Pair your new home loan with a new term insurance
One should ideally match a new home loan with a term insurance of equal or higher value. Term insurance is meant to not only protect your assets including life earnings potential, but also your life’s liabilities. In fact, when a bank disburses a home loan, it would also follow up on a term insurance aimed at the liability. Here, we list out the reasons why a term insurance is needed and also why it should be preferred over banker-issued insurance for home loan provided by them.

Predictive analytics in insurance: Leveraging AI for pricing precision
Across the globe, various sectors are acknowledging the vital importance of digital transformation and the insurance industry is no different. Embracing digital tools and insights driven by data empowers insurance companies to streamline their operations, enhance customer engagements and offer tailored products and services. Key technological advancements in this regard include artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. Serving as powerful digital assets, these tools sift through extensive data sets to forecast risks, anticipate customer behavior and predict claims. By harnessing historical data, market dynamics and other pertinent factors, insurers become equipped to make more informed decisions regarding premium rates and coverage extents.

Choose life policy carefully; early surrender can cause major losses
With the new financial year commencing on April 1, several changes will come into effect that may impact your financial life. Below, we outline some of the significant changes and offer guidance on how to navigate them effectively.

What is Saral Jeevan Bima and what are its key features
New Delhi: Saral Jeevan Bima, an insurance scheme introduced by the industry regulator in 2020, provides basic protection to self-employed individuals or people in low-income groups. As its name says, the scheme is a simple method to provide life insurance to people who cannot pay hefty premiums.The Insurance regulatory and development authority has mandated all life insurers to offer the standard product.

LIC to keep offices open on March 30, 31
New Delhi: Life Insurance Corporation will keep its offices open on March 30 and March 31 to facilitate taxpayers’ completion of tax-saving exercises before the end of the fiscal year. LIC’s measure follows banks’ announcements that their branches will remain open on Saturday and Sunday. Earlier this month, the RBI directed banks to keep their designated branches open for government transactions up to the normal working hours on March 30 and March 31, 2024.

When Can you Withdraw your EPF Money, How is it Taxed, and How to Avoid it?
The Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is one of the most popular retirement schemes in India. This scheme is a type of savings account where employees and employers make contributions towards the employee’s retirement fund. The Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) administers the scheme on behalf of the government of India.

PFRDA Mandates Two-Factor Aadhaar Authentication for CRA Access from April 1
Pension regulator PFRDA has mandated 2-Factor Aadhaar Authentication for access to the Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) system for conducting National Pension System (NPS) related activities.

Mutual fund investors have a reason to cheer as the accounts won't get blocked on breaching March 31 deadline
When the deadline to get the fresh KYC (Know Your Customer) was only 72 hours away, the mandate to get a fresh KYC done in order to continue operating mutual fund folios was done away with, albeit for  the current investors.

AMCs outline riders to exit small, midcap MFs in case of market crisis
The policies for small and midcap schemes were prepared by MF trustees following directives from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) earlier this month. Amid concerns of excessive froth, the regulator called for additional measures to protect investors in small and midcap schemes.

PGIM India Mutual Fund launches PGIM India Retirement Fund; all you need to know
PGIM India Mutual Fund announced the launch of the PGIM India Retirement Fund. The scheme opened for public subscription on March 26, 2024, and will close on April 09, 2024. The scheme re-opens for ongoing subscription and redemption within five business days from the date of allotment of units.

Mutual funds: 6 best multi-cap funds to invest in 2024; check list here
Numerous investors are curious about multi-cap mutual funds and their potential to generate long-term wealth. To determine which multi-cap funds can offer the highest returns and add appropriate value to an investment portfolio, it’s crucial to grasp the nature of these funds and understand why so many investors are eager to invest a portion of their earnings in them.

Canara Bank to dilute 13% stake in MF subsidiary via IPO
Mumbai: Canara Bank’s board has accorded approval for initiating the process of diluting a part of its stake by listing its subsidiary, Canara Robeco Asset Management Company Ltd (CRAMC), on the stock exchange through an initial public offering (IPO). CRAMC is Canara Bank’s joint venture with Orix Corporation, Japan, with the bank holding a 51 per cent stake.

AIFs want to know extent of exclusion for equity play now
Mumbai: Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) are seeking clarification from the central bank on the exclusion of equity shares from the definition of downstream investments. The industry wants to know whether the exclusion applies only to investments in equity shares or also includes private equity and venture capital investments in the form of compulsorily convertible instruments.
 

Best mutual funds: These top performing equity funds gave over 40 per cent return in fiscal 2024
As the financial year (FY) comes to a close, mutual fund investors are assessing the returns on the investments they made . Those investors who invested heavily in small and mid-cap funds have earned high returns, and even the blue-chip stocks rose significantly, with Nifty50 jumping 30 percent in fiscal 2024.

FY25 outlook positive for FPI inflows, but likely to see short-term volatility, say experts
The Foreign portfolio Investors investments into Indian securities and other financial instruments during FY24 stood at record ₹339,066 crore, as per NSDL data. While FY22 and FY23 had seen net outflows, the overseas flows into India during FY24 were at least 26% higher than ₹267,101 crore seen during FY21. 

Edelweiss invests ₹775 cr in Prateek Realtors and Suruchi properties
Mumbai: Delhi-based Prateek Realtors has raised ₹325 crore and Bengaluru-based Suruchi Properties ₹450 crore debt from Edelweiss Special Situations Fund at 18-20%, continuing with the trend of big investments by private credit funds into the real estate sector.

VC funding at normal levels: Vertex Ventures
Venture capital funding may have come down from the highs seen in 2021, but the current levels are ‘normal’, Piyush Kharbanda, general partner at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, said. The bigger problem, according to Kharbanda, is the mismatch between the expectations of startups and venture capitalists.