The second wave of Covid-19 has impacted mortality and there has been a spike in death claims, which is expected to continue for some time. Also online term insurance rates are still very low in India,” noted an executive with a life insurance company.

“There has been some talks of a fresh review in reinsurance rates this fiscal. It could possibly be in the range of 15 per cent to 20 per cent. Most insurers would have to reprice the premium for term insurance products again but having said that, term insurance premiums in India continue to remain amongst the lowest in the world,” said another executive with a life insurer.

If the move goes through, this would be the second round of increase in premium for term life products in recent years.

Many life insurance companies have since late last year revised term insurance rates after re-insurers hiked underwriting rates for such policies. Most of this hike was passed on to customers, who had to pay about 10 per cent to 15 per cent higher to buy term insurance policies.

However, notwithstanding the possibility of another price hike, most insurers expect term and protection products to continue to see demand from customers given the Covid-19 led uncertainty.

“The pandemic has created a rise in the demand for protection plans, even as the market volatility continued to affect the demand for linked plans. In 2021-22, along with the increased awareness of insurance, a digital push for insurance and any increase in term plan premiums are expected to drive the life premiums,” Care Ratings said in a recent note on first year life insurance premium growth for April 2021.

[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

What has led to Indian millennials storming the stock market

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


A surge is visible in the equity markets, both in pre- and post-Covid India. Besides, most of the newcomers are between the age of 20 and 30 years. This young generation, or the so-called millennials, are more adaptive to new technology, apart from being keen on finding new ways to achieve their goals. There are other catalysts to this influx of first time participants. For instance, the entire stock markets ecosystem has evolved over the last five years and is conducive to new young participants.

Also, the surge of learning platforms and more genuine resources to conduct research has further helped spur the participation. Unlike their previous generations, the term stock market doesn’t bring a sense of fear among millennials as they are well read and well informed. They take their own decisions and take calculated risks in the markets.

Reduced dependency on brokers

Previously, the brokerage firms were dominating the industry in terms of providing a platform to trade, stock suggestions and managing money on the client’s behalf. However, with the entry of new-age tech brokers the industry has seen a drastic change as now there are separate companies offering different specialised solutions to each of the above services — a trading platform, specific recommendations and holistic financial planning.

The new entrants have given special attention to ease of use and focus towards providing a hassle-free experience through the use of technological advancements. It’s a win-win for all. From KYC updation to new account opening, everything can be done digitally. Almost everything is just a click away.

Besides, the broking industry has also become highly competitive in terms of the charges, which have given a further fillip to millennial participation. Zerodha, which is a discount broker, for instance, saw higher influx of younger investors during the pandemic. Investors in the age group of 20-30 years now make up 69 per cent of the company’s investors compared to 50-55 per cent pre-Covid.

Growth in learning platforms

Millennials prefer to make their own decisions. They focus on learning about stock markets and stock market education platforms have provided a lot of support. There is a plethora of knowledge available on the internet, — including blogs, YouTube, and online courses –at optimal cost to help people start their own stock market journey.

Some popular stock market education portals cover topics from basics to expert level. Examples of such platforms include Udemy and Elearnmarkets. These platforms offer courses suiting all needs–offline, online, self-paced, or live.

This has helped young participants to first develop a proper knowledge base and then venture into the markets so that they are more apt to handle the volatile nature of the market.

Ease of doing research

Earlier, the brokers and media houses used to do all the research and give trading calls to their clients through news, calls and reports. The scenario has now changed with the millennials barely relying on such news and preferring to do their own research. In this regard, research sites have gained popularity, which has simplified the process of doing fundamental and technical analysis.

Offering a host of information such as market news, charts, financial data of companies, everything at a click, online tools and platforms have made stock research quite accessible. Stockedge is one such platform that hosts such information. These platforms have helped participants take well-informed decisions. Access to information and readymade analytics is no more a barrier for them. Other platforms such as TradingView, Chartink, have made intraday trading easy for active traders in the market by providing them solutions that help them make quick decisions during market hours.

We see how the entire ecosystem has become very inclusive and supportive for anyone to join in, learn and grow.

The stock market has recently been in an upward trend and has raised optimism among newbies. But the market is unpredictable and may become volatile soon. Experienced participants manage through such volatile phases and only time will tell if the millennials shy away or continue with their journey.

The author is a co-founder and CEO of StockEdge & Elearnmarkets.com

[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Reserve Bank of India – Press Releases

[ad_1]

Read More/Less




April 14, 2015





Dear All




Welcome to the refurbished site of the Reserve Bank of India.





The two most important features of the site are: One, in addition to the default site, the refurbished site also has all the information bifurcated functionwise; two, a much improved search – well, at least we think so but you be the judge.





With this makeover, we also take a small step into social media. We will now use Twitter (albeit one way) to send out alerts on the announcements we make and YouTube to place in public domain our press conferences, interviews of our top management, events, such as, town halls and of course, some films aimed at consumer literacy.




The site can be accessed through most browsers and devices; it also meets accessibility standards.



Please save the url of the refurbished site in your favourites as we will give up the existing site shortly and register or re-register yourselves for receiving RSS feeds for uninterrupted alerts from the Reserve Bank.



Do feel free to give us your feedback by clicking on the feedback button on the right hand corner of the refurbished site.



Thank you for your continued support.




Department of Communication

Reserve Bank of India


Next

[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Covid 2.0 estimation quite devastating, but impact to be lower than in FY21: Udaya Kumar Hebbar

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


As Covid-19 second wave of infection has spread, how is the company gearing up to face it?

The sudden spread of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has again created a challenging and operating environment. We are anticipating the collections to witness a temporary decline in Q1 FY22 on account of several intermittent lockdowns/ restrictions being imposed across various states. The situation impacts the customers’ ability to manage their activities, as well as our ability to ensure seamless meeting with the customers. Our preliminary estimation is that the Covid2.0 is quite devastating, but impact on business will be lower compared to FY21. We draw confidence based on sufficient learning acquired last year to effectively manage the payment behaviour of borrowers in case of long duration moratorium.

How has the company managed to connect with customers during the difficult times?

Post first wave, we have revamped/ updated our customer contact database, enabling us to reach almost every customer through phone. We have also enabled various mechanisms to enable cashless repayments for customers. We have also enabled on-field disbursements which do not require customers to visit our branches.

As state after state are declaring lockdown, has the company tweaked its business model?

The company has not tweaked its business model. Learning from the first wave of Covid will help us to effectively handle the challenges on account of Covid2.0. In the event of various states declaring lockdowns, we shall be adhering to the regulatory guidelines from respective states and accordingly manage our branch and field operations. All safety measures will be adopted at branches to safeguard the health of our employees and where collections are difficult, we are working on rescheduling the collections.

Has lockdown impacted company’s operations both in terms of deposits, disbursements and recoveries?

The ongoing lockdowns are expected to have an impact on disbursements and recoveries in Q1 FY22. However, we shall continue to maintain regular telephonic engagement with our customers to understand their issues and provide the required support. Continuous customer connect will help us in faster recovery in collections as the lockdowns are gradually lifted across various states. We are having adequate liquidity on our balance sheet which will cover our fixed obligations over the coming 2-3 months. Hence we are confident of effectively managing the current challenges. As you recall, during the last financial year, we could get only 5-6 months for the normal business and still we were able to grow and present strong financials. We believe we should get 6-9 months to do normal business during this year.

After one year of Covid-19, how has the company fared in terms of deposits, disbursement and NPA recoveries?

The company ended FY21 on a very positive note with disbursements maintaining strong pre-Covid momentum, gross loan portfolio on consolidated basis growing by 13 percent Y-o-Y to ₹13,587 crore, collection efficiency on consolidated basis crossing 93 percent, gross NPA declining from 6.14 percent in Dec-20 to 4.43 percent in Mar-21, backed by provisioning of 5.01 percent. The company had a strong liquidity position with cash and cash equivalents amounting to 16.5 percent of total assets, sufficient to cover our fixed obligations over the next 2-3 months. Capital position also remains comfortable with capital adequacy ratio of 26.8 percent on consolidated basis as on Mar-21, as against 15 percent required by RBI norms.

In the last six months, what measures has the company taken to strengthen its liquidity position?

The company continued to maintain a diversified borrowing profile with a mix of domestic and foreign sources consisting of 36 commercial banks, 3 financial institutions, 2 NBFCs, 9 foreign institutional investors. Company added 12 new lenders and added 5 instruments/structures consisting of TLTRO, PCGS, CP, SLS and covered bonds. As on Mar-21, the company maintained a robust liquidity position with cash and cash equivalents of ₹2,484.4 crore, amounting to 16.5 percent of total assets, further backed by ₹2,614 crore of undrawn sanctions at start of the year. Consequently, liquidity maintained by the company is close to 18 percent of AUM, despite carrying a bit of negative carry on the interest costs.

[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Akshaya Tritiya: Best Gold Mutual Funds To Invest In 2021

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


What are Gold Funds?

Gold mutual funds are open-ended portfolios based on the gold Exchange Traded Fund’s units. Since the underlying commodity is kept in the form of tangible gold, the price of this precious metal has a direct bearing on its value. Invest in these funds to construct a gold portfolio without having to purchase gold physically. These funds invest in Gold ETFs and offer the added benefit of avoiding the prices, risks, and liquidity issues associated with physical gold. Gold mutual funds are better in every way, with advantages such as low minimum investment amounts, diversification, no need for a Demat account, SIP growth, and so on. SIPs are a way to invest in gold funds. The fact that gold funds are managed by experienced fund managers is another factor that makes them a common and appealing option among investors. A gold fund’s investors benefit from the knowledge of experienced fund managers, who make all of the fund’s investment decisions based on their years of experience in the industry. Individuals can invest as low as Rs. 500, making these funds accessible to them. It gives an investor more options than buying physical gold, which can be very expensive.

Tax on Gold Funds

Tax on Gold Funds

Gold mutual funds are taxed depending on the number of capital gains and the length of time they have been kept. If you keep the fund for less than three years, the capital gains will be taxed at your marginal tax rate. And, whether you’ve got the fund for at least three years, you’ll have to pay tax on the capital gain at a rate of 20%, with indexation benefits.

Investment Holding Duration Tax
Gold Fund Short Term -Less than 3 Years Depending on the tax bracket of the investor
Gold Fund Long Term – 3 Years and more 20% with indexation

Best Gold Funds to invest in 2021

Best Gold Funds to invest in 2021

Name of the Fund 3 Year Return
Axis Gold Fund 14.98%
Kotak Gold Fund 14.08%
SBI Gold Fund 14.02%
Nippon India Gold Savings 13.64%
Quantum Gold Savings Fund 13.58%
ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund (FOF) 13.59%
Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold Fund 13.94%

Conclusion

Conclusion

A gold fund, like other mutual funds, does not have outstanding returns. This is because, as the name implies, the underlying asset in a gold fund is gold, which appreciates in value only on an irregular or seasonal basis. It usually provides lower returns than other investment instruments at other times. Before investing in mutual funds, investors should read the offer papers, scheme goals, and performance reviews conducted by experts. Another crucial thing to note for any gold fund investor is that it is a hedge as well as an investment. Since gold is not affected by stock market fluctuations, it can be used to mitigate the risks associated with market-linked investment instruments.



[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Why This Bank FD Is Now The Best For Investors?

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Take a look at a quick comparison:

1-2 years 2-3 years
IndusInd Bank 6.5% 6.5%
SBI 4.9% 5.2%
HDFC Bank 4.9% 5.15%
ICICI Bank 4.90 5.15%
Bank of Baroda 5% 5.10%
Post office time deposits 5.5% 5.5%

Relatively safe

Relatively safe

IndusInd Bank deposits are relatively safe in comparison to smaller banks and only recently the bank posted a good set of quarterly numbers. Bank deposits of upto Rs 5 lakhs are also guaranteed by the DICGC, which means there is protection unto this sum. Not that there could be issues, but, the way things are panning out these days, 100% assurance is something that cannot be guaranteed. Recently, the bank’s quarterly net profits soared to Rs 870 crores, which was a growth of 190 per cent over the corresponding period of last year.

Invest for shorter term duration

Invest for shorter term duration

We believe that interest rates would remain stable in the shorter term and could rise in the more longer term. It is therefore advised to invest for the more shorter term, with a tenure of around 1-2 years.

Once invested, if an individual breaks his deposit to reinvest then there are charges applicable on breaking the deposits. The world over there are now worries of inflation, which should see interest rates trending higher. In India too at some point the Reserve Bank of India may have to hike interest rates.

Conclusion

Conclusion

At the moment we believe that interest rates are just too low and for individuals, who are looking at returns from Fds, it is a massive disadvantage. In the more longer term, it is possible that interest rates could move higher. In the meantime, investors may invest in fixed deposits with a more shorter term duration.

Disclaimer

Goodreturns.in has taken utmost care in compilation of data for this article. The views and investment tips expressed by authors or employees of Greynium Information Technologies, should not be construed as investment advise to buy Fds mentioned in the article. All readers and investors should note that neither Greynium nor the author of the articles, would be responsible for any decision taken based on these articles. Please do consult a professional advisor.



[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Reserve Bank of India – Press Releases

[ad_1]

Read More/Less



(Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)

  Volume
(One Leg)
Weighted
Average Rate
Range
A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV) 383,821.98 3.27 0.01-5.30
     I. Call Money 11,625.86 3.21 1.90-3.50
     II. Triparty Repo 259,614.30 3.26 3.00-3.27
     III. Market Repo 108,118.82 3.29 0.01-3.45
     IV. Repo in Corporate Bond 4,463.00 3.56 3.42-5.30
B. Term Segment      
     I. Notice Money** 267.30 3.34 2.65-3.40
     II. Term Money@@ 585.00 3.05-3.55
     III. Triparty Repo 550.00 3.23 3.20-3.24
     IV. Market Repo 105.00 3.45 3.45-3.45
     V. Repo in Corporate Bond 225.00 3.55 3.55-3.55
  Auction Date Tenor (Days) Maturity Date Amount Current Rate /
Cut off Rate
C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) & Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)
I. Today’s Operations
1. Fixed Rate          
     (i) Repo          
     (ii) Reverse Repo Tue, 11/05/2021 1 Wed, 12/05/2021 390,733.00 3.35
2. Variable Rate&          
  (I) Main Operation          
     (a) Reverse Repo          
  (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
     (a) Repo          
     (b) Reverse Repo
3. MSF Tue, 11/05/2021 1 Wed, 12/05/2021 0.00 4.25
4. Long-Term Repo Operations    
5. Targeted Long Term Repo Operations
6. Targeted Long Term Repo Operations 2.0
7. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations
[injection (+)/absorption (-)]*
      -390,733.00  
II. Outstanding Operations
1. Fixed Rate          
     (i) Repo          
     (ii) Reverse Repo          
2. Variable Rate&          
  (I) Main Operation          
     (a) Reverse Repo Fri, 07/05/2021 14 Fri, 21/05/2021 200,020.00 3.46
  (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
     (a) Repo          
     (b) Reverse Repo          
3. MSF          
4. Long-Term Repo Operations# Mon, 17/02/2020 1095 Thu, 16/02/2023 499.00 5.15
  Mon, 02/03/2020 1094 Wed, 01/03/2023 253.00 5.15
  Mon, 09/03/2020 1093 Tue, 07/03/2023 484.00 5.15
  Wed, 18/03/2020 1094 Fri, 17/03/2023 294.00 5.15
5. Targeted Long Term Repo Operations^ Fri, 27/03/2020 1092 Fri, 24/03/2023 12,236.00 4.40
  Fri, 03/04/2020 1095 Mon, 03/04/2023 16,925.00 4.40
  Thu, 09/04/2020 1093 Fri, 07/04/2023 18,042.00 4.40
  Fri, 17/04/2020 1091 Thu, 13/04/2023 20,399.00 4.40
6. Targeted Long Term Repo Operations 2.0^ Thu, 23/04/2020 1093 Fri, 21/04/2023 7,950.00 4.40
7. On Tap Targeted Long Term Repo Operations Mon, 22/03/2021 1095 Thu, 21/03/2024 5,000.00 4.00
D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI$       5,573.71  
E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     -112,364.29  
F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     -503,097.29  
G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
     (i) Cash balances with RBI as on 11/05/2021 511,353.09  
     (ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending 21/05/2021 534,650.00  
H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on¥ 11/05/2021 0.00  
I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on 23/04/2021 726,433.00  
@ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
– Not Applicable / No Transaction.
** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
@@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
$ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
& As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
* Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo.
# As per the Press Release No. 2020-2021/287 dated September 04, 2020.
^ As per the Press Release No. 2020-2021/605 dated November 06, 2020.
As per the Press Release No. 2020-2021/520 dated October 21, 2020, Press Release No. 2020-2021/763 dated December 11, 2020 and Press Release No. 2020-2021/1057 dated February 05, 2021.
¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
Rupambara
Director   
Press Release: 2021-2022/195

[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

How US Google Pay Users Can Send Money to India?

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Planning

oi-Sneha Kulkarni

|

Google Pay is launching international money transfers in collaboration with Wise and Western Union, two well-known remittance firms. Users in India and Singapore that use Google Pay can now receive money from users in the United States.

With this, Google has extended its Google Pay functionality to include remittance services, an industry that sees $700 billion in payments per year.

Google is anticipating that by the end of the year, Google Pay users in the United States will be able to send money to people in more than 200 countries and territories via Western Union and more than 80 countries via Wise.

Now Users In US Can Send Money To India Through Google Pay

How US google Pay users can send money to India?

Western Union will provide unlimited free transfers when sending money with Google Pay until June 16, and Wise will make the first transfer free for new customers on transfers up to $500 from now until June 16.

Step 1: Open Google Pay App
Step 2: Tap on “Pay”
Step 3: Choose Between Western Union and Wise
Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions
Step 5: Complete the transaction.

While sending money, the exchange rate and transfer fee will be shown. The receivers in India and Singapore will receive the full sum that the US consumer wishes to give, with all charges imposed against the sender rather than the recipient.

Last November, Google updated its digital wallet in the United States, releasing a new Google Pay app for both Android and Apple iOS users. The redesign, according to the US tech giant, was centered on simplicity, stability, and privacy, as well as partnerships across various services, including financial services.

Wise, based in London, was established in 2011 with the aim of making international money transfers cheaper and faster, while Western Union, with its vast global network of physical locations, remains the market leader in remittances.



[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Cryptocurrency’s value surges to $45 billion one day after its debut, BFSI News, ET BFSI

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


By Olga Kharif

A digital token that was launched Monday and goes by the name Internet Computer is already one of the largest cryptocurrencies in the world, with a market value of about $45 billion.

That makes it the eighth-largest digital asset among the top 10 in CoinMarketCap.com’s rankings. The token and its related digital ledger are supposed to help anyone — software developers or content creators — publish anything they want onto the internet, without having to go through digital giants such as Amazon.com Inc. or Facebook Inc., or to use servers or commercial cloud services. The idea is to avoid corporate walled gardens and to reduce costs, according to Dominic Williams, founder of the project. Users could potentially build social-media and other services that compete with internet titans.

The coin’s underlying network uses smart contracts, or software programs that execute tasks, competing with the likes of bigger rival Ethereum. It’s joining many other coins and related networks — Polkadot, Binance Coin among them — trying to steal Ethereum’s thunder.

Internet Computer’s debut is happening as cryptocurrencies ranging from Bitcoin to Dogecoin are being discussed everywhere from dinner tables to Saturday Night Live, and prices of many coins are surging. The total market value of all cryptocurrencies now stands at $2.48 trillion, up from less than $1 trillion at the beginning of the year. But as in the run-up of 2017, many of the so-called alt-coins likely will come down to earth with a thud.



[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Will Citi consumer biz sale fetch premium amid Covid uncertainty?, BFSI News, ET BFSI

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Citi‘s decision to exit 10 Asia-Pacific markets including India was an impact of the accelerated disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic which has forced large banks to refocus management bandwidth and capital across the globe.

The disruption caused by Covid has forced all banks to realign their strategy as building a localised retail model especially in India where phyigital is emerging, is tough. Also, there is competition from new lenders like Bandhan and IDFC First and small finance banks.

“We believe our capital, investment dollars, and other resources are better deployed against higher returning opportunities in wealth management and our institutional businesses in Asia,” said Jane Fraser, CEO at Citi, while announcing the shutdown of consumer banking business in Asia including in India.

With consumer business being very competitive with the lender having to invest in people, technology and process.

India consumer business

Macquarie Research has valued Citibank’s India retail business at around $2 billion, based on their Basel III disclosures in the country. This makes India the most valuable business among the 10 markets in the Asia-Pacific where Citi plans to exit consumer business. These 10 markets

are collectively valued between $6.3 billion and $8 billion by Macquarie.

According to a report by the Australian bank, going by SBI Card’s valuation, Citi’s 2.7 million cards would imply a figure of $2.7 billion. “This is above the top end of our valuation… To the extent that a single buyer is able to purchase multiple businesses at once, we would expect some sort of valuation discount in order to expedite Citi’s exit,” the report said.

“As the deal does not come with bank licences nor distribution, the sale is likely to take place in fragments. Across the region, there are very few banks who have the requisite footprint to bolt-on all of Citi’s various retail businesses,” the report had said.

The report identifies DBS, OCBC and StanChart as possible cross-border buyers, but is uncertain about HSBC. Besides the 10 Asia-Pacific markets, Citi announced its plans to exit consumer banking from three other markets — the Philippines, Poland and Russia. A Bloomberg report quoted a Citi official stating that the bank was looking to sell its entire operations in India in one go.

“We have always been open to exploring sensible bolt-on opportunities in markets where we have a consumer banking franchise and where we can overlay our digital capabilities to serve our customers better,” a representative for DBS told Bloomberg.

The reasons for exit

Also, due to regulations, Citibank was not able to build scale in consumer banking. To be sure, RBI has allowed foreign banks to set up branches or acquisitions if they shift from the current branch model to wholly-owned subsidiary model. DBS India shifted to the subsidiary model and has expanded hugely with the acquisition of Lakshmi Vilas Bank.

Citi has expanded its retail business in the early 2000s and was among the pioneers of corporate sector salary business with its Suvidha accounts, but was hit after the 2008 financial crisis globally, which saw the break up of the bank. It was then steered out of the crisis by Indian born CEO Vikram Pandit.

Citi India, which operates as a branch of the global giant, has a balance sheet size of Rs 2.18 lakh crore. HSBC with a balance sheet size of Rs 2.11 lakh crore and Standard Chartered with Rs 1.84 lakh crore in 2019-20.



[ad_2]

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

1 62 63 64 65 66 100