Springing back from adversity
TPA heavyweights come together for bigger slice of the market
Agriculture
Return of the locust plague
Jordan
In the face of uncertainty
Working for a better marketplace
Africa
Africa rising
Motor
Driving the business of mobility
Healthcare
5 ways insurance providers can ease the burdens of COVID-19
Technology
The virtual insurer is the new norm
Political Risk Insurance
Navigating through political and economic headwinds
UAE: Technical profits hint at long-term growth opportunities for takaful operators
MENA
Insurance regulators discuss ways of countering COVID-19 impact
GCC: COVID-19 and low oil prices threaten insurers' earnings
Algeria: Insurance sales fall 10% in 1Q2020
Egypt: Regulator eases premium payments on micro-loan covers
Egypt: New products to be launched to boost microinsurance growth
Egypt: More players in insurance broking segment
Lebanon: GWP slip by 4% in 2019
Lebanon: Ministry of Economy urges insurers to cover COVID-19
Morocco: Life business plunges in February
Morocco: Insurance and intermediary bodies offer credit facilities to agents & brokers
Oman: Online insurance transactions jump 59% in 2019
Saudi Arabia: Insurers issue results warning
Saudi Arabia: Traffic accidents fall by 60% following nationwide curfew
Saudi Arabia: SAMA releases model IDI policy
Turkey: Industry continues to post profits in 2019
Turkey: Guidelines issued on professional liability cover for real estate valuers
Turkey: Govt extends credit insurance protection, pledges reinsurance support
UAE: Dubai Expo 2020 postponed until next year
UAE: Listed insurers report exposure to fraud-hit healthcare group
UAE: International health insurer VUMI® opens office in Dubai
UAE: Regulator postpones implementation of new life insurance rules for 6 months
UAE: Insurance Authority launches professional training academy
UAE: Industrial Development Bureau to insure industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi
UAE: Local insurers lack sports cover expertise
Global
Reinsurers well-placed to manage COVID-19 disruption: Willis Re
Forcing insurers to pay out could destabilise the industry
A low-carbon world is necessary to reduce future losses of Nat CATs: Swiss Re
Takaful
IFSB seeks views on exposure draft on takaful sector transparency
Egypt: Regulator clears confusion over stakes held in Islamic insurers by conventional players
Saudi Arabia: Islamic credit insurer contributes to COVID-19 fund
UAE: SALAMA records $15m in profits in 2019
UAE: Watania posts 40% jump in net profit for 2019
Product Bites
People on the move
COUNTRY PROFILE - Jordan
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COVER STORY - Agriculture
The locust plague ravaging crops and threatening food security in East Africa reveals that even though agriculture insurance is essential in improving the resilience of farmers, many are still unprotected.
FEATURE - Motor
As the trend towards shared mobility gathers momentum, insurers need to understand how this is shaping the mobility market in the Middle East and how to adapt to these changes effectively and capitalise on the opportunities the new ecosystem will...
It’s Ramadan, and yet there seems to be no hint of any slowing down of the spread of the coronavirus nor easing of political tensions. The Gulf will be most affected by the low oil prices as will the whole MENA region with global economic...
Dhofar Insurance Company SAOG has managed to overcome the challenges it faced over the last couple of years and regain its leading position in the Omani insurance market by building its human capital and restructuring its business strategy, says its...
The merger between the shareholders of Neuron and NAS – two of the largest TPAs in the UAE – signals a more consolidated business environment and better healthcare provision for all parties. Middle East Insurance Review spoke to group...
Jordan’s insurance sector has been resilient in dealing with the COVID-19 implications, but uncertainty hangs over businesses in the long run in a country already facing serious economic challenges.
Rolling out of the new insurance law and shifting the insurance supervisory to the Central Bank will be game changers for the sector, says Jordan Insurance Federation (JIF) chairman Majed Smairat.
The Gulf of Guinea countries exhibit many of the key overall economic drivers that set Africa as a high-potential market for the insurance sector, promising long-term opportunities for growth, says Mr N’Gnineman Coulibaly of Willis Towers...
Health insurance providers can do their part to support the communities they serve as we navigate through this global health crisis, says Mr David Healy of Aetna International.
To stay relevant, insurers must be able to deliver products and services in a virtual setting and run the bulk of their operations virtually, says Mr Frederik Bisbjerg of Noor Takaful.
Global risk managers today should look beyond physical risks to international operations as there is no one-size-fits-all insurance policy to cover the political and economic risks arising in the region, says Mr Keith Paul of Markel.
Listed takaful operators in the UAE achieved modest growth in GWC, while underwriting profitability improved marginally in 2019, say Mr Salman Siddiqui and Ms Emily Thompson of AM Best.
The Arab Union of Insurance Regulatory Commissions (AUIRC) president Ebrahim Obaid Al Zaabi held an e-meeting with the presidents of the Arab authorities overseeing the insurance activities of the union’s members to discuss their measures and...
The volatility in capital markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price shock could weaken the credit quality of some insurers in the GCC region, said S&P Global Ratings in a report.
Insurers in Algeria recorded huge losses during the 1Q2020, with premium income falling by DZD6bn ($47.4m), a decrease of 10% compared to the first three months of 2019.