Earnings of Islamic Insurers to Remain Weak Two recent reports from rating agencies highlighted the challenges facing the Takaful industry. S&P said in a report looking at the GCC region, earnings of Islamic insurers will remain relatively weak and unevenly distributed as their small size, short track records, and retail focus work against them. Most takaful players in the region are still rel... »
Global Takaful Insights 2014 by EY Highlights Growth and profitability prospects for takaful operators vary significantly by markets and sectors, depending on the market’s economic maturity, industry and regulatory structure. Despite volatility in financial markets, there appears to be growth momentum in three key markets: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia. Acquisition of mark... »
After opening its first office in Paris, NoorAssur announced it had plans to open around 20 other branches in France in 2016. Launched in 2012, NoorAssur had been offering Shariah-compliant products online. In the UK Gatehouse Bank and Cobalt Underwriting remain busy closing Sharia compliant deals. »
Takaful is an important growing sector in the Islamic finance industry, with continuous positive growth momentum in key markets and estimations of continued double-digit growth globally. While the GCC and ASEAN are expected to continue to lead the global takaful markets with their substantial growth, emerging markets within Europe and Africa are also showing significant growth potential. »
Report produced by Milliman Research highlighting key issues and challenges, as well finding sustainable solutions to some of the challenges. »
Global gross takaful contributions are estimated to have amounted to USD26bln as at end-2014. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are the largest takaful markets by gross contributions. Saudi Arabia generated an estimated USD7.2bln in gross takaful contributions in 2014, while Malaysia gathered about USD2.7bln. »
The Islamic insurance industry has developed remarkably over the last four years. Indeed, the number of Islamic insurance companies grew by nearly 73% between 2008 and 2010 (i.e. from 113 to 195), with these being based in more than 30 countries. Their number is expected to increase further in the near future, as the industry’s growth gathers momentum. »
The reports provides a summary of the main events in the market in 2014 covering Islamic Banking, Islamic Asset Management, Sukuk and Takaful. »