January 21, 2021

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8 min read

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In the past year many online merchants and retailers have experienced a dramatic uptick in sales as global lockdowns and a surge in remote working kickstarted an online shopping boom. 

According to an October forecast by Smart Insights, global retail had been initially projected to expand by 4.4 percent in 2020, but this estimate was revised to 18.4 percent as the current health crisis sent e-commerce sales soaring. Moreover, e-commerce retail sales now account for almost 30 percent of all retail in the UK and 16 percent of sales in the U.S. — reaching record numbers in 2020.

This growth has been seen across practically all verticals, with the food, home, beauty, and electronics sectors, in particular, seeing striking growth this year. And with the world continuing to embrace digital technology and more than 2 billion

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The committee formed by the insurance regulator to review the motor insurance service provider (MISP) guidelines has suggested that automotive dealers can be considered as of one of the distribution channels for soliciting motor insurance business. They may work as insurance intermediaries in much the same way as insurance brokers, but must solicit motor insurance business only.


They may also choose to become sub-brokers or sub-agents and work for a broker or a corporate agent respectively. And the option to become a separate distribution channel or sub-broker should be left with the automotive dealer. If they decide to become a distribution channel, they have to mandatorily sign agreements with insurance companies, but cannot collect premiums. And they have to provide access to consumers to make direct online payment to the insurer.



In the motor insurance business, business sourced by MISPs through

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Consumer finance giant Bajaj Finance’s net profit fell 30 per cent to Rs 1,049 crore in October–December quarter (third quarter, or Q3) of 2020-21 (FY21), compared to Rs 1,488 crore in the corresponding period in 2019-20 (FY20), owing to a fall in net interest income and rise in provisions. But the company has said as loan-loss provisions, interest reversals, and cost of surplus liquidity normalise to pre-Covid levels by the first quarter of 2021-22 (FY22), its profitability will improve. The lender also said that it will foray into the payments space in the ongoing quarter.


Net interest income of the lender fell 7.24 per cent to Rs 3,977 crore in the reporting quarter (Q3FY21), compared to Rs 4,265 crore in Q3FY20 due to higher reversal of interest income at Rs 456 crore, compared to Rs 82 crore in the corresponding period of FY20 and also due

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Gold rose on Wednesday to a one-week high as the dollar weakened on US Treasury secretary nominee Janet Yellen’s call to “act big” on measures to help the American economy recover from the impact of the pandemic. Brent Crude, too, jumped and traded above $56 a barrel.


Spot gold gained 1.18 per cent to $1,862.10 per ounce by 8.20 pm IST, having risen 1 per cent to a near one-week high earlier. In Delhi, gold gained for the third day, rising Rs 347 to Rs 48,758 per 10 gram.



“Gold looks fairly positive after all that talk about stimulus yesterday from Yellen weakened the dollar,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, adding that President Biden’s inauguration would provide more details about fiscal policy.


“If US bond yields start to slip back then gold will regain

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