SBI General Insurance Launches "Shagun – Gift an Insurance" Policy

 Highlights

* Covers personal accident insurance 

* Can be gifted to anyone 

* Premiums valued at 501, 1001, 2001 

SBI General Insurance, one of the leading general insurance companies in India announced the launch of first-of-its-kind offering, ‘Shagun – Gift an Insurance”, a unique gift of Personal Accident policy. This product was filed by SBI General under Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority’s (IRDAI) Sandbox regulations. The key differentiating feature of the policy is that it can be gifted to anyone you want, which means it is not necessary for the policy buyer to be related to the insured.   

Shagun covers personal accident insurance which provides complete financial protection to the insured person against uncertainties such as accidental death and partial or total disabilities, and permanent as well as temporary disabilities resulting from an accident. 

On the launch of the product, Mr. P.C. Kandpal, MD and CEO, SBI General Insurance said, “Shagun is a unique offering by SBI General. In our Indian culture, we often celebrate our milestones or auspicious occasions by gifting either something or an envelope of money. This gesture is synonymous with well wishes and good luck. At SBIG, we ideated “Shagun” as a valued gift of security to be positioned for such kind of gestures. The premium of the product has also been designed at Rs. 501, 1001, 2001. Thus, not just the name “Shagun” but also the premium amount has a touch of our Indian tradition.” 

He further added, “Shagun can be gifted to anyone viz your family, friends, extended family and even domestic helpers, drivers, cooks etc., and on any occasion like passing an exam, buying a new car, new home, birthdays, marriage, anniversary, buying a new bike, college admission, etc.” 

Shagun-Gift an Insurance, a unique gift of Personal Accident can be purchased on SBI General’s website www.sbigeneral.in, with a very smooth buying journey in just 3 steps.   

About SBI General Insurance Company Limited:  With the strong parentage of SBI, we, at SBI General Insurance, are committed to carry forward the legacy of trust and security; and to become the first choice for every Indian’s general insurance needs.  

Ever since our establishment in 2009, from 17 branches in 2011, we have expanded our presence to around 123 branches pan-India.  

We follow a robust multi-distribution model encompassing Bancassurance, Agency, Broking and Retail Direct Channels. Today, our distribution family includes over 22,900 IRDAI certified advisors including the State Bank Group employees, and over 12,000 Agents to make insurance easily available even in the remote areas of the country.  

On the distribution network front, we have strong distribution partners adding up our reach to every nook and corner of India, with SBI’s over 22000 branch network, other financial and digital partners. Our current geographical exposure covers 125+ cities pan-India with a presence of another 350+ locations through satellite resources.  

We currently serve three key customer segments viz. - Retail Segment (catering to Individual & Families), Corporate Segment (catering mid to large size companies) and SME Segment; and are future-ready to serve the growing needs of Indians with new age-processes and services at affordable prices.  

SBI General Insurance closed the financial year 2019-20 with a Gross Written Premium of Rs. 6840 cr at a YoY growth of 45%.  

Brigade Group Announces Q1 FY21 Financial Results Operational Highlights (Q1FY21)

Residential

Achieved 0.4 mn sq ft. of new sales in Q1 FY21 valued at Rs. 250 Crore vs 1 mn sq ft. valued at Rs. 593 Crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year

Realization per sft has gone up by 14% compared to the same period in the previous year

Jasper Block at Brigade El Dorado of 0.62 mn sft launched during the quarter

Strong pipeline of 16.24 mn sq ft. and upcoming 2.06 mn sq ft. to be launched in FY21

Lease rental:

Leasing segment for offices remains stable with over 95% collections

Construction of the Brigade Twin Towers development has commenced

Hospitality:

All hotels are operational with Ministry of Home Affairs and State Government protocols in place

Average occupancy of 11% due to impact of COVID-19 & lockdown

All non-essential capital expenditure and renovation has been deferred to reduce cash outflows

Various cost saving measures taken including reduction of manpower costs of about 40% and reduction of about 70% in other overheads during the quarter

Financial Highlights:

Consolidated Performance Q1FY21 vs Q1FY20: 

Total Revenues at Rs.214 crores vis-à-vis Rs. 717 crores

EBITDA at Rs. 58 crores vis-à-vis Rs. 191 crores

EBITDA margin at 27%

PAT/(Loss) after Minority Interest at Rs. (53 crores) vis-à-vis profit of Rs. 41 crores

Commenting on the results, Chairman & MD Mr. M.R Jaishankar said, “While this quarter was  impacted by COVID-19, our continued focus on digital marketing,  online booking of apartments  and collections have yielded results even though most of the first quarter was under lockdown.    Despite the pandemic, our total collections for the quarter was Rs. 376 crores. The rental collections from Office in the Leasing Segment is stable. Although the biggest impact has been in the hospitality and retail segment, all efforts are being taken to improve their performance and we are positive that these segments will normalize soon.”

COVID-19 Impact & Outlook

Company outlook:

Construction has resumed at 30% labour strength post unlock 1.0 & has now crossed 50%. We expect to reach 100% by end of Q3 FY21

Green shoots are visible in residential business with a pickup in enquiries and sales

Office business remains stable with 95% collections, retaining a positive outlook

Business in malls and hotels will pick up gradually along with the improvement in economy

Brigade has a strong balance sheet and is in a good position to manage operations while maintaining liquidity to meet business obligations

Industry outlook:

Rate reduction by RBI and consequent low rate of interest for housing loans is a big positive

Adequate liquidity in the economy has helped restrict the damage

Recent announcement by RBI to allow banks to restructure loans in impacted sectors is a step in the right direction

Economy is expected to rebound in the later part of the calendar year; however, GDP contraction is expected for the financial year

Operational Impact:

Construction activity was impacted because of intermittent lockdowns

Lower revenue recognition in real estate segment was due to government office shutdowns

Malls and Hotels underperformed because of the lockdown, travel restrictions and weak consumer sentiment

Collections were impacted because of the reasons mentioned above though partially mitigated by prudent capital expenditure and reduction in overheads

Relief & Efforts:

John’s Health Centre at Brigade Meadows was inaugurated on June 24, 2020

Donation for purchase of an ambulance by St. John’s

Donation for purchase of prefabricated 5 bed ICU module to K C General Hospital

Donation for purchase of ventilator to Sri Vasavi Hospital

Dry ration to more than 3000 families in Bangalore

Sustenance allowance provided to migrant workers and supported them with ‘dry rations

80,000 Meals provided during lock down period

Workers engagement programmes viz. exercises, aerobics, yoga, as well as workers’ counselling

Awards and Recognitions:

Brigade Enterprises Ltd. has been recognised as one of India’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For 2020, in one of India’s largest workplace study conducted by the Great Place to Work®️ Institute and The Economic Times.

This year, Brigade Enterprises Ltd has been "Ranked 43", in the coveted Top 50 category, across companies. Brigade Enterprises Ltd also has the distinction of being among India’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, 10 years in a row.

Brigade Hospitality Services Ltd. has been ranked 3rd amongst India’s Great Mid -Size Workplaces in 2020 by the Great Place to Work Institute and The Economic Times.

5paisa.com Launches India’s Only Multi-Lingual Markets App for 5 Million Users

India’s fastest growing discount broker 5paisa.com has launched the country’s only multi-lingual stock markets app for over 5 million users, as part of its efforts towards providing opportunities to regional investors across the country.

5paisa.com offers the investing app in Hindi, Marathi and Guajarati besides English as of now and will launch Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali versions soon to allow most Indians have access to stock markets, mutual funds and other investment options irrespective of their language.

Prakarsh Gagdani, CEO, 5paisa.com said, “So far stock market and most other forms of investing could be accessed only by users who know English, this has resulted in regional users staying completely away from many forms of investing and wealth creation.”

“We have significant participation from tier 2 and 3 cities and there are an increasing number of investors who are new to capital markets who find it more comfortable to interact in their own language. Almost 30% of our daily active users are already using language options other than English. We wish to add more four languages covering entire south India soon.”

5paisa.com expects with availability of smartphones and of high-speed internet across India, the multi-lingual app will allow investors choose wisely instead of relying on spurious investing solutions provided many unscrupulous elements.

5paisa.com recently turned profitable after seventeen quarters since inception making it the only listed profitable discount broker in India. The firm has over 7 lac active users and offers equity investing at zero brokerage, mutual funds, insurance, and loans among others on its platform.

 

About 5paisa Capital

5paisa Capital Limited (NSE: 5PAISA, BSE: 540776) is engaged in providing financial products through its online technology platform and mobile applications. It is registered with SEBI as a stockbroker, depository participant and research analyst, and with AMFI as a mutual fund distributor. Its services are targeted at retail investors and high-volume traders who actively invest and trade in securities markets and seek DIY (Do-it-Yourself) services at a low cost.

The Company provides an online technology platform to clients through internet terminals and mobile applications for trading in securities in NSE and BSE; advisory services through the research undertaken by a team of fundamental and technical research analysts; and depository related services as part of its integrated services offering.

5paisa Capital is a technology driven company having mainly an online presence. The Company remains focussed on innovation, based on understanding customer behaviour, and constantly strives to achieve tech superiority as is visible through the developments of its robust trading platform, advanced mobile app, an Artificial-Intelligence powered Robo-Advisory platform, and the paperless account opening process.

PNB MetLife Broadens its Product Portfolio with Three Unique Offerings for Retail Customers

Portfolio

* A guaranteed savings plan, which allows customers the flexibility of pay-out as a lumpsum or supplementary income

* A combined plan, assuring life and health insurance protection, with coverage against Covid-19

* A new Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP), which offers whole life cover along with tailor-made solutions for wealth creation

PNB MetLife Insurance is expanding its product portfolio with three new unique offerings: PNB MetLife Guaranteed Future Plan; Mera Mediclaim Plan and PNB MetLife Smart Platinum Plus. At PNB MetLife customer centricity is the cornerstone that binds all functions. These offerings complement the Company’s concept of “Circle of Life”, which assesses the needs of the customers and offers them with solutions on varied financial needs including - Child Education, Family Protection, Long Term Savings and Retirement.are testament to this approach and was designed keeping in mind the evolving needs of customers across different segments. 

PNB MetLife Guaranteed Future Plan, a guaranteed savings life insurance plan that offers dual advantages of long term guaranteed benefits and financial protection to the family in case of adversities. The plan offers complete control to customer and helps customize the savings schedule based on customer’s needs and affordability. It allows customers the flexibility to choose their future guaranteed pay-out as a lumpsum, income or a combination thereof which will help meeting financial requirements for various goals.

The company, in partnership with Religare Health Insurance, has launched - Mera Mediclaim Plan – that combines benefits of health and life insurance under a single policy. The new solution gives customers access to quality healthcare, cashless hospitalization, along with life insurance coverage.

Additionally, the company has also received approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to launch PNB MetLife Smart Platinum Plus, a whole life savings-oriented unit-linked insurance plan (ULIP). The plan also offers life insurance cover to protect ones family in case of an unfortunate demise as well as provides with tailor-made solutions to achieve ones goals, including an option where wealth creation doesn’t take a back seat even during critical illness.

Ashish Kumar Srivastava, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife, said “At PNB MetLife, we believe in “Customer Centricity’ and continuously work towards providing solutions in line with our mantra. As a part of our ‘Circle of Life’ approach, which has been conceptualized to deliver need-based solutions that provide financial wellbeing to the customers during their lifetime, the new products will address the need for life and health protection as well as wealth creation.  PNB MetLife also declared bonus for its participating polices which remains consistent even in these uncertain times. We will continue to invest our efforts in product innovations and introduce more products that will serve the life-stage needs of our valued customers.”  

PNB MetLife Guaranteed Future Plan offers four different options to create a corpus to meet one’s financial goals. The plan comes with a guaranteed income ranging from 103% to 245% of the annualized premium.  Annual premiums higher than Rs.30,000 also receive High Premium Reward ranging from 4% - 12% of annualized premiums.  Besides one can opt for Income plus booster options that will give them an additional income pay-out at specified intervals ranging from 30%-406%. The plan allows customers to time the receipt of maturity amounts on special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. The policyholder will also be eligible to avail income tax benefit on premiums paid and benefits received under 80 (c) and 10(10d).

Mera Mediclaim Plan offers coverage for comprehensive health and hospitalisation insurance along with life insurance.  The plan features cashless hospitalization cover across Religare Health Insurance’s network of more than 7,500 hospitals. The plan also covers more than 540 Day Care Treatments, alternative treatments such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy and offers a no claim bonus which helps cover to increase upto 220% over two years and 250% over five years. This unique plan provides a cost-effective solution for customers by offering a discount of 7.5% on both life and health insurance premiums, plus dual tax benefits under both section 80 (c) and 80 (d)

PNB MetLife Smart Platinum Plus is a whole life protection and savings oreinted Unit Linked Insurance Plan.  The plan features an unique Care Benefit which helps customers secure their goals against health exigencies and the insurer pays all future premiums in case of diagnosis of any of the listed five critical illnesses. The plan provides additional allocations through features like Return of Fund Management charges of 1st 5 years and Fund booster which is paid at the end of 10th year which enhance the fund value and also incentivise the customers to stay invested for longer. This holistic plan offers the policyholder with the freedom to choose from the benefits, duration of premium payment, the sum assured multiple and also maximise their wealth creation potential through a choice of portfolio strategies and variety of funds. It also offers flexibility of switching between different fund depending on the risk appetite and partially withdrawing money from the fund value after the lock-in period.  The company so far has 22 unit-linked funds in its portfolio of which PNB MetLife Virtue Fund II and PNB MetLife Virtue Fund has been ranked amongst the top 10 in the Insurance Large Cap Category (as of June 30, 2020) by Morningstar, a leading independent investment research organization. This ranking is testimony to the company’s strong fund management prosess and reaffirm the commitment to deliver value accretive growth to its customers investing through market-linked products. 

This trio of products launched by PNB MetLife holistically fulfils the advanced needs and demands of the consumer. Amongst the three products, Mera Mediclaim Plan and PNB MetLife Guaranteed Future Plan are available across PNB MetLife’s bancasurance, agency as well as online channels. As the masses settle to the new normal where protection of health and life and wealth creation have assumed a level of importance like never before, PNB MetLife strives to serve its customers at every new juncture of their lives through its dynamic and ever-evolving approach to customer satisfaction.

About PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited

PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited (PNB MetLife) has as its shareholders MetLife International Holdings LLC. (MIHL), Punjab National Bank Limited (PNB), Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited (JKB), M. Pallonji and Company Private Limited and other private investors, with MIHL and PNB being the majority shareholders.

Aakash Educational Services Offers Digitized Futuristic Platform for Education Community with SAP S/4HANA

With the aim to digitize education and transform student experiences, by steering innovative mindsets in the current COVID era, Aakash Educational Services Ltd. (AESL), a national leader in test preparation services, embarked on a digital transformation journey with SAP S/4HANA. This SAP adoption is an important step towards enabling AESL to offer a digital futuristic platform for the education community at large.

With the education industry shifting from a classroom to an online setup in the current pandemic environment, AESL made a swift decision to standardize their business processes and bring in operational efficiencies that can offer quality digital education services to internal as well as external stakeholders. They chose SAP’s next-generation Digital Core, SAP S/4HANA an intelligent, integrated ERP system that helps revolutionize business processes with intelligent automation. This digital upgradation will further lay the foundation of AESL towards financial transformation on which the company can scale, grow and be future-ready.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), said: “We are investing heavily in technology to digitize our entire business model and systems, so that we stay with times and improve our offerings to our next-gene customers.  We trusted SAP S/4 HANA to become our technology architecture that seamlessly integrates our processes and services to align with the future plans of the company.” 

“India has the world’s largest population of about 500 million students in the age bracket of 5-24 years and this provides a great opportunity for the education sector. There is a huge need to adopt transformative and innovative approaches for further development in the education system,” said Parvesh Ghai, Vice President Sales, North & East India, Bangladesh, SAP. “We support institutes like AESL that believe in ‘digital transformations’ by bringing vast opportunities for taking the education and learning experience to the next level.”

AESL also plans to adopt industry best practices and gain a competitive advantage to stay ahead in the industry. This step towards digital transformation further lays the foundation of business growth and expansion planned for the coming years.

About Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL)

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) provides comprehensive test preparatory services for students preparing for Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, School/Board Exams and Competitive Exams such as NTSE, KVPY, and Olympiads. AESL believes that the “Aakash” brand is associated with quality coaching and a proven student selection track record in various Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, Scholarship exams & Olympiads. 

With over 32 years of operational experience in the test preparatory industry, the company has a large number of selections in Medical & Engineering Entrance Exams and several Foundation level Scholarship exams/Olympiads, a pan India network of 200+ Aakash Centers (including franchisee), and a student count of more than 250,000.

The Aakash group also owns famous K-12 EdTech brand, Meritnation.com as well.

Hyundai Signs MoU with ICICI Bank to Offer Online Car Finance to Customers Through ‘Click to Buy’

Online Sales

* First OEM to provide tailor-made online car financing options in a single platform

* Customers can avail a composite online finance for car buying on ‘Click to Buy’

* Instant loan sanction without visiting any ICICI Bank branch

* Up to 100% on-road funding

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), country’s first smart mobility solutions provider and largest exporter since inception, today signed an MoU with ICICI Bank to offer customised online auto retail financing solutions to customers across India. The partnership has strengthened ‘Click to Buy’- HMIL’s online car buying platform as India’s First Online Automotive Retail channel that offers a complete end-to-end car buying experience. 

Under the said partnership, ICICI Bank has integrated its finance solutions online with HMIL’s ‘Click to Buy’. Through the partnership, Hyundai will enable customers to avail an end-to-end composite online solution for car buying along with the required funding to purchase their favourite Hyundai car.  With this, millions of pre-approved customers of ICICI Bank, can directly apply for a car loan through ‘Click to Buy’ website itself and procure an instant loan sanction without having to physically visit the branch. In addition to these services, ICICI Bank also offers up to 100% on-road funding

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. W S Oh, Executive Director - Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Hyundai has been bringing customer delight through its products and solutions. With Click to Buy, Hyundai has offered customers the first ever end-to-end online car buying portal that is a one stop solution to customer needs. Through our partnership with ICICI Bank, we will fortify customer purchase journey from any remote location and enable real-time transaction with the most productive finance deals.”

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Ravi Narayanan, Head - Secured Assets, ICICI Bank said, “We are delighted to join hands with Hyundai Motor India Ltd. to offer an array of online finance solutions for customers looking to buy new Hyundai cars. The online integration with HMIL enables pre-approved customers of ICICI Bank to apply for a car loan and procure an instant sanction of the loan through the ‘Click to Buy’ website. With this partnership, we believe that the customers will have a convenient and hassle-free experience of buying Hyundai cars with finance from us.”

‘Click to Buy’ is designed to facilitate end-to-end retail of Hyundai cars online, making owning a new car – contactless, safe, convenient and hassle free. With ‘Click to Buy’ Hyundai is offering access to its complete range of car models and is the only platform that covers all stages of customer purchase journey in an even more seamless and convenient manner. The one-stop solution for customers’ car ownership requirement now facilitates user experience enhancement and additional customer delight features such as Full-spectrum car buying journey, Transparency with On-Road Prices, Dedicated Sales Consultants, Online Finance Options from Leading Banks, Fastest Loan Approval for Pre-Approved customers, Unique deal codes for customers with additional benefits, Special online promotions, Estimated time of delivery for car purchase, Online test drive booking of sanitised cars, Home Delivery of fully sanitized cars.

IBM funds $1 billion for APAC IT Projects

IBM announced up to $3 billion funds to finance IT initiatives in key economic stimulus projects in Europe and Asia-Pacific through IBM Global Financing, the company's lending and leasing business segment.

Specifically, it will make available up to $2 billion in financing in Europe and up to $1 billion in the Asia-Pacific region. IBM Global Financing also will extend its North American coverage to include financing for smart technology projects in Canada, according to a statement.

The stimulus financing will mainly target enterprises and municipalities looking to implement technology projects consisting of a majority portion of IBM hardware, software, and technology services components. Financing also can be applied to non-IBM technology as part of a larger IBM solution.

The financing will help organizations move ahead with IT projects in 2009, while awaiting government funding, to build the technological and environmental infrastructure of the 21st century.

The financing could be in the form of:

* Low rates and flexible financing options

* Deferred payment plans

* Enterprise financing facilities that offer structured lines of credit

* Specialized project financing packages that allow clients to align payment streams to anticipated benefits throughout the project

The recession is going to drive many organizations, public and private, to make transformational changes in their IT environment. However, without access to the correct financing offerings, a significant set of opportunities will be lost and society-wide projects, like smart grid, will be substantially delayed," said David Mitchell, SVP of UK-based IT research firm, Ovum.

It must be recalled here that IBM China Research launched a new industry solution lab in China focusing on the development of healthcare IT solutions and released four software packages that could help hospitals establish electronic patient records at reduced costs, last month. The Chinese government has announced a plan to invest CNY 850 billion over the next three years to provide every village with a medical clinic and at least one hospital for every county by 2011. The plan includes funding for electronic patient records systems that can be shared by different hospitals around the country.

CXOtoday