Are there specific requirements for policies with high sum insured?

  • Total sum insured for any insurance contract should not exceed equity without adequate re-insurance coverage.

  • All foreign reinsurers must be rated BBB or higher

  • All local reinsurers should be rated B or above. The Minister of Economy and Trade may grant the approval for a local insurer rated below B to make reinsurance arrangements for policies with sum insured exceeding its Equity as stipulated under point 3 in the Minister’s Decision number 208 mentioned above.

  • All retained sums insured must be lower than the shareholders’ equity.

  • The reinsurance slip, together with the following information, should be submitted by insurance companies on a quarterly basis:

    • Insured name
    • Written premiums
    • Ceded premiums
    • Retained premiums
    • Sum insured
    • Treaty type
    • Coverage period
    • Reinsurers’ name
    • Nationality

 Legal references: Ministerial decision number 208 dated 1/8/2001.

What are the branches of insurance that a company can be licensed to operate?

First Branch:

  • Insurance and re-insurance operations the execution of which is governed by the duration of human life, disablement and old age.

  • Insurance and re-insurance operations relating to children and spouse.

  • Capitalization operations, with or without life assurance concluded by contracts by virtue of which the company undertake to pay one or several determined sums, on one definite date or several definite dates, or as a result of periodical drawings of lots, as

  • is the case with raffle drawings, as counterpart to one periodical premium or premiums.

  • Group investment operations -Mutual Funds – by the collection of sums in cash, paid in by subscriber’s non-shareholding, for various investments on a joint basis.

Second Branch:

Operations of insurance and reinsurance against damage resulting from risks of fire, earthquakes, thunderbolts, storms, hurricanes, cyclones, hail-storms, explosions, disturbances, riots, crashes of planes and other aircrafts, as well as all that may follow therefrom or relate thereto according to usage.

Third Branch:

Operations of insurance and re-insurance against damage resulting from transportation risks, the insurance of the body of ships and aircrafts, as well as that may ensue therefrom or relate thereto according to usage.

Fourth Branch:

Insurance and re-insurance operations against damage resulting from all accidents, civil liability, carriages, Labor accidents, personal accidents, medical treatment, hospitalization, theft, breach of trust and professional risks and any other risk not specifically mentioned in the present law.

Fifth branch:

Insurance and re-insurance operations relating to loans, advances, guarantees and all that includes same or stems therefrom according to usage.

Sixth branch:

Insurance and reinsurance operations against damage resulting from agricultural risks and emergencies and all that includes same or stems therefrom.

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