LICI.NSELife Insurance Corporation of India

Six NSE F&O stocks including Amber Enterprises India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Cochin Shipyard, Central Depository Services (India), and Vishal Mega Mart saw 6% rise in futures open interest, signaling heightened trading participation and position-building.

Mumbai, Apr 19: The combined market valuation of eight of the top-10 most valued firms surged by Rs 1,87,497.45 crore in a holiday-shortened last week, with Bharti Airtel emerging as the biggest gainer, in line with a positive trend in equities. Last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 943.29 points or 1.21 per cent, and the NSE Nifty climbed 302.95 points or 1.25 per cent. "Markets ended the truncated week with notable gains, extending their uptrend for the second consecutive week, supported by easing geopolitical tensions and improving risk sentiment. Optimism surrounding a potential US-Iran peace agreement underpinned market confidence, while stable domestic fundamentals further aided momentum," Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said. The market valuation of Bharti Airtel jumped Rs 58,831.52 crore to Rs 11,25,125.21 crore, the most among the top-10 firms. The valuation of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) surged by Rs 27,608.62 crore to Rs 5,32,691.31 crore.

STAFF REPORTER GUWAHATI: The Haj Committee of India has issued a circular directing all selected pilgrims for Haj 2026 to deposit the balance amount of the pilgrimage cost by March 31, 2026, failing which they will not be able to confirm their flight bookings. Pilgrims from Assam and other NE states have to pay the balance amount based on their points of embarkation – Guwahati, Delhi or Kolkata. According to the circular, pilgrims who have already paid Rs 2,77,300 in two instalments must now clear the remaining amount, which will vary based on their embarkation point. An official of the Joint State Haj Committee for Assam, Meghalaya , Nagaland, etc., said that pilgrims departing from Guwahati will bear the highest total Haj cost of Rs 3,89,850, as compared to Delhi and Kolkata, with a balance payable of Rs 1,12,550, mainly due to higher airfare. For those travelling from Kolkata, the total cost has been fixed at Rs 3,68,700, with a remaining balance of Rs 91,400 to be paid. Meanwhile, pilgrims embarking from Delhi will have to pay a total of Rs 3,46,600, with a balance amount of Rs 69,300 remaining.

With an eye on fiscal strength, the government is targeting a significant ₹80,000 crore through disinvestment and asset monetisation by the end of FY27. Major transactions like the sale of IDBI Bank and Life Insurance Corporation of India are expected to play pivotal roles in achieving this goal. This strategic move illustrates an ongoing commitment to monetising public assets.

MUMBAI: The National Stock Exchange of India, the country’s largest bourse, received regulatory approval on Friday to proceed with its long-awaited initial public offering, the NSE said. “With SEBI’s approval, we embark on a new chapter of value creation for all our stakeholders,” NSE Chair Srinivas Injeti said in a statement. “This approval also reinforces confidence in NSE being an integral part of the Indian economy and a beacon of Indian capital markets.” The Securities and Exchange Board of India did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The world’s most active derivatives exchange has been embroiled in litigation with the regulator since 2019, when it was fined 11 billion rupees ($120 million) for failing to provide equitable access to all its trading members. Indian benchmark shares log biggest monthly loss in 11 ahead of annual budget Mumbai-based NSE had offered to pay SEBI 13.88 billion rupees to settle the dispute so it could proceed with the IPO, Reuters reported last year, citing sources.

MUMBAI: State Bank of India’s mutual fund unit has committed to pick up at least 10% of Adani Power’s nearly $820 million rupee-denominated bond issue, likely to be launched later this week, three merchant bankers said on Wednesday. The mutual fund, India’s biggest in terms of assets under management, is acting as one of the anchor investors for the issue, with a commitment of 7.50 billion rupees, the bankers said, requesting anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media. The planned 75 billion Indian rupee issue would be the group’s largest-ever Indian rupee bond sale. SBI Mutual Fund and Adani Power did not respond to email queries. Adani Power is looking to raise 28.60 billion rupees through a two-year option and 26.90 billion rupees via a three-year note. SBI MF will buy 4.50 billion rupees and three billion rupees of these papers as the anchor investor, the bankers said. India’s Adani Group flagship firm to launch public bond issue next week, bankers say The Adani unit will pay a coupon of 8.00% and 8.20% on the two- and three-year bonds, and 8.30% and 8.40% on four- and five-year papers.

New Delhi: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has invested the maximum amount of Rs 88,404 crore in the Tata Group, followed by an infusion of Rs 80,843 crore in HDFC Bank and Rs 60,065.56 crore in Reliance Group, Parliament was informed Tuesday. Adani Group attracted an investment of Rs 47,633.78 crore, while SBI attracted Rs 46,621.76 crore from LIC, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. He said there are 35 domestic companies or groups in which LIC has invested more than Rs 5,000 crore each, aggregating to Rs 7.87 lakh crore. The minister shared a list of business groups in which the combined exposure of LIC exceeds Rs 5,000 crore. The list includes L&T, Uniliver, IDBI Bank, M&M, and Aditya Birla. LIC has an exposure of Rs 3.23 lakh crore in these top five groups as against an aggregate of Rs 7.87 lakh crore in 35 companies. He further said that LIC has a board-approved investment policy, which acts as an umbrella framework for any investment carried out by the investment department of the insurance company.

Mumbai: The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the country’s largest life insurer, has entered into a strategic bancassurance partnership with Yes Bank, India’s sixth largest private sector...

There is presently no proposal on merger or consolidation of state-owned banks before the government, Parliament was informed on Monday. "Presently, no proposal on merger or consolidation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) is under consideration of the Government," Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Replying to another question, he said, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in PSBs and private sector banks is 20 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively, as per the extant guidelines/ Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules 2019. "FDI is considered as a major source of non-debt financial resource for the economic development, leading to long-term sustainable capital in the economy and contributes towards technology transfer, development of strategic sectors, greater innovation, competition and employment creation and supplement domestic capital, technology and skills for accelerated economic growth and development," he said.