Nippon Life, Japan's biggest life insurance company, on Monday acquired a 26% stake in Reliance Life for a sum of Rs 3,062 crore, surprising analysts with a valuation that was higher than expected. The deal, that values Reliance Life at Rs 11,500 crore, or around $2.6 billion, is the largest foreign direct investment in the financial services industry. Shares of Reliance Capital, the financial services arm of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group , or ADAG, and the owner of Reliance Life, went up by 10% to Rs 562 on the Bombay Stock Exchange as it will receive most of the money.


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