India’s HDFC Life Insurance Company posted a fall in quarterly new business value on Thursday while reporting a slight profit rise, driven by policy renewals. India’s tax cuts in September have boosted retail insurance demand but analysts had forecast a soft quarter for HDFC Life with new business growth slowing due to weaker sales through banks and as volatile markets made customers wary about market-linked plans. “Looking ahead, we expect a gradual shift in the product mix as customers rebalance toward long-term savings and protection in an environment of greater uncertainty,” HDFC Life MD and CEO Vibha Padalkar said in a statement. The insurer, a unit of HDFC Bank, posted a net profit of 4.96 billion rupees ($53.2 million) for the three months ended March 31, compared with 4.77 billion rupees a year ago. Earlier in the week, peer ICICI Prudential Life reported a jump in quarterly profit, boosted by new business growth. HDFC Life’s net premium income rose nearly 9% to 258.29 billion rupees, driven by a 14% rise in policy renewals.