Reliance Life Insurance reveals that Nippon Life Insurance of Japan has agreed to increase its stake in Reliance Life Insurance by 23 percent, taking its total holding to 49 percent. Nippon Life’s total investment has reached Rs. 8,630 crore for acquiring 49 percent stake each in Reliance Life Insurance and Reliance Capital Asset Management.
Reliance Capital, the holding company of Reliance Life, has received Rs. 2,265 crore for the deal.
The transaction pegs the valuation of Reliance Life Insurance at approximately Rs. 10,000 crore.
In line with the new shareholding structure, the name of the company will also be changed to Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company Ltd.
According to Reliance Capital ED and Group CEO Sam Ghosh, “We would like to welcome Nippon Life Insurance as our equal partners in life insurance and asset management businesses. We have immensely benefited from our relationship with Nippon Life over the last five years and look forward to further consolidate this partnership in India and abroad with their experience.”
In March 2011, Nippon Life had picked up 26 percent stake in the life insurance venture under Reliance Capital for Rs. 3,062 crore.
The company recorded a new business premium of Rs. 285 crore ($43 million), renewal premium of Rs. 706 crore ($107 million), total premium (net of reinsurance) of Rs. 986 crore ($149 million) and total funds under management of Rs. 16,038 crore ($2.4 billion) for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.
Nippon Life Insurance is an over 125-year-old insurer and a Global Fortune 500 company that manages over $520 billion (Rs 33.8 lakh crore) in assets – among the largest total assets in the world for any life insurer. The company is one of the largest life insurers in the world.