Niva Bupa Q4 Profit Jumps 89.3% to Rs 157.8 Crore on Cost Efficiency, Premium Growth

Niva Bupa Health Insurance reported a net profit of Rs 157.8 crore for the fourth quarter of FY26 under IFRS standards, a surge of 89.3% from Rs 83.4 crore in the same period last year. Gross written premium reached Rs 3,123.4 crore, up 30.4% from the prior year, as retail health insurance demand accelerated and investment income rose.

The insurer's combined insurance service ratio improved to 97.4% from 102% a year earlier, driven by a 270 basis point decline in the expense ratio to 36.5%, the company said. CFO Vishwanath Mahendra attributed the gains to economies of scale and sustained investments in technology, analytics, and artificial intelligence, which enabled automation across operations. About 32.1% of cashless claims were auto-adjudicated in the quarter.

Retail health remained the primary growth engine, with gross written premium in the segment rising 35% in FY26 to Rs 6,581.5 crore and market share climbing to 10.1% from 9.4% in FY25. In Q4 alone, retail market share reached 10.4%, up from 9% a year ago.

For the full fiscal year, profit after tax rose 80.4% to Rs 366.1 crore on gross written premium of Rs 9,432.9 crore, a 27.4% increase. Investment income grew to Rs 613.1 crore from Rs 475.8 crore, supported by expanding assets under management.

The company plans to maintain its focus on product customization, affordability, and digital innovation to sustain growth, with continued investment in AI and network-based underwriting models.