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HDFC Life Insurance Company on Thursday reported a 15% year-on-year (YoY) rise in its Q4FY25 net profit to Rs 475 crore, compared to Rs 411 crore in the year-ago period. Net premium income for the quarter ended March stood at Rs 23,842 crore, up 16% YoY from Rs 20,533 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.The company's board also recommended a final dividend of Rs 2.10 per equity share for the financial year 2024–25.The company attributed its topline growth to strong individual APE growth of 18%, supported by an increase in both the number of policies sold and average ticket size, along with a balanced product mix.HDFC Life's Assets Under Management (AUM) stood at Rs 3,36,282 crore as of March 31, 2025, reflecting a 15% year-on-year increase.Market ShareThe company’s overall market share (individual WRP) rose by 70 basis points to 11.1% for the period 11MFY25, according to the company filing. The private sector market share increased by 30 basis points to 15.7%.Solvency RatioThe solvency ratio stood at 194%, comfortably above the regulatory threshold of 150%.Profit After Tax (PAT) for the full financial year stood at Rs 1,802 crore, reflecting a 15% year-on-year growth, supported by an 18% increase in profit emergence from the company’s back book.Management CommentaryCommenting on the earnings, MD & CEO Vibha Padalkar described FY25 as a year in which the company deepened its reach.“We are happy to report an 18% growth in Individual APE for FY25, in line with our stated growth aspirations for the year. Our overall industry market share expanded by 70 basis points to 11.1%, and by 30 basis points to 15.7% within the private sector. Retail protection continued to show strong momentum with APE growth of 25%. All channels registered double-digit growth. We continue to enhance customer experience through intuitive digital platforms, with over 90% of service requests now handled via self-service,” she said.Value of New Business (VNB)VNB grew by 13% to Rs 3,962 crore in FY25.PersistencyThe 13th-month and 61st-month persistency ratios stood at a strong 87% and 63%, respectively. Notably, the 61st-month persistency improved by 1,000 basis points, reflecting the company’s deep customer engagement and effective retention initiatives.

HDFC Asset Management Company announced a final dividend of Rs 90 per share on Thursday along with its March quarter earnings where it reported an 18% year-on-year growth in its consolidated net profit at Rs 639 crore from Rs 541 crore in the same quarter of last year.Company's revenue from operations in Q4FY25 stood at Rs 901 crore which was up 30% versus Rs 695 crore reported in the year ago period.The earnings were announced during market hours and HDFC AMC's shares jumped 2.4% to hit the day's high of Rs 4,227.60 on the NSE.However, HDFC AMC's profit declined marginally on a sequential basis from Rs 642 crore clocked in the October-December quarter. Meanwhile, the topline fell 4% quarter-on-quarter.Other income in the January-March 2024 period fell to Rs 124 crore as against Rs 155 crore in the corresponding period of previous fiscal.More to come...

India’s economy is projected to grow by 6.5% in 2025, supported by strong public spending and continuing monetary easing, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Wednesday.Despite a slowdown from the estimated 6.9% growth in 2024, India is forecast to be the fastest growing economy.Globally, economic growth will expand by 2.3% in 2025 – “below the threshold of 2.5% – a marker of a global recessionary phase”, said UNCTAD.The reduction in policy rate cut is anticipated to support household consumption and encourage private investment in India, according to the report, titled ‘Trade and Development Foresight -- 2025 Under Pressure: Uncertainty Reshapes Global Economic Prospects’.Last week, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy committee (MPC) reduced the policy rate by 25 basis points to 6%, following a similar rate cut in February -- the first in five years.Economists expect further rate cuts by the MPC.However, rising trade policy uncertainty is a concern as new tariffs imposed by the US come into effect, the report highlighted.“The imposition of escalating rounds of tariffs will have a disproportionately large impact (both directly and indirectly) on developing countries, particularly those that are more integrated into global supply chains,” the report noted.It also emphasised that South–South economic integration presents opportunities for developing countries in trade and beyond.China’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to slow to 4.4% in 2025 from 5% in 2024. The US is also expected to see a deceleration to 1% from 2.8%.The South Asia region as a whole will grow by 5.6% in 2025, “as declining inflation opens the way for monetary loosening across most of the region”, said the international body.However, food price volatility will remain a risk, it said.Public debt continues to rise in many countries, resulting in increased net interest payments.UNCTAD noted that net interest payments are the highest in developing countries like Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.India is among the five out of 12 countries (in G20 economies) which are expected to reduce its general government net borrowing, alongside Argentina, Australia, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, the report said.

Information technology stocks tumbled up to 6% on Thursday, dragged lower by Wipro’s disappointing earnings and downbeat revenue outlook for the April-to-June quarter, triggering a broad selloff across the sector.Shares of Wipro plunged 5.7% after the company missed fourth-quarter revenue estimates and warned of a 1.5% to 3.5% decline in revenue for the current quarter, citing macroeconomic headwinds and global tariff turmoil. The selloff pulled the Nifty IT index down 2.3% in early trade.Wipro’s earnings miss and cautious guidance sent ripples across the sector. Shares of larger peer Infosys dropped 1.6% ahead of its earnings report due later in the day. LTIMindtree, HCL Technologies, and Mphasis each fell between 3% and 3.4%. Tech Mahindra, Coforge, and Persistent Systems lost between 2% and 2.4%, while Tata Consultancy Services slipped 1.7%.The broader markets also opened lower, with the Nifty 50 slipping 0.3% to 23,368.55 and the BSE Sensex declining 0.24% to 76,868.4 as of 9:15 a.m. IST, as weakness in IT stocks weighed on sentiment.Brokerages moved quickly to reassess Wipro’s outlook. Nuvama downgraded the stock to a “hold” and cut its target price to Rs 260 from Rs 300, citing weak Q4 performance and muted near-term guidance. Wipro’s IT services revenue for the quarter came in at $2,597 million, down 0.8% sequentially and 1.2% year-on-year in constant currency terms, falling short of analysts’ expectations.“Low visibility for positive growth in FY26 has weakened the earlier turnaround thesis,” Nuvama said in a note, adding that it had trimmed its FY26E and FY27E EPS estimates by 3% and 3.7%, respectively, and revised the valuation multiple down to 20x FY27 PE from 22x.The company’s guidance for Q1FY26 reflects the continued pressure from macroeconomic uncertainties, including potential impacts from global trade tariffs.Also read | IT rout pushes Nifty below 23,400; Sensex drops over 300 points(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)