logo
Germany's Allianz ties up with India's Reliance-owned Jio Financial for reinsurance venture

Germany's Allianz ties up with India's Reliance-owned Jio Financial for reinsurance venture

Reuters16 hours ago
July 18 (Reuters) - German insurer Allianz (ALVG.DE), opens new tab has formed an equally-owned reinsurance joint venture in India with Reliance Group-owned Jio Financial Services (JIOF.NS), opens new tab, expanding its presence in the country's insurance market, the companies said on Friday.
Allianz and Jio Financial signed a non-binding agreement to establish a 50-50 joint venture for both general and life insurance operations in India, the companies added.
Reuters in March reported that Allianz was exploring a potential partnership with the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group firm Jio Financial Services.
Bloomberg News was the first to report the talks of the possible partnership last year.
The German company is pushing forward with its expansion in the South Asian nation, describing India as an important growth market and stating it would pursue new opportunities to strengthen its position in the country's insurance sector.
Earlier this year, Allianz had agreed to sell its 26% stake in its non-life and life insurance joint ventures with India's Bajaj Finserv for $2.8 billion, ending a decades-long partnership.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India's HDFC Bank reports 12.2% profit growth in Q1 due to higher interest income
India's HDFC Bank reports 12.2% profit growth in Q1 due to higher interest income

Reuters

time29 minutes ago

  • Reuters

India's HDFC Bank reports 12.2% profit growth in Q1 due to higher interest income

July 19 (Reuters) - HDFC Bank ( opens new tab, India's largest private bank by market capitalisation, reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Saturday due to a surge in interest income from loans and treasury gains, even as provisions for bad loans spiked. The bank's standalone net profit rose 12.2% to 181.55 billion rupees ($2.11 billion) in the April-to-June quarter, above the average analyst forecast of 172.84 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG. The bank's net interest income - the difference between interest earned on loans and paid on deposits - rose 5.4% to 314.38 billion rupees. Other income, typically backed by treasury gains and fees on services, more than doubled to 217.29 billion rupees in the quarter. HDFC Bank's provisions for bad loans, however, jumped five-fold to 144 billion rupees. The bank, in its exchange filing, said most of these provisions were not linked to any actual bad loans but instead acted as a "countercyclical buffer for making the balance sheet more resilient." Indian lenders have been grappling with an increase in bad loans in segments such as microfinance and unsecured portfolio, which have forced them to set aside more funds for potential defaults and to strengthen their balance sheets. On Thursday, HDFC Bank peer Axis Bank ( opens new tab saw its new bad loans double due to a market benchmarking exercise. While overall bank credit growth has slowed in India, HDFC Bank posted growth of 6.7% for its overall loan book, driven by a 17.1% rise in loans to small and medium businesses. The private lender also approved its first ever bonus share issue on Saturday, meaning each of its shareholders will be eligible to receive an extra bonus share for every share held. The date of issuance is still to be determined, the bank said. In a bonus issue, a company distributes additional stock to shareholders as a proportion of their holdings at no cost. It is typically a sign of confidence in financial performance and growth trajectory. The board has also approved a special dividend of 5 rupees per share. ($1 = 86.1450 Indian rupees)

India's ICICI Bank reports 15.5% profit growth in Q1 helped by higher core lending income
India's ICICI Bank reports 15.5% profit growth in Q1 helped by higher core lending income

Reuters

time29 minutes ago

  • Reuters

India's ICICI Bank reports 15.5% profit growth in Q1 helped by higher core lending income

July 19 (Reuters) - ICICI Bank ( opens new tab, India's second-largest private lender by market capitalisation, beat quarterly profit forecasts on Saturday, helped by healthy loan growth resulting in higher core lending income. The bank's standalone net profit rose 15.5% to 127.68 billion Indian rupees ($1.48 billion) in the April-to-June quarter, above the average analyst forecast of 120.24 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG. Net interest income increased by 10.6% year-on-year to 216.35 billion rupees in the quarter. While credit growth has slowed across the industry, ICICI Bank posted 12% growth in its loan book, driven mainly by a 29.7% rise in loans to businesses. ICICI Bank's net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, fell to 4.34%, from 4.36% a year earlier and 4.41% in the previous quarter, due to the Indian central bank's recent rate cut actions. When rates are lowered, lenders typically pass on the advantage to borrowers first and only later cut deposit rates, which temporarily squeezes their margins. ICICI's asset quality, meanwhile, improved, with the gross non-performing assets ratio at 1.67% at the end of June, versus 2.15% in the same period last year. Indian lenders have kept a tight lid on unsecured lending, after grappling with higher bad loans in the segment, a move that has supported asset quality. ICICI Bank's provisions for bad loans rose 36.2% year-on-year to 18.15 billion rupees. ($1 = 86.1450 Indian rupees)

China vows tougher action against smuggling of strategic minerals
China vows tougher action against smuggling of strategic minerals

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

China vows tougher action against smuggling of strategic minerals

SHANGHAI, July 19 (Reuters) - China vowed on Saturday to step up a crackdown and toughen law enforcement against smuggling of strategic minerals seen as vital to national security and critical for development. The remarks by the commerce ministry came a day after the state security ministry accused foreign spy agencies of having tried to "steal" rare earths and pledged to crack down on infiltration and espionage targeting the critical sector. The world's largest supplier of dozens of strategic minerals, China began imposing export curbs in 2023 on supplies vital to sectors ranging from chipmaking and the energy transition to defence. The commerce ministry remarks, describing smuggling and export of strategic minerals as a severe problem to be combated, came at a meeting of officials responsible for export control coordination and other government bodies. "Cases of smuggling by a small number of criminals for their own selfish interests and collusion between domestic and foreign parties are still occurring," it said in a statement. Evasive methods such as false declarations and third-country transshipment were taking on increasingly covert forms, it added, urging government bodies to prevent illegal outflows of strategic minerals and related technologies. China has adopted a "zero-tolerance" approach to smuggling and export of strategic minerals, which it will fight with a heavy hand, through special efforts to toughen law enforcement, the ministry said. In May China said it would strengthen controls on the entire supply chains of strategic mineral exports while tightening its grip on materials deemed crucial to national interest. Earlier, Beijing launched a special campaign to tackle smuggling of strategic minerals such as gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and some rare earths.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store