ICICI Prudential Life Insurance delivered exceptional Q4 FY26 performance with profit after tax jumping 58% to ₹609 crore for the March quarter, up from ₹386 crore in the previous year. For the full financial year, the company reported FY26 profit rising 35% to ₹1,600 crore, including gains from the sale of its stake in ICICI Pension Fund Management Company. The insurer demonstrated strong operational metrics with net premium income jumping 17% to ₹19,180 crore and one-time premiums increasing 46% while renewal premiums rose nearly 6%. Annualised premium equivalent (APE) sales grew 9.4% to ₹3,830 crore, indicating robust new business growth, while value of new business increased more than 21% to ₹965 crore. Latest data shows new business received premium grew by 30.6% YoY from ₹7,444 crore in Q4FY25 to ₹9,719 crore in Q4FY26.
GIFT NIFTY futures advanced 71 points or 0.3% to 24,309 level, indicating a gap-up opening for Indian stock market indices on Thursday, April 16. The Sensex surged 1,264 points to close at 78,111 and Nifty 50 rose 389 points to settle at 24,231 on Wednesday, as sentiment improved after United States President Donald Trump said the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran is "close to over." Asian markets traded higher with Japan's Nikkei advancing 2.27%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gaining 1.12%, China's Shanghai Composite rising 0.45%, and South Korea's KOSPI jumping 2.1%. Market experts advise traders to maintain a cautious stance and focus on stock selection based on relative strength for long opportunities.
Nifty 50 formed a long bullish candle on the daily chart, which indicates a formation of counter attack of bull type pattern. According to HDFC Securities, after the series of bearish lower tops and bottoms formations in recent past, Nifty 50 registering a new higher low at 23,555 on Monday could be a sigh of relief for bulls to sustain the recent bounce back. The index is now placed at the crucial support of 23,500 levels with immediate resistance at 24,100. Centrum Finverse notes that the broader structure remains positive, supporting a buy-on-decline strategy as long as the Nifty 50 index holds above its 21-DMA at 23,270. Bank Nifty ended 307.70 points lower at 55,605.05, forming a bullish candle with lower high and lower low, with key resistance at 55,900-56,000 zone.
Several companies announced significant strategic moves today. Paytm achieved a major milestone by becoming a majority Indian-owned and controlled company with domestic investors raising their stake to 50.3% as of March-end 2026. GAIL unveiled ambitious expansion plans with ₹3,800 crore investment to develop 700 MW of solar power capacity across Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra as part of its net-zero initiatives. Shriram Finance received a Fitch rating upgrade following a strategic investment by a stronger long-term shareholder. Lodha Developers highlighted its ₹2 lakh crore revenue potential from existing land bank and plans to reduce further land acquisition to improve free cash flow. 360 ONE Asset secured ₹2,000 crore commitments for its Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE) strategy.
Delhivery emerged as a key stock to watch after a clutch of investors including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley collectively bought 40 lakh shares for ₹186 crore from venture capital firm Nexus Venture Partners through open market transactions. ICICI Lombard General Insurance reported a 7.3% rise in net profit to ₹547 crore for Q4 FY26, with total income increasing to ₹6,619 crore from ₹5,851 crore year-ago. Brigade Enterprises announced a 39-acre township project in Bengaluru with estimated revenue potential of ₹7,200 crore, signing a Joint Development Agreement for an 8.63-acre parcel in Gunjur, East Bengaluru. HDB Financial Services reported 41.4% growth in profit after tax at ₹751 crore for Q4 FY26, with gross loan book standing at over ₹1.18 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026.
