LIFE INSURANCE SEE-SAW

Life Insurance Corporation, the country’s biggest life insurance company, has slipped to the 11th spot in the BT500 2023 list from No. 9 last year. In fact, among the Top 4 life insurance firms, only one has improved its rank

- NAVNEET DUBEY

THE LIFE INSURANCE sector has faced a challenging year, with leading companies—including Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), HDFC Life Insurance Company and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company—witnessing a slump in their average market capitalisation.

LIC, which dominates the segment, saw its average market cap decline by about 10.8 per cent (from ₹4.42 lakh crore to ₹3.84 lakh crore) for the period of the BT500 study, while HDFC Life’s market cap dropped by 1.3 per cent (from ₹1.25 lakh crore to ₹1.23 lakh crore) and ICICI Pru Life’s by 11.4 per cent (from around ₹79,000 crore to about ₹70,000 crore), per this year’s BT500 list.

Among the top firms, SBI Life Insurance alone saw its market cap grow. Its average market cap increased by about 5.4 per cent (from ₹1.16 lakh crore to ₹1.23 lakh crore). Market capitalisation refers to the overall value of a company’s shares.

This is reflected in the ranking on the BT500 2023 list. LIC fell to No. 11 from No. 9 last year, HDFC Life slipped to No. 41 from No. 39, and ICICI Pru dropped to No. 74 from No. 59. SBI Life, meanwhile, climbed one spot to 42 from 43 last year.

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