Ashok Hegde

Ashok Hegde is the Chief Executive Officer at Quantent, where he leads a team of media professionals helping clients leverage digital media for better business outcomes. With over 30 years of experience across print and digital media, he advises clients on content and media strategy — from startups to established brands. His focus is on helping organisations use online media — social, search, and mobile — to build brand awareness, drive sales, and protect reputation.

78 Out of 100 Quit Before 5 Years — Will You?

April 2, 2026March 26, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Cheat sheet 78 out of 100 Bharti AXA policyholders quit before completing 5 years (FY 2025). At the other end, ICICI Prudential retains 59 out of 100. The insurer you choose determines whether you’ll stay. The steepest drop happens between year 1 and year 2. Industry-wide, roughly 20-30% of policyholders don’t renew after the first … Read more

Did Insurers Reject More COVID Claims? The Data Says No

April 6, 2026March 26, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Cheat sheet During COVID’s deadliest year (FY 2021-22), insurers rejected only 1.03% of death claims by count. That’s the lowest rejection rate in seven years. After COVID, rejections climbed to 1.68% in FY 2024-25, the highest rate since at least 2018-19. The industry now rejects 17,333 claims a year, up from 10,069 pre-COVID. By amount, … Read more

LIC or Private Insurer? What 10 Years of Data Actually Shows

April 6, 2026March 26, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Cheat sheet LIC handles 84% of all death claims by count but only 62% by amount. Private insurers handle fewer claims but each one is worth 3.2x more on average. Private insurers now have a higher CSR by count (99.17%) than LIC (98.15%) as of FY 2024-25. This flipped in FY 2023-24 after decades of … Read more

Were You Mis-Sold Life Insurance? 7 Warning Signs + How to Complain

October 5, 2026March 26, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Featured image for: 3 Warning Signs Your Insurer Has a Mis-Selling Problem

Has your agent mis-sold you a policy? Spot the 7 red flags of insurance mis-selling in IRDAI data and learn how to file a complaint under IRDAI guidelines.

IRDAI Fined These Insurers — Should You Care?

May 5, 2026March 26, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Cheat sheet IRDAI issued 10 penalty orders totalling ₹10.42 crore in FY 2024-25. Three were against life insurers: HDFC Life (₹2 crore), SBI Life (₹1 crore), and Aegon/Bandhan Life (₹1 crore). HDFC Life was fined for failing to process proposals efficiently, overpaying web aggregators, and unreported outsourcing. SBI Life got the same outsourcing and web … Read more

Term Insurance Premium Hike April 2026: What Actually Changed

May 5, 2026March 24, 2026 by Ashok Hegde

Featured image for: Term insurance premiums go up every April. Here is why, and what you can do about it

Term insurance premiums rose 85% between 2020 and April 2026 in two sharp spikes. We break down exact premium increases by insurer and age, and what options remain for buyers after the hike.