Detailed Narrative
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LICI) reported a robust performance for the nine months ended December 31, 2025 (9MFY26), demonstrating significant growth across key financial and operational metrics. The company's Total Premium Income surged by 9.02% year-on-year (YoY) to ₹3,71,293 Crore. This growth was supported by a 5.89% increase in Individual New Business Premium Income to ₹44,941 Crore and a substantial 13.56% rise in Group Business Total Premium Income to ₹1,35,302 Crore. Profit After Tax (PAT) also saw a healthy increase of 16.68% YoY, reaching ₹33,998 Crore.
Operational efficiency improved, with the Net Value of New Business (VNB) growing by 27.96% YoY to ₹8,288 Crore, and the Net VNB Margin expanding by 170 basis points to 18.8%. The Assets Under Management (AUM) reached ₹59,16,680 Crore, marking an 8.01% YoY growth. LICI maintained its leadership in the Indian life insurance market, with a 57.07% market share by First Year Premium Income. A strategic shift towards Non-Par products was evident, with the Non-Par share of Individual Annualized Premium Equivalent (APE) increasing significantly to 36.46% from 27.68% in the prior year, representing a 47.44% YoY increase in Non-Par APE.
The company's distribution channels showed mixed results. While the overall number of policies sold saw a slight decrease, the Bancassurance and Alternate Channels (BAC) demonstrated exceptional growth, with New Business Premium Income soaring by 66.74% YoY to ₹3,341.37 Crore. BAC now contributes 7.45% of Individual New Business Premium, up from 4.73% YoY. The agency workforce also expanded to 14,72,370 agents. Claims processing remained efficient, with maturity claims increasing by 14.13% to ₹1,68,613 Crore and death claims by 3.23% to ₹18,156 Crore.
During the Q&A session, management addressed analyst concerns regarding VNB margin drivers, attributing improvements to a favorable yield curve and business mix, while acknowledging a 2.8% operating impact including GST. They also discussed the decline in persistency ratios, explaining it was primarily due to older cohorts with low ticket sizes and high payment frequencies, and outlined ongoing interventions to improve these metrics. On the dividend payout policy, management indicated that the Board would make a decision after the full financial year results, emphasizing sustainability. The company also confirmed its evaluation of opportunities to enhance its stake in a health insurance company, without a specific timeline.
Management expressed a bullish outlook, confident in delivering on commitments related to product mix, channel mix, profitability, and cost-effectiveness. They highlighted ongoing digital initiatives, including the DIVE project, aimed at enhancing customer and distributor interfaces. While the company provided extensive financial data, specific quantitative guidance for future financial performance beyond the regulatory target of reducing government shareholding to 90% by 2027 remained limited, with most forward-looking statements being directional. The persistency decline, though explained, remains a key area of focus for the company.