Thursday, 3 March 2011


Insurance Companies in India
Here is a brief profile of various Insurance companies in india.
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Insurance Companies in India
In India, Insurance is a national matter, in which life and general insurance is yet a booming sector with huge possibilities for different global companies, as life insurance premiums account to 2.5% and general insurance premiums account to 0.65% of India's GDP. The Indian Insurance sector has gone through several phases and changes, especially after 1999, when the Govt. of India opened up the insurance sector for private companies to solicit insurance, allowing FDI up to 26%. Since then, the Insurance sector in India is considered as a flourishing market amongst global insurance companies. However, the largest life insurance company in India is still owned by the government.

The history of Insurance in India dates back to 1818, when Oriental Life Insurance Company was established by Europeans in Kolkata to cater to their requirements. Nevertheless, there was discrimination among the life of foreigners and Indians, as higher premiums were charged from the latter. In 1870, Indians took a sigh of relief when Bombay Mutual Life Assurance Society, the first Indian insurance company covered Indian lives at normal rates. Onset of the 20th century brought a drastic change in the Insurance sector.

In 1912, the Govt. of India passed two acts - the Life Insurance Companies Act, and the Provident Fund Act - to regulate the insurance business. National Insurance Company Ltd, founded in 1906, is the oldest existing insurance company in India. Earlier, the Insurance sector had only two state insurers - Life Insurers i.e. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), and General Insurers i.e. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC). In December 2000, these subsidiaries were de-linked from parent company and were declared independent insurance companies: Oriental Insurance Company Limited, New India Assurance Company Limited, National Insurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company Limited.

Insurance Companies In India

Top Insurance Companies in India

Following are some of the top insurance companies in India.
Life Insurance Corporation of India -

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is undoubtedly India's largest life insurance company. Fully owned by government, LIC is also the largest investor of the country. LIC has an estimated asset of Rs. 8 Trillion. It also funds almost 24.6% of the expenses of Government of India.

Established in 1956 and headquartered in Mumbai, Life Insurance Corporation of India has 8 zonal offices, 100 divisional offices, 2,048 branch offices and a vast network of 10,02,149 agents spread across the country.

Tata AIG Insurance Solutions-

Tata AIG Insurance Solutions, one of the leading insurance providers in India, started its operation on April 1, 2001. A joint venture between Tata Group (74% stake) and American International Group, Inc. (AIG) (26% stake), Tata AIG Insurance Solutions has two different units for life insurance and general insurance. The life insurance unit is known as Tata AIG Life Insurance Company Limited, whereas the general insurance unit is known as Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited.

AVIVA Life Insurance -

AVIVA Life Insurance, one of the popular insurance companies in India, is a joint venture between the renowned business group, Dabur and the largest insurance group in the UK, Aviva plc. AVIVA Life Insurance has an extensive network of 208 branches and about 40 Bancassurance partnerships, spread across 3,000 cities and towns across the country. There are more than 30,000 Financial Planning Advisers (FPAs) working for AVIAV Life Insurance. It offers various plans like Child, Retirement, Health, Savings, Protection and Rural.

MetLife Insurance -

MetLife India Insurance Company Limited is another popular player in Indian insurance sector. A joint venture between the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, M. Pallonji and Co. Private Limited and other private investors and MetLife International Holdings, Inc., MetLife Insurance offers a wide range of financial solutions to its customers including Met Suraksha, Met Suraksha TROP, Met Mortgage Protector and Met Suraksha Plus etc. It has its branches situated over 600 locations across the country. More than 50,000 Financial Advisors work for MetLife.

ING Vysya Life Insurance -

ING Vysya Life Insurance entered into the Indian insurance industry in September 2001. A joint venture between ING Group, Ambuja Cements, Exide Industries and Enam Group, ING Vysya Life Insurance uses its two channels, viz. the Alternate Channel and the Tied Agency Force to distribute its products. The first channel has branches in 234 cities across the country and has got 366 sales teams. On the other hand, the later one has more than 60,000 advisors. Currently, ING Vysya Life Insurance has tie ups with more than 200 cooperative banks.

Birla Sun Life Financial Services -

Birla Sun Life Financial Services is a joint venture between Aditya Birla Group and Sun Life Financial Inc, Canada. It has got an extensive network of more than 600 branches. More than 1,75,000 empanelled advisors work for Birla Sun Life, which currently covers over 2 million lives.

MAX New York Life -

Max New York Life Insurance Company Ltd. is one of the top insurance companies in India. A joint venture between Max India Limited and New York Life International (a part of the Fortune 100 company - New York Life), Max New York Life Insurance Company Ltd. started its operation in April 2001. It currently has around 715 offices located in 389 cities across the country. It also has around 75,832 agent advisors. Max New York Life offers 39 products, which cover both, life and health insurance.

Bajaj Allianz -

Bajaj Allianz is a joint venture between Bajaj Finserv Limited and Allianz SE, where Bajaj Finserv Limited holds 74% of the stake, whereas Allianz SE holds the rest 26% stake. Bajaj Allianz has been rated iAAA by ICRA for its ability to pay claims. The company also achieved a growth of 11% with a premium income of Rs. 2866 crore as on March 31, 2009.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance -

Bharti AXA Life Insurance, one of the top insurance companies in India, is a joint venture between Bharti group and world leader AXA. Bharti holds 74% stakes, whereas AXA holds the rest of 26%. Bharti AXA has its branches located in 12 states across the country. It offers a range of individual, group and health plans for its customers. Currently more than 8000 employees work for Bharti AXA Life Insurance.


Insurance Companies in India

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