From Editor-in-Chief

Building a stronger insurance sector

Market conduct and reserving in Lebanon's insurance sector have greatly improved in the past decade, and the Insurance Control Commision has increasingly played a supervisory role, says Mr Walid Genadry as he reflects on developments since assuming...

GIC Re still upbeat on MENA

The MENA region generates considerable business for GIC Re and will continue to be one of its focus areas too. In an exclusive interview, Mr Ashok K Roy, Chairman cum Managing Director, GIC Re, explains why the region is so crucial for his company.

Social Media & Branding: Making the connection

Social media is still new concept for the region's insurance industry, but it is here to stay, and it is one that cannot be ignored. As customers increasingly interact online, it is important that insurers adapt to social media platforms to improve...

Social Media & Branding: Managing the risks of social media

Businesses should adopt international best practice and the strictest legal position in relation to its use of social media, whilst ensuring it is not against local laws, says Mr Takamasa Makita of Clyde & Co.

Social Media & Branding: Winning hearts and wallets - Why you won't succeed by just fitting in!

Winning customers' hearts involves a few very simple steps, but requires lots of experimenting to get the right mix that suits your organisation, says Mr Daniel Jason of Al Nabooda Insurance Brokers.

Resilient in the face of uncertainties

Lebanon's insurance industry is reeling from the ripple effects of the Syrian unrest, and the economic downturn is curbing insurance spend. Then again, Lebanon has survived similar volatilities before to get stronger.

Trade Credit Insurance: Facilitating trade with the MENA region

There is a strong increase in demand for trade credit insurance in the MENA region as a result of increased trade flows and higher risk awareness among traders, says Mr Robert Nijhout of the International Credit Insurance & Surety Association.

Trade Credit Insurance: Meeting changing needs in the Middle East

The robust and growing economies of the Middle East, especially the GCC, present an attractive opportunity with a comparatively lower risk from a credit insurance perspective, says Mr Schuyler D'Souza of Atradius.

Takaful champions

Winners of the 6th International Takaful Awards share the true meaning of the awards to them.

Political Violence & Terrorism: Underwriting political violence & war risks in MENA - Dynamic approach needed

The nature of a political violence & war account is evolving at considerable speed, and requires a dynamic and flexible approach to underwriting a book of business in the region, says Mr Kit Welsh of Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Political Violence & Terrorism: The Middle East influence in law

Messrs Jonathan Sacher and David McCarthy of Berwin Leighton Paisner discuss the impact of wars and acts of terrorism involving the Middle East over the last 40 years on insurance and reinsurance laws in the UK and the US.

Tunisia forges ahead

The Tunisian insurance market managed to grow in 2012 despite the wobbly political and economic scene. Cards are still shuffled on various levels but the interest in the sector continues, with regional and international players eyeing the insurance...

Tunis Re moves to shore up position

Tunis Re is moving to strengthen its capabilities by boosting its capital as well as diversifying its portfolio to capture new growth areas, including retakaful. Mrs Lamia Ben Mahmoud, Chairwoman of Tunis Re elaborates.

The UAE: Time to get the strategy right

Takaful players in the UAE are fast catching up with their conventional counterparts, but it is time to sharpen their strategies, says Mr Andrew Greenwood of Noor Takaful as he assesses the market's performance.

The UAE: Where is the UAE's takaful sector heading?

Mr Adeel Mushtaq of KPMG assesses the prospects facing the UAE's takaful sector as it grapples with the challenges in the market and the global environment.

Fine-tuning takaful to preserve the momentum

Takaful remains a promising area, but operators need to tap into niche areas in order to keep the momentum and revitalise growth in the long run. The 7th International Takaful Summit (ITS) in Cairo looked into these concerns.

Retakaful continues to prove its worth

The perennial issue of "leakage" to conventional reinsurance remain, the retakaful players have been quietly strengthening their core competencies. Today, there are many which offer highly rated capacity along with strong technical and Shariah...

Multaqa 2013 - Insurers display cautious optimism

The clarion call for strong underwriting to ensure sustainability amid tighter competition continued to ring forth at the 7th Multaqa Qatar.

Saudi Symposium: Paving the road for a better future

Saudi Arabia is seen by many as on its way to becoming the largest MENA insurance market. However, despite the remarkable accomplishments over the past few years, there is much to be done to realise the potential. The 2nd Saudi Insurance Symposium...

Passing with distinctions

In his journey from industry to regulatory body, Mr Nader Al Mandeel, Director of Insurance Supervision Directorate with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), has always sought to leave a mark.

Passionate about success

Behind the establishment of Chedid Re and SEIB Insurance & Reinsurance is Lebanese entrepreneur Farid Chedid. In our latest installment of MENA Insurance CEO Club (MICC) members, we find out what drives the Chairman and CEO of Chedid Re, and the...

MENA & GCC: Saudi Re CEO joins MENA Insurance CEO Club

The MENA Insurance CEO Club (MICC) has welcomed Mr Fahad Al-Hesni, Managing Director and CEO of Saudi Re, as one of the new members to be inducted in 2013.

MENA & GCC: MENA sees strong demand for trade credit insurance

The MENA region is seeing strong demand for trade credit insurance (TCI), with keen appetite especially from the UAE.

MENA & GCC: Middle East: Zurich extends offering to large corporations

Zurich Insurance Middle East has extended its product and service offering to the corporate retail insurance market to serve the needs of large corporations that require more sophisticated and cross-border insurance solutions.

21st century to see rise in quakes

A recent study by the US Geological Survey (USGS) predicts that population increases in this century can be expected to translate to more fatalities resulting from earthquakes.

Bahrain: Takaful Int'l posts 13% rise in profit for 2012

Takaful International has recorded a 13% increase in net profit for 2012 to BHD204,801 (US$541,000) on the back of a 5.7% rise in gross contributions to BHD18.1 million.

Bahrain: Gov't workers to get access to Shariah-compliant financing

Bahrain's pension fund, Social Insurance Organisation (SIO), has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain (KFHB) to provide government employees with Shariah-compliant financing facilities.

Egyptian parliament approves sukuk law

Egypt's parliament has approved a law allowing the issuance of sukuk which could provide the heavily-indebted government with a new form of finance.

African countries may look to sukuk for growth - S&P

An increasing number of African countries are considering issuing sukuk to fund their huge infrastructure needs and diversify their investor base, Standard and Poor's (S&P) said in a report last week.

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