Foreign insurance firms eye Reliance Capital life unit

24 Nov 2009 Evaluate

Three foreign insurance firms have approached Reliance Capital about buying a stake in its life insurance business before a planned listing, the financial services firm's chief executive said on Monday.

The firm, which has operations in asset management, insurance, mortgages, and broking, and owns stakes in two commodity bourses, plans to set up a small investment banking team by March and close a private equity fund by this year.

 

Reliance Capital plans to sell up to 26% of its Reliance Life unit, including through an initial public offering, and has said it would sell about 10% to a strategic investor ahead of a listing. Reliance Life, the country's No. 4 private life underwriter by assets under management, is seeking a waiver from a requirement that an insurance company be in business for 10 years before an IPO.

India now has 22 life insurers, after the market was opened in 2000 to challenge state-owned Life Insurance Corp's monopoly. Existing regulations prevent insurers from selling stakes of more than 26% to foreign partners.

 

Some of the first foreign-backed insurance joint ventures, including between ICICI Bank and Prudential Plc, Max India and New York Life, and Housing Development Finance Corp and Standard Life, are said by market players to be eyeing IPOs after they cross the 10-year mark next year.

crackcrack

Reliance Capital Share Price

11.79 0.00 (0.00%)
26-Feb-2024 16:59 View Price Chart
Peers
Company Name CMP
Bajaj Finance 7337.95
Shriram Finance 2482.50
Aditya Birla Capital 229.05
SBI Cards AndPayment 758.35
Chola Invest & Fin. 1150.25
View more..
© 2024 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt.Ltd.