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India’s insurance regulator has asked the industry to make a concerted effort to rectify pricing anomalies by undertaking a scientific analysis of claims, so as to ensure adequate pricing.

Speaking at an insurance seminar earlier this week, Mr Suresh Mathur, Senior Joint Director of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), said: ”We would be happy if the industry takes a look at this on its own though we monitor as a regulator.”

“It’s time the industry takes a serious view of the situation and brings a semblance of discipline and grace in the overall functioning of the insurance sector,” he said, according to the Press Trust of India. Insurers should also meet insurance penetration targets and broaden their servicing capabilities, he said.

A health insurance panel has proposed that increases in health premiums each year be linked to the Consumer Price Index-based (CPI) inflation rate and that any increase should be capped at CPI-plus-3%. .

The committee, constituted to examine the health insurance framework in India, tabled the proposal to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), reported Business Standard. It said that any increase higher than the proposed cap should require IRDAI’s approval. According to the committee, the use of discount structures as a risk management tool to incentivise customers to actively manage health may be permitted.

At present, once a health product is launched by a general insurance company, the pricing cannot be changed for the next three years. IRDAI constituted the 11-member committee last December 2014, comprising representatives from private-sector and public-sector life and general insurers, apart from members from IRDAI and the General Insurance Council. The panel was tasked to look into products, distribution, financial matters, M&A and policyholders’ interests in the health insurance arena.

India may soon have regional insurance companies operating only in select locations and regions. In addition, irrespective of where they operate, all new entrants into the insurance industry would have to maintain a minimum capital of INR2 billion (US$31.4 million).

In its proposed amendments to the Registration of Indian Insurance Companies Regulations, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is asking new applicants to specify the city, region or concentration (rural/urban) that they will concentrate on, reported the Business Standard. Senior IRDAI officials said that they would like to have insurers in specific regions. “Prospective applicants need not open branches all across the country. They can have operations only in few cities, or rural or urban centres,” according to an official. At present, all insurers have an all-India presence though most business is generated only from a few cities.

For the regions, the options are north, south, east, west and central. Similarly, insurers can give details of which metropolitan city they wish to operate in, including Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta or Chennai. Their rural, urban concentration can be pre-determined at the time of application for a licence with the regulator. “Out of the 50 plus insurers, each insurance company is strong only in a few locations and regions. Public-sector insurers have largely been dominating the rural areas. It will be beneficial for policyholders if there are new insurers only looking into specific regions,” said the chief executive of a private life insurer. However, some insiders said that the minimum capital requirement of INR2 billion could be a deterrent for small players entering as regional insurers.

India’s Jackie Chan has proved why no one comes close to what he pulls off, on and off screen. Like Chan, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar does his own movie stunts. And off screen, he leads the personal accident insurance list. He has recently been insured for Rs 35 crore under a personal accident policy purchased by Hari Om Entertainment and Sunshine Pictures for ‘Holiday’, according to an Oriental Insurance executive.

“This is the highest cover taken by a Bollywood star,” said the executive, who did not wish to be named. Unlike Kumar, Bollywood’s highest-paid actors, Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan, do not generally seek accident covers in their film contracts. Production houses take a cover of Rs 5-10 lakh for every member of the crew to cover medical expenses towards any shoot-related accident. Some years ago, actress Kangna Ranaut is said to have included a personal accident clause with a Rs 1-crore cover in her contract for ‘Queen’. Kumar’s recent hits include ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Baby’, ‘Khiladi 786’ and ‘Special 26’, which feature him in action-oriented roles. He got hurt in 2013 while shooting the Vipul Shah-directed ‘Holiday’. Kumar has also got a personal accident cover for ‘Airlift’, shooting for which has just begun.

“The production house has taken a cover of approximateely Rs 20 crore as accident cover for Akshay Kumar,” said Sumant Salian, business head, media and entertainment, Alliance Insurance Brokers. The concept of insurance for movie stars is yet to catch on in Bollywood. In Akshay Kumar’s case, it is an exigency — he plunges headlong into risky sequences and insists on not using body doubles, something that has earned him the title, ‘Khiladi Kumar’

Indian Finance minister Arun Jaitley has said that the government is looking to significantly increase the insurance coverage in the country to 40-50% of the population, compared to 20% currently, relying on the low-cost insurance plans launched under social security initiatives earlier this month. This is the first time that the government has set a target for the three social security plans, which includes life insurance (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana), accident cover (Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana), and a pension plan (Atal Pension Yojana), reported the Times of India..

The schemes have attracted more than 76 million subscribers since they were launched on 9 May. The vast majority comprising 58 million opted for the accident insurance policy, while 18 million bought the life cover. As at 20 May, the low-cost pension plan attracted 78,600 takers. Mr Jaitley said that if the schemes have huge acceptability, “then we are going to see how they can be strengthened in future”

The state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, has topped the list of regional markets in India in terms of non-life premiums, while New Delhi ranked Number One in non-life insurance density and insurance penetration, for the financial year ended 31 March 2014.

The top five general insurance markets in terms of gross premiums are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and New Delhi, reported Press Trust of India citing data from the General Insurance Council (GIC). Maharashtra, with around 1,100 offices set up by the general insurers, generated a total premium of INR177.74 billion (US$2.8 billion) in FY2013-14. The state’s per capita premium was pegged at INR1,600 while insurance penetration was 1.13% during the year.

Tamil Nadu, the second largest general insurance market with around 1,200 offices, has the largest number of general insurance offices in the country. The state generated premiums of INR75.38 billion and had an insurance penetration of 0.90% and density of INR1,050 in 2013-14. New Delhi, with 315 insurance offices, collected total premium of around INR50 billion. It had the highest insurance penetration of 1.34% and density of INR3,228 in 2013-14.

GIC’s Secretary-General, Mr R Chandrasekaran, said: “Traditionally, Maharashtra has been the highest premium-producing state, mainly because of Mumbai being the financial capital of the country. “However, from the GIC data, it seems that many other states, including New Delhi, have started producing premiums due to economic growth, high literacy and more car-owning young people going for motor and health insurance.”

The Internet will help drive insurance sales of up to INR4trillion (US$62.5 billion) annually in about five years as customers in non-metro cities and youngsters buy more policies online, according to a joint survey by Google India and private non-life insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

“Our studies indicate that Internet will influence INR3-4 trillion worth of insurance sales in India by 2020. Findings from this report clearly outline that consumers are shifting to the Internet at a more rapid pace than perceived earlier,” said Mr Vikas Agnihotri, Industry Director, Google India. The study, based on an offline survey of 3,007 respondents aged 25-55 who were active Internet users, was conducted to understand the level of comfort and current usage of online purchase of non-life insurance products.

Internet adoption was found to be higher for motor insurance with 24% of users buying these policies online compared to 12% of users buying the health insurance policies online. The findings show Internet users in the 25-35 age bracket are the most active in buying non-life insurance products online. For those who turn to the Internet to carry out research on health and motor insurance products, respondents cited “brand” as the most vital factor, with 88% saying the reputation of the company influenced their purchase, while 67% said that they were influenced by word of mouth.

The findings of this Google India/ICICI Lombard survey correspond with those set out in a report titled “Digital@Insurance- 20X By 2020” by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Google India last year that said that insurance sales via online channels are expected to grow 20 times by 2020, with overall Internet influenced sales to be around INR3-4 trillion. The report said that estimates are that three in every four insurance policies sold by 2020 would be influenced by digital channels during either the pre-purchase stage, purchase or renewal stages.

Non-life insurers and the industry regulator plan to ask the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to make earthquake-resistant construction codes mandatory for those seeking insurance against earthquake damage.

The move, by the insurers and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), is aimed at minimizing potential losses to insurers and re-insurers arising from earthquake damage, reported the Livemint news website citing three people familiar with the development. The call is being made in the wake of the 25 April magnitude-7.9 earthquake that rocked Nepal. More than 7,500 people have died as a result of the disaster and the death toll is expected to rise higher. More than 14,500 people have been injured. Hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless. While some Indian insurers have an exposure to Nepal’s general insurance market, the General Insurance Corporation of India or GIC Re is the top reinsurer in Nepal, with liabilities of US$160 million in the worst scenario, said Mr Ashok Kumar Roy, CEO of GIC Re. However, the exact extent of its losses in Nepal is still being determined by surveyors. Parts of India were also affected, resulting in at least 70 deaths in Indian territory.

Insurers are keen to push the authorities into making it mandatory for builders, engineers and architects to adhere to earthquake-resistant building codes if the residents of such buildings wish to buy home or property insurance cover at the existing low premiums. At present, the premium for a conventional home insurance policy, including cover against natural and man-made calamities, is as low as INR60-80 per INR100,000 (US$1,575). At the prevailing rates, a 2,000 sq-ft house can be insured forINR3.5-7 million for an annual premium of INR2,000-4,500. If the policyholder buys the cover for 10 years or more at one go, the premium is be even lower as most insurers offer large discounts in such cases.

“Buildings should be made earthquake-proof like in Japan. India should emulate that model and follow earthquake-proof building codes without delay,” said Mr Sanjay Datta, Chief of Underwriting and Claims at ICICI Lombard General Insurance, adding that such codes should at least be made mandatory for earthquake-prone regions. Building codes have already been prescribed in some states but they are not mandatory for builders and developers.

“Insurers should refuse to extend property insurance cover to buildings if the code has not been followed and the property has not been made earthquake-resistant,” said Mr Roy, adding that this message would be put across by insurers to NDMA. “The premium for non-earthquake-resistant buildings should be made 10 times the premium for earthquake-proof properties,” he added. If NDMA accepts the insurance industry’s proposals, it may also help lower losses sustained by the central government, which is forced to compensate for losses in the event of a major calamity as insurance penetration in the country is low.

Paris-headquartered insurer AXA has received the Indian government’s approval to raise its stake in two local insurance joint ventures with Bharti Enterprises to 49%, according to a government statement.

This is the first stake increase proposal to get the green light from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) since Parliament amended the insurance law in March to increase the foreign ownership limit in insurance companies in India to 49%. AXA holds a 26% stake each in Bharti AXA Life Insurance and Bharti AXA General Insurance, with Bharti Enterprises owning the remainder. The increase in AXA’s stake will see the French insurer pump INR8.59 billion (US$135 million) into the life insurance venture and INR4.31 billion in the general insurance venture, India’s Finance Ministry said in a statement. Other foreign insurers are planning to increase their stake in their Indian insurance joint ventures as well.

American insurer Cigna will increase its stake in Indian JB-Cigna TTK Health Insurance from the present 26% to 49%. Separately, Bank of India has started the process to dilute its stake in Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance from the existing 48% level to 25-28%. Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance is a joint venture between Bank of India, Union Bankof India (26% stake) and Tokyo-based Dai-ichi Life Insurance (26%). Japanese insurance giant Tokio Marine is set to increase its stake in its life insurance joint venture in India — Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, reported the Times of India. The hike will be effected through an issue of fresh equity and result in a capital infusion of INR4.5-5 billion into the joint venture. Tokio Marine currently holds a 26% stake in the venture.

In March, State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, announced that it would divest a stake of up to 10% in its life insurance arm SBI Life. The life insurer is a joint venture between SBI and BNP Paribas Cardif of France. At present, SBI owns 74% of the total capital and BNP Paribas Cardif has the remaining 26%. SBI also said that it would dilute its stake in its general insurance venture SBI General. The bank currently holds 74% of the non-life insurer while Insurance Australia Group owns 26%. After the divestment, SBI will have a 51% stake with IAG holding the remaining 49%.

India’s state-owned national reinsurer, General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), is expecting claims worth US$50 million from the Nepal earthquake, which is lower than previously thought.

GIC Re, which is the largest reinsurance partner of the Nepalese insurance industry, has a gross exposure in the Nepalese insurance market of around US$140 million, reported the Times of India. “So far we have not received any cash-calls from any of our cedents. Much will depend on the damages suffered by the insured properties,” said GIC Re. “We reiterate our commitment to accord top priority to all claims arising out of this tragic event.” The company has sent a survey team to Nepal to assess damage caused by the quake.

A massive earthquake measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal on 25 April, followed by another one measuring 6.7 the next day. The earthquake is the worst to hit the region in 80 years and has caused more than 6,700 deaths and injured more than 14,000 people. “It will take some time for an actual picture to emerge. However, we expect the claims to remain with in US$50 million in the worst case scenario,” said GIC Re.

This loss estimate is smaller than one given by GIC Re Chairman and Managing Director, Mr A K Roy, earlier last week. He had said that GIC Re expected to pay at most INR10 billion (US$160 million) in claims against the damages caused by the massive earthquake. Claims are expected from segments like power plants, housing complexes, commercial buildings and hotels.