Disruption, competition, aggregation and more were discussed at the Insurance Brokers’ Forum 2016. A Premium report. (Click here for more pictures to the event.) The new generation presents an opportunity of a different kind. Getting to know the characteristics that define them, the tools they use and the due diligence...
Insurers are now using customised structures as tools for achieving longer-term corporate finance and strategic goals, according to Swiss Re’s latest report. Catering to the changing risks around the world, insurers and reinsurers have become increasingly sophisticated in managing their capital and risks. Consolidation, evolving solvency regulation and the spread...
Significant competition, lack of economies of scale and the dilemma of being caught in commodity lines hinder the progress of GCC takaful companies, according to S&P Global Ratings. Islamic insurers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region saw gross contributions (gross premiums) increase by an impressive 20 percent or so...
The broker is facing a dilemma: should he or she still follow the retail lines of business or drop it and focus on corporate business only? Michel Chammas outlines the trends. There is a new trend in the market these days. Insurers are now going direct to the customers, offering...
Insurers are now using customised structures as tools for achieving longer-term corporate finance and strategic goals, according to Swiss Re’s latest report. Catering to the changing risks around the world, insurers and reinsurers have become increasingly sophisticated in managing their capital and risks. Consolidation, evolving solvency regulation and the spread...
Why is the SME sector among the important segments to tap? Ramzi Ghurani looks at a few benefits. The size and importance of the small and medium enterprises (SME) segment of consumers can’t be stressed enough. SMEs constitute 99 percent of businesses globally and are responsible for approximately 50 percent...
Priyen Mehta examines the wording dilemmas of reinsurance contracts and points out the importance of vetting them to avoid disputes. I have been told by older and wiser colleagues, that in days gone by, reinsurance contracts were filed in a cabinet and never looked at again, that is if there...
Which companies in the GCC insurance industry will be affected by the upcoming value added tax regime? Ian Anderson and Roger Phillips examine the implications. The introduction of a Gulf-wide VAT took a solid step forward in June when GCC Ministers of Finance approved an in-principle agreement to provide a...
Many reinsurers have faced declines in share prices. A.M. Best’s latest report focuses on challenging market dynamics that are pressurising these companies. International rating agency A.M. Best recently released a report following the financial performance of the 16 publicly traded worldwide reinsurers. Persisting competitive market conditions that have suppressed...
The industry can no longer rely on the “build it and they will come” supply-driven business model that has proved so profitable until recently, notes Paul Hodges. The World Bank had recently downgraded its 2016 global growth forecast, whilst May’s US jobs report showed the lowest hiring level since 2010. ...
