Taxmann’s Insurance Laws Manual 2026

Description

Insurance Laws Manual is a definitive and exhaustive statutory–regulatory compendium that captures the entire legal and operational framework governing the insurance sector in India. Updated to reflect amendments introduced by the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act 2025, this Manual presents insurance law exactly as it stands and operates in practice, integrating principal statutes, delegated legislation, and regulatory instruments issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and allied authorities. This Edition reflects the post-2024 transformation of insurance regulation—marked by heightened policyholder protection, Board-centric governance, technology-enabled distribution, structured product governance, data and information security controls, and process-level regulatory supervision. Editorially, the Manual is designed not merely as a compilation of legal texts, but as a working legal reference that allows professionals to navigate the insurance lifecycle from licensing and capital structure → governance and products → distribution and servicing → claims, grievances, investments, and enforcement, within a single, authoritative volume.

This Manual is indispensable for professionals and institutions requiring regulatory certainty, statutory precision, and operational defensibility, including:

Life, General, and Health Insurance Companies
Reinsurers and Foreign Reinsurer Branches
Boards of Directors, Board Committees, and Senior Management of insurers
Compliance Officers, Legal Heads, Regulatory Affairs and Audit Teams
Actuarial, Finance, Investment, Risk, and ESG professionals
Insurance Intermediaries, Agents, Brokers, Aggregators, and Distribution Platforms
Policy Servicing, Claims Management, and Grievance Redressal Teams
Advocates, Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries, and Consultants
Regulators, Policymakers, Academic Institutions, and Research Libraries
The Present Publication is the 29th Edition | 2026, amended up to 15th January 2026. This book is edited by Taxmann’s Editorial Board, with the following noteworthy features:

[Complete Insurance Law Ecosystem] Consolidates the Insurance Act 1938, IRDA Act 1999, RBI directions, and an extensive body of IRDAI regulations into a single, unified reference
[Post-2024 Regulatory Architecture Captured in Full] Reflects the new IRDAI regulations (2024–2025) covering corporate governance, insurance products, expenses and commissions, foreign reinsurers, digital marketplaces, regulatory sandboxing, data governance, and policyholder protection
[Operational-level Regulatory Depth] Goes beyond framework principles to include granular compliance requirements—proposal handling, servicing manuals, turnaround times, biometric authentication, claims workflows, grievance mechanisms, disclosures, and reporting
[Board-led Governance & Accountability Focus] Incorporates regulations mandating Board-approved policies, committee oversight, stewardship obligations, ESG and climate risk frameworks, compliance reporting by CCOs, and auditor oversight
[Technology-enabled Insurance Regulation] Includes regulations governing Bima Sugam (Insurance Electronic Marketplace), electronic servicing, outsourcing, data governance, and controlled innovation through regulatory sandbox mechanisms
The Manual consolidates and presents, in full statutory text:

Core Statutes
Insurance Act 1938 with detailed provisions on registration, capital structure, foreign investment, accounts, audits, actuarial oversight, policyholder data protection, and regulatory enforcement
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act 1999, establishing IRDAI’s powers, supervisory authority, rule-making competence, and enforcement jurisdiction
IRDAI Rules & Regulations – Including but not limited to:
Maintenance & Sharing of Information Regulations 2025 – Policyholder data accuracy, confidentiality, and security obligations
Regulatory Sandbox Regulations 2025 – Controlled experimentation with innovative insurance products and distribution models
Corporate Governance for Insurers Regulations 2024 – Board composition, committees, fit-and-proper norms, internal controls, and accountability
Insurance Products Regulations 2024 – Product design, approvals, disclosures, prospectus requirements, and withdrawal norms
Protection of Policyholders’ Interests Regulations 2024 – Detailed rules on sales practices, mis-selling prevention, claims settlement, grievance redressal, and service standards
Expenses of Management Regulations 2024 – Commission caps, expense ratios, and reporting
Rural, Social Sector & Motor TP Obligations Regulations 2024
Registration, Capital Structure & Amalgamation Regulations 2024
Foreign Reinsurers & Lloyd’s India Regulations 2024
Actuarial, Finance & Investment Functions Regulations 2024
Licensing of Insurance Agents Regulations 2000
25+ Additional IRDAI Regulations covering outsourcing, intermediaries, servicing centres, claims, investments, reporting, and inspections
Allied Regulatory Instruments
RBI’s FED Master Direction on Insurance
Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act 2025
The structure of the book is as follows:

Statute-first Architecture – Principal Acts presented first to anchor the legal framework
Function-wise Regulatory Sequencing – Regulations arranged to mirror the lifecycle of insurance operations: registration → governance → products → distribution → servicing → claims → investments → enforcement
Section-anchored Navigation – Enables pinpoint referencing during audits, inspections, litigation, and advisory work
Regulatory Depth Without Interpretation Bias – Presents law exactly as notified, allowing professionals to apply it with confidence