The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) was established in India with a view to provide an insurance cover against various risks in life. A monolith then, the corporation, enjoyed a monopoly status and became synonymous with life insurance. Its main asset is its staff strength of 1.24 lakh employees and 2,048 branches and over six lakh agency force. LIC has hundred divisional offices and has established extensive training facilities at all levels. At the apex, is the Management Development Institute, seven Zonal Training Centers and 35 Sales Training Centers. LIC of India is one of India’s leading financial institutions, offering complete financial solutions that encompass every sphere of life. From commercial banking to stock broking to mutual funds to life insurance to investment banking, the group caters to the financials needs of individuals and corporate. The LIC has a net of over Rs. 1,800 crore. With a presence in 82cities inContinue reading
Financial Institutions
Forex Market or Foreign Exchange Market
Foreign exchange refers to money denominated in the currency of another nation or group of nations. Foreign exchange can be cash, bank deposits or other short-term claims. But in the foreign exchange market as the network of major foreign exchange dealers engaged in high-volume trading, foreign exchange almost always take the form of an exchange of bank deposits of different national currency denominations. A Foreign exchange market or Forex market is a market in which currencies are bought and sold. It is to be distinguished from a financial market where currencies are borrowed and lent. Short History of the Foreign Exchange Market Foreign exchange markets mainly established to make easy cross border trade in which there is involvement of different currencies by governments, companies and individual investors. More ever these markets generally existed to supply for the international movement of capital and money, even the initial markets had speculators. Today,Continue reading
Merchant Banking Services: Management of Capital Issues
The capital issue are managed are category-1 merchant banker and constitutes the most important aspects of their services. The public issue of corporate securities involves marketing of capital issues of new and existing companies, additional issues of existing companies including rights issue and dilution of shares by letter of offer. The public issues are managed by the involvement of various agencies i.e. underwriters, brokers, bankers, advertising agency, printers, auditors, legal advisers, registrar to the issue and merchant bankers providing specialized services to make the issue of the success. However merchant banker is the agency at the apex level than that plan, coordinate and control the entire issue activity and direct different agencies to contribute to the successful marketing of securities. The procedure of the managing a public issue by a merchant banker is divided into two phases, viz; Pre-issue management Post-issue management Pre-Issue Management: Steps required to be taken toContinue reading
Merchant Banking Services: Credit Syndication
Credit syndication also known as credit procurement and project finance services. The main task involved in credit syndication is to raise to rupee and foreign currency loans with the banks and financial institutions both in India and abroad. It also arranges the bridge finance and the resources for cost escalations or cost Overruns. Broadly, the credit syndications include the following acts; Estimating the total costs. Drawing a financing plan for the total project cost-conforming to the requirements of the promoters and their collaborators. Financial institutions and banks, government agencies and underwriters. Preparing loan application for financial assistance from term lenders/financial institutions/banks and monitoring their progress including the pre-sanction negotiations. Selecting the institutions and banks for participation in financing. Follow-up of the term loan application with the financial institutions and banks and obtaining the satisfaction for their respective share of participation. Arranging bridge finance. Assisting in completion of formalities for drawlContinue reading
Introduction to Investment Banking
‘Investment Banking‘ as term suggests, is concerned with the primary function of assisting the capital market in its function of capital intermediation, i.e., the movement of financial resources from those who have them (the Investors), to those who need to make use of them for generating GDP (the Issuers). Banking and financial institution on the one hand and the capital market on the other are the two broad platforms of institutional that investment for capital flows in economy. Therefore, it could be inferred that investment banks are those institutions that are counterparts of banks in the capital markets in the function of intermediation in the resource allocation. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to conclude so, as that would confine investment banking to very narrow sphere of its activities in the modem world of high finance. Over the decades, backed by evolution and also fuelled by recent technologies developments, an investmentContinue reading
Introduction to Merchant Banking
Definition of Merchant Banking The Notification of the Ministry of Finance defines merchant banker as; “Any person who is engaged in the business of issue management either by making arrangements regarding selling, buying or subscribing to securities as manager-consultant, adviser or rendering corporate advisory services in relation to such issue management” The Amendment Regulation specifies that issue management consist of prospectus and other information relating to issue, determining financial structure, tie-up of financiers and final allotment and refund of the subscriptions, underwriting and portfolio management services. In the words of Skully “A Merchant Bank could be best defined as a financial institution conducting money market activities and lending, underwriting and financial advice, and investment services whose organization is characterized by a high proportion of professional staff able to able to approach problems in an innovative manner and to make and implement decisions rapidly.” Nature of Merchant Banking Merchant banking isContinue reading