Indian Insurance Industry Overview & Market Development Analysis

Introduction

The insurance industry of India has 57 insurance companies 24 are in the life insurance business, while 34 are non-life insurers. Among the life insurers, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) is the sole public sector company. There are six public sector insurers in the non-life insurance segment. In addition to these, there is a sole national re-insurer, namely General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re). Other stakeholders in the Indian Insurance market include agents (individual and corporate), brokers, surveyors and third-party administrators servicing health insurance claims.

Market Size

In India, the overall market size of the insurance sector is expected to US$ 280 billion in 2020.

The life insurance industry is expected to increase at a CAGR of 5.3% between 2019 and 2023. India’s insurance penetration was pegged at 4.2% in FY21, with life insurance penetration at 3.2% and non-life insurance penetration at 1.0%. In terms of insurance density, India’s overall density stood at US$ 78 in FY21.

In the first half of FY22, the life insurance industry recorded growth rate of 5.8% compared with 0.8% in the same period last year.

In September 2021, new premiums of life insurers registered 22.2% growth in September 2021, up from 2.9% in September 2020.

Between April 2021 and September 2021, gross premiums written off by non-life insurers reached Rs. 108,705.3 crore (US$ 14.47 billion), an increase of 12.8% over the same period in FY21. In October 2021, total premium earned by the non-life insurance segment stood at Rs. 17,679.98 crore (US$ 2.38 billion), as compared to the Rs. 15,906.71 crore (US$ 2.14 billion) recorded in October 2020.

The market share of private sector companies in the general and health insurance market increased from 47.97% in FY19 to 48.03% in FY20. In the life insurance segment, private players held a market share of 33.78% in premium underwritten services in FY20.

In FY22*, premiums from new businesses of life insurance companies in India stood at US$ 20.7 billion and renewable premium stood at US$ 53.7 billion.

In July 2021, non-life insurance premium stood at Rs. 20,171 crore (US$ 2.71 billion), an increase of 19.5% YoY, as compared with Rs. 16,885 crore (US$ 2.26 billion) in July 2020. The growth was driven by strong performance from health and motor segments.

In July 2021, standalone private health issuers registered a premium growth of Rs. 1,753 crore (US$ 235.11 million), an increase of 27.5% YoY.

The gross direct premium income for the general insurance industry in India stood at Rs. 1,087 billion (US$ 14.62 billion) in FY22 (until September 2021), an increase of 12.3% YoY, due to 28.8% growth in the health segment and an 84.7% growth in the personal accident segment.

Six standalone private sector health insurance companies registered a jump of 66.6% in their gross premium at Rs 1,406.64 crore (US$ 191.84 million) in May 2021, as against Rs. 844.13 crore (US$ 115.12 million) earlier.

In March 2021, health insurance companies in the non-life insurance sector increased by 41%, driven by rising demand for health insurance products amid COVID-19 surge.

In July 2021, non-life insurers’ premium, which include general, standalone and specialised public-sector, recorded 19.46% YoY growth and reached Rs. 20,171.15 crore (US$ 2.71 billion) against Rs. 16,885 crore (US$ 2.27 billion) in the same month last year.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, India is the second-largest insurance technology market in Asia-Pacific, accounting for 35% of the US$ 3.66 billion insurtech-focused venture investments made in the country.

Investments and Recent Developments

The following are some of the major investments and developments in the Indian insurance sector.

• Companies are trying to leverage strategic partnership to offer various services as follows:
• In November 2021, ICICI Lombard collaborated with Vega to provide a personal accident insurance cover with every online Vega helmet purchase to increase road safety awareness among customers.
• In November 2021, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance partnered with NPCI Bharat BillPay, a subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), to offer ClickPay feature to its customers.
• In November 2021, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved HDFC Life Insurance’s acquisition of 100% shareholding in Exide Life Insurance. The move is expected to strengthen HDFC Life’s position in South India.
• In November 2021, Willis Towers Watson acquired the remaining 51% shares in WTW India, taking the company’s holding in WTW India to 100%.
• In November 2021, Acko, a digital insurance start-up, raised US$ 255 million in funds, taking the company’s valuation to ~US$ 1.1 billion.
• In September 2021, ZestMoney raised US$ 50 million to enter new business opportunities in the insurance sector.
• In August 2021, PhonePe announced that it has received preliminary approval from IRDAI to act as a broker for life and general insurance products. As a result, the company can now offer insurance advice to its 300+ million users.
• In FY21, LIC achieved a record first-year premium income of Rs. 56,406 crore (US$ 7.75 billion) under individual assurance business with a 10.11% growth over last year.
• In India, gross premiums written of non-life insurers reached US$ 26.52 billion in FY21 (between April 2020 and March 2021), from US$ 26.49 billion in FY20 (between April 2019 and March 2020), driven by strong growth from general insurance companies.
• In August 2021, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance tied up with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to provide a unified payments interface autopay.
• In August 2021, ICICI Lombard General Insurance introduced extensive coverage for remote piloted aircraft, particularly drone operators. This product protects the drone, as well as the payload (camera/equipment) attached to it, against theft, loss, or damage, and third-party liabilities.
• In July 2021, MedPay, a Bengaluru-based B2B tech start-up, built an API infrastructure that connects healthcare service providers, standalone clinics, pharmacies, labs and insurance companies through its MedPay Connected Care Network (CCN).
• In June 2021, Bharti AXA Life Insurance reported a 10% renewal premium increase of Rs. 1,498 crore (US$ 200.64 million) in FY21.
• In June 2021, LIC Housing Finance announced plans to raise ~Rs. 2,334.69 crore (US$ 312.43 million) through preferential issue of equity shares to the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
• On July 1, 2021, the LIC introduced its Saral Pension Scheme, which is a non-linked, non-participating, single premium, individual immediate annuity plan.
• In July 2021, Gallagher announced plan to acquire 100% stake in India’s Edelweiss Gallagher Insurance Brokers.
• In June 2021, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance announced the launch of a new Vision LifeIncome Plus Plan that will provide guaranteed regular income plus flexible bonus payouts to policyholders.
• In June 2021, Wardwizard Group ties up with Bajaj Allianz to offer insurance policies to Joy e-Bike customers.
• In May 2021, Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd. launched ‘Max Life Saral Pension’, a non-linked, individual immediate annuity plan.
• In March 2021, health insurance companies in the non-life insurance sector increased by 41%, driven by rising demand for health insurance products amid COVID-19 surge.
• In February 2021, Bharti AXA General Insurance launched its ‘Health AdvantEDGE’ health insurance scheme to provide holistic cover against accelerating costs associated with medical requirements and other healthcare facilities.
• In February 2021, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, a non-life insurance firm in the private sector, has been authorised by the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to establish an IFSC Insurance Office (IIO) in GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Government Initiatives

The Government of India has taken number of initiatives to boost the insurance industry. Some of them are as follows:

• In November 2021, the Indian government signed an agreement with the World Bank for a US$ 40 million project to advance the qualities of health services in Meghalaya, including the state’s health insurance programme.
• In September 2021, the Union Cabinet approved an investment of Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 804.71 million) into entities, offering export insurance cover to facilitate additional exports worth Rs. 5.6 lakh crore (US$ 75.11 billion) over the next five years.
• In August 2021, the Parliament passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill. The bill aims to allow privatisation of state-run general insurance companies.
• Union Budget 2021 increased FDI limit in insurance from 49% to 74%. India's Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has announced the issuance, through Digilocker, of digital insurance policies by insurance firms.
• Under the Union Budget 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the initial public offering (IPO) of LIC will be implemented in FY22, as part of the consolidation in the banking and insurance sector. Though no formal market valuation has been undertaken, LIC’s IPO has the potential to raise Rs. 1 lakh crore (US$ 13.62 billion).
• In June 2021, the government extended a Rs. 50 lakh (US$ 66.85 thousand) insurance coverage scheme for healthcare workers across India until the next one year.
• In February 2021, the Finance Ministry announced to infuse Rs. 3,000 crore (US$ 413.13 million) into state-owned general insurance companies to improve the overall financial health of companies.
• Under Union Budget 2021, fund of Rs. 16,000 crore (US$ 2.20 billion) has been allocated for crop insurance scheme.

Road Ahead

The future looks promising for the life insurance industry with several changes in regulatory framework which will lead to further change in the way the industry conducts its business and engages with its customers.

The overall insurance industry is expected to reach US$ 280 billion by the end of 2020. Life insurance industry in the country is expected to increase by 14-15% annually for the next three to five years.

The scope of IoT in Indian insurance market continues to go beyond telematics and customer risk assessment. Currently, there are 110+ InsurTech start-ups operating in India.

Demographic factors such as growing middle class, young insurable population and growing awareness of the need for protection and retirement planning will support the growth of Indian life insurance.

Note: Conversion rate used for November 2021 is Rs. 1 = US$ 0.013, *- New Business Premium Value is until October 2021, Renewable Premium Value in India is until March 2021 (FY21)

References: Media Reports, Press Releases, Press Information Bureau, Union Budget 2021-22, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA), Crisil

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.