Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Riyadh Metro to begin partial operations next Wednesday: Report    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Al Qadsiah hands Al Nassr their first defeat in the Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Downing Street indicates Netanyahu faces arrest if he enters UK    London's Gatwick airport reopens terminal after bomb scare evacuation    Civil Defense warns of thunderstorms across Saudi Arabia until Tuesday    Saudi Arabia, Japan strengthen cultural collaboration with new MoU    Slovak president meets Saudi delegation to bolster trade and investment ties    Saudi defense minister meets with Swedish state secretary    Navigating healthcare's future: Solutions for a sustainable system    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Sixth foreign tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



GCC insurance market ‘to see rapid premium growth'
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 10 - 2013

JEDDAH – The GCC insurance market has been one of the fastest growing regions for insurers, with average annual revenue growth of 16.8 percent over the past six years, and will see significant further growth over the near to medium term, the new Moody's Investors Service report on Monday said.
Together, the 2012 premiums of these six countries equated to $16.3 billion, broadly similar to the size of the Portuguese insurance market and more than doubling from $6.4 billion in 2006, the report noted.
This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.8 percent over this six year period, although growth in each market varies, ranging from 19.7 percent CAGR in Saudi Arabia to 7.9 percent CAGR in Kuwait.
Moody's expects that the region will continue to grow at similarly strong rates over the near to medium term. Growth will be driven primarily by increased economic wealth in the region, together with an increase in insurance penetration levels (as measured by insurance premiums as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)).
Currently, insurance penetration within the GCC is (apart from UAE/Bahrain) below 2 percent of GDP, compared with approximately 8 percent in the US and 11 percent in the UK. An increase in the affluence of the GCC population, as reflected by increasing GDP per capita (PPP), coupled with an increase in the educated working age population compared with previous years, will increase the demand for both Life and Non-life products.
Further growth will emerge as an increasing number of insurance products become compulsory purchases, with third-party motor liability already compulsory in most countries and health insurance becoming increasingly a mandatory product throughout the region, Moody's said in the report.
Many GCC insurance players are strongly capitalized, relative to the underwriting risks borne by their balance sheets, and have low or non-existing financial leverage levels.
In addition, many insurers retain strong links to wealthy and/or ruling families, including board membership, such that some companies have access to significant capital resources relative to their underwriting risks.
However, only a handful of the very largest groups in the region have implemented risk-based capital (RBC) assessments and most insurers tend to set capitalization targets relative to simplistic regulatory minimum requirements for paid in capital.
According to Moody's, most GCC markets are characterized by a number of established groups controlling sizeable market positions; 4-6 groups controlling between 40 percent-70 percent of market premiums is not uncommon, with numerous smaller insurers competing for the remainder of the market, exacerbating the competitive pressures faced by all.
Some GCC regulators are attempting to address these pressures, for example earlier in September, the UAE insurance authority announced its desire to see mergers within the UAE insurance market.
Most of the GCC countries exhibit strong sovereign creditworthiness, as reflected in the fact that four of the six GCC sovereigns are rated Aa3 or higher, with all six being investment grade and five having a stable outlook.
However, there remains the potential for political instability, as recently evidenced in Bahrain.
With many Western insurers facing stagnant growth in their home markets, the growing insurance markets of the GCC present an attractive opportunity for them to demonstrate their strong technical expertise, distribution capabilities, customer orientation and financial strength, particularly within commercial property and casualty lines of business.
Moody's expects that this trend will continue, with a number of Western insurers already having made acquisitions in the region in recent years.

The report presents a summary of the key business and financial characteristics of the insurance industries in the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council.— SG


Clic here to read the story from its source.