Customer acquisition cost a pain for insurance

The Economic Survey frames insurance as a growth problem disguised as a coverage problem. To close India’s protection gap and deliver “Insurance for All by 2047,” it says the sector must outpace nominal GDP, not inch alongside it. The binding constraint is not demand but distribution.“The escalating cost of acquisition is not merely an operational…

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Macros strong, on track to meet deficit goal: FM

New Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Thursday said India’s macroeconomic fundamentals are stronger than ever and the economy has successfully navigated global headwinds to be on a high-growth trajectory, improving potential GDP growth to 7%.“Amid a global environment in which many emerging markets struggled, India stood out for its effective management of inflation without compromising…

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Hybrid, not home: IT cos’ quiet shift back to office

Bengaluru: One size doesn’t fit all in the return-to-office push. Work-from-home, once the defining perk of the pandemic era, is quietly being phased out across India’s IT sector as companies tighten hybrid work norms and make in-office presence the new default.TCS has mandated five days of office attendance and linking compliance to variable pay and…

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Lowering barriers will benefit both India, EU: Banga

Bhubaneswar: Praising India and the European Union (EU) for signing the trade agreement, World Bank Group president Ajay Banga Thursday said emerging markets like India are extremely crucial to world trade. “I think all trade deals are important. In the last 20 years, global trade quadrupled, but the share of the emerging markets also doubled…

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Rupee nears 92/$, RBI helps cap fall

Mumbai: The rupee ended Thursday at 91.96 to the dollar, down 18 paise from its previous close of 91.78, after slipping to a record low near the 92 level before recovering marginally on dollar sales by public sector banks on behalf of RBI. The dollar index edged up about 0.12% to around 96.27, adding to…

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Brent tops $71/barrel, approaches Aug high

London: Brent oil futures prices jumped on Thursday, hitting a near six-month high on rising concerns about a possible US military attack on Iran, Opec‘s fourth-largest producer with output of 3.2 million barrels per day.“The immediate concern … is the collateral damage done if Iran takes a swing at its neighbours or possibly even more…

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Blame current a/c deficit for high cost of capital

India’s high cost of capital is a macroeconomic outcome rather than a financial-sector flaw. Borrowing is expensive not because malfunction in market, but because the economy saves too little and relies on foreign capital to fund its investment gap. Persistent current account deficits force India to pay a risk premium to global investors, which is…

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