The Islamic insurance sector in the GCC will continue to benefit from positive growth prospects through 2025 and 2026, forecasts S&P Global Ratings (S&P) in a white paper.
While total net profit across 76 listed GCC insurers held steady at $1.2bn in 1H2025, the overall performance was weighed down by Saudi insurers, who saw profits decline by 40.3%, with only six out of 25 recording higher earnings, according to a report by research and consulting firm Insurance Monitor and Lux Actuaries and Consultants.
There is growing recognition of the importance of financial security in the workplace in the GCC, with the average age of those with income protection falling to 41 from 51 over the last three years, according to Zurich International Life Insurance Middle East, a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group.
Listed GCC insurers saw overall earnings decline in 1Q2025, with net profits slipping by 1.4% to $628m from $637m in 1Q2024, according to a report by research and consulting firm Insurance Monitor and Lux Actuaries and Consultants.
Despite headwinds including severe weather and the UAE's new 9% corporate tax, 78 listed GCC insurers reported a total after-tax profit of $2.1bn in FY2024, according to the latest "GCC Performance Periodical" by research and consulting firm Insurance Monitor and Lux Actuaries and Consultants.
Government initiatives to tap funding from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Islamic multilateral institutions, diversifying the financial sector and boosting financial inclusion, could support the growth of the Islamic finance industry in Central Asia, Fitch Ratings has indicated.
Demand for Islamic finance will continue to rise as strong economic activity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Southeast Asia is supported by diversification agendas, investment inflows and population growth, reported Bernama News Agency quoting a Moody's Ratings (Moody's) report.
Insurance demand in most GCC countries is expected to increase this year, according to S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Emir Mujkic.
The GCC healthcare industry is poised for strong growth driven by macro-economic factors, the expansion of mandatory health insurance and a growing and ageing population, according to UAE-based Alpen Capital, an investment banking advisory firm.
The 60th meeting of the technical committee of civil retirement and social insurance agencies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is currently on in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The meeting is being held from 13 to 15 January 2025.