Insurance companies react to FDI proposal in budget

 K.S. GopalKrishnan, MD & CEO, AEGON Religare Life Insurance, said: “Allowing FDI in insurance to go up to 49% is a welcome measure. This should help the insurance industry as a whole in terms of augmenting the capital inflows and also better practices from the foreign players.”

 TR Ramachandran, CEO & MD, Aviva Life Insurance, said: “The Finance Minister in his budget has recognized the contribution that a growing insurance sector can make to the economy, particularly for long term investments in infrastructure. He has alluded to a multi pronged approach for encouraging insurance sector, rightly pointing out."


"Benefits of insurance in India have not reached a large section of the people and insurance penetration and density are very low. The Government would work towards addressing this situation in multi-pronged manner with the support of all stake holders concerned,” he said.

"We welcome the announcement of proposed increase in FDI cap in the Insurance sector from 26% to 49%. The inclusion of this aspect among the initial opening paras of FM speech indicates the strong intent of the government to pass the Insurance amendment bill which is welcome. This single announcement has potential to be a game changer as it can bring foreign exchange inflow of $10 – 15 billion as per Life Council estimates," he said.

"The industry, can now set its eyes on stepping up product offerings, distribution networks & technology to ensure superior customer experience. Higher amount of capital will provide the scope to  the insurance companies to tap under-insured markets through better infrastructure and deeper distribution strategies.

"Other positive announcements like  increasing the basic  income exemption limit and housing loan deduction by 50,000 each will leave more money in the hands of investor.  80 C investment cap increment  to 1.5 Lakh  expands room for  insurance  products further. These are positive developments for the economy and insurance industry,” he added.