Estimating China’s Future Life Insurance Market

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyue Ma ◽  
Fei Huang ◽  
Aaron Bruhn

AbstractAfter decades of economic expansion, China is transitioning to meet the insurance needs of its aging and increasingly affluent population. Of particular interest to insurers and reinsurers is China’s life insurance industry, which is likely to be globally significant due to its size and scale of opportunity. The long term nature of life insurance will also see it play a key role in China’s financial and capital markets. By uniquely accounting for demographic, economic and insurance-specific factors, we estimate the long term size of China’s life insurance market, giving an important indication of the scale of its future influence.

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-176
Author(s):  
Mike Adams

The concept of asset specificity is an important feature of the transaction-cost economics literature. This literature predicts that asset specificity – which embraces physical assets, specialist human capital and intangibles such as brands – fosters greater certainty in complicated transactions of long duration. The business of life insurance is a classical example of complex and long-term exchange between the owners and managers of the firm and its customers. This note thus examines the concept of asset specificity and considers its relevance to the life insurance industry. To stimulate further research four hypotheses are put forward.


1994 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Adams

AbstractThis paper seeks to explain key characteristics of the New Zealand life insurance industry, in particular the important role played by overseas-controlled mutual companies, and the dearth of regulation relative to other countries. It proposes that the dominance of mutual companies reflects the historical development of the New Zealand life insurance market. It also examines how agency theory may help to explain how the market has come to be dominated by mutual companies, and suggests that the unregulated nature of the life insurance industry may reflect the New Zealand government's historical role of direct intervention in the market through the Government Life Office. Further light on this issue is shed by the economic theory of regulation. This theory suggests that cartelisation and reinsurance may help to explain the existence of the unregulated insurance market in New Zealand. The paper concludes that many socio-economic and historical reasons may account for the distinctive features of the New Zealand life insurance industry. The possibilities are presented in this paper as a stimulus for further insurance markets-based research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 490-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankitha Shetty ◽  
Savitha Basri

The distribution channels play an imperative role in the life insurance industry. In India, traditional and corporate agency are contributing immensely to the profitability of the insurance companies. The challenges faced by the distributional channels such as high attrition, soaring expense ratio and sales inefficiency have created the need to probe into the efficiency aspects of the channel players. In the absence of such studies in India, this article evaluates the technical efficiency of distribution channels in life insurance industry by analysing the data collected from 12 insurance companies for the period 2012 to 2016. The efficiency scores were obtained by applying data envelopment analysis that considered two inputs (number of agents and commission expenses) and two outputs (average business premium and total policies sold). The findings reveal no significant difference in the efficiency scores of bancassurance and traditional agents. Quiet life hypothesis that market share (ratio of premium contribution to total premium) of distributional channels and their efficiency scores are negatively correlated is not supported. Moreover, the slack analysis shows excess inputs per output generated for both the channels. If the companies that scored low in efficiency do not plug the leakages regarding commission as well a number of agents, adverse performance in the long-term and consequent financial crisis are inevitable.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane M Tiller ◽  
Louise Keogh ◽  
Aideen McInerney-Leo ◽  
Andrea Belcher ◽  
Kristine Barlow-Stewart ◽  
...  

Background In 2019, the Australian life insurance industry introduced a partial moratorium (ban) limiting the use of genetic test results in life insurance underwriting. The moratorium is industry self-regulated and applies only to policies below certain financial limits (eg AUD$500,000 of life cover). Methods We surveyed Australian health professionals (HPs) who discuss genetic testing with patients, to assess knowledge of the moratorium; reported patient experiences since its commencement; and HP views regarding regulation of genetic discrimination (GD) in Australia. Results Between April-June 2020, 166 eligible HPs responded to the online survey. Of these, 86% were aware of the moratorium, but <50% had attended related training/information sessions. Only 16% answered all knowledge questions correctly, yet 69% believed they had sufficient knowledge to advise patients. Genetics HPs' awareness and knowledge were better than non-genetics HPs' (p<0.05). There was some reported decrease in patients delaying/declining testing after the moratorium's introduction, however 42% of HPs disagreed that patients were more willing to have testing post-moratorium. Although many (76%) felt the moratorium resolved some GD concerns, most (88%) still have concerns, primarily around self-regulation, financial limits and the moratorium's temporary nature. Almost half (49%) of HPs reported being dissatisfied with the moratorium as a solution to GD. The majority (95%) felt government oversight is required, and 93% felt specific Australian legislation regarding GD is required. Conclusion While the current Australian moratorium is considered a step forward, most HPs believe it falls short of an adequate long-term regulatory solution to GD in life insurance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-105
Author(s):  
Ramesh Kumar Satuluri ◽  
Raavi Radhika

With ~32 crore policies in-force and over ~11000 branches across locations, Life Insurance Industry in India is the 10th largest across the globe in terms of premium contribution. India's share in Global Life Insurance Market was 2.73% during 2019. The life insurance industry is also one of the largest employers with both direct and indirect employment. Life Insurance penetration in India is at 2.82% and density at 58 USD, which is way below the global statistics. This gives immense opportunity for global players to venture into the Indian insurance market. With a proposal for an FDI hike to 74%, we are expecting many big players to enter the Indian market. However, the attractiveness of the industry not depends solely on the market opportunity but also on the bottom line, which is profitability. Indian Insurance Industry is one of the highly regulated markets across the globe and perceived to be the lowest profit-making insurance market. Hence, the need for the study to improve the profitability of life insurance companies in India through structural and policy measures. JEL Classification Codes: G22, I13, O16, A10, E22, G10.  


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  

AbstractHelmut Gründl discusses in his paper the effects of the present low interest rate environment on the German life insurance industry. By referring to a recent study of the “International Center for Insurance Regulation”, he assesses insolvency probabilities for life insurers with different capital endowments under different interest rate scenarios. Based on that, he discusses measures of insurance regulation that try to cope with the imminent problems of the life insurance industry. Finally, he has a look at product developments and investment strategies of life insurers in the presence of low interest rates. Hereby, he argues, that life insurance products with lower investment guarantees that are granted for a shorter period of time are regarded as the best remedy to avoid low interest rate problems in the future. Such product development also allows for a more risky investment policy of life insurers that can make life and annuity products more attractive.Rolf Ketzler und Peter Schwark explicate that the very accommodative monetary policy of the ECB and the related extremely low interest rates are involved with major challenges for the German insurance sector, in particular for life insurers. As long-term investors, insurers are not only affected in their capital investment strategy, but also by different households’ retirement saving patterns in response to the low interest rate environment. Several significant steps have already been taken in order to ensure the long-term viability of life insurance. These include changes in the product portfolio as well as new approaches in the investment strategy. In addition, new regulatory requirements have been established to strengthen the risk bearing capacity of life insurers. Given the substantial risks of low interest rates, from an economic point of view the question concerning an appropriate exit from the low interest rate environment needs more attention in the public debate. They argue that in this context, further progress regarding the economic reform policies in the euro zone is still necessary as a condition for the ECB to normalize its monetary policy as soon as possible.Focusing the perspective of German life insurance industry, the article of Heinrich Schradin starts with a brief description and discussion of the financial impact of the persistently low interest rate environment. Based on an empirical data set of German life insurers, the author illustrates actual limitations to generate sufficient investment income for to meet the given specific financial guarantees. Moreover, the core problem, caused by the use of volatile timing-related interest rates for to evaluate long-term cash flows, becomes obvious. The currently observed regulatory interventions are trying to overcome the existential consequences of the so-called fair value measurement. In consequence, the author derives four central theses:1. Life insurance in Germany suffers from insufficient capital adequacy.2. Persistent low interest rates threaten the fulfillment of financial guaranty commitments of German life insurers.3. The generally accepted principals of economic evaluation do not satisfy to the traditional business model of German life insurers.4. Under a business perspective, the development of new life insurance products is inevitable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 04012
Author(s):  
Lixin Yang

China’s life insurance industry has just started in the 1990s after the reform and opening up, and its development experience is obviously insufficient, and it has not gone through a very complete life insurance development cycle. No matter from the actuarial technology, the professional level of the agent, the popularization time of the agent system, or the management experience, it is far from the developed areas of the world’s life insurance industry. In addition, many professional investors are worried about the future prospects of China’s life insurance industry because of the long-term existence of a low interest rate environment. However, after reading detailed materials (research papers, books, reviews, etc.), the final conclusion of this report is different from that of other too cautious investors . This report holds that: the current situation and prospect of China’s life insurance H shares meet the conditions of Davis double-click, and the main investors in the secondary market will encounter a unique opportunity to obtain excess returns by investing in domestic insurance H shares. On the level of objective factors, we analyze from the following four aspects: (I) the potential demand for life insurance in China will continue to increase significantly in the future; (II) most of the representative life insurance companies in China have low valuations; (III) the possible style switching in China’s secondary market is conducive to the rise of blue chips such as life insurance companies; (IV) from the long-term perspective of history, the insurance index has significantly outperformed the Shanghai Composite Index, which represents the market. In terms of subjective factors, we consider them from the following four perspectives: (I) the development and problems of life insurance industry in Japan and Taiwan; (II) on the liability side, China’s life insurance industry vigorously develops new products with high business value, so as to resist the impact of low interest rates; (III) the diversification of asset allocation at the investment end of China’s life insurance industry can make the profit of life insurance industry not limited by the interest rate; (IV) the change of service quality at the supply side is conducive to the life insurance companies to tap the potential market demand in China.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-330
Author(s):  
Athenia Bongani Sibindi

The insurance industry plays a very crucial role in an economy by fostering intermediation and by its mechanism of risk bearing. As such it could be argued that the insurance industry fosters economic growth. In this article we analyse the global insurance market development trends, particularly focusing on Africa. Our sample comprise of the 10 African countries namely—South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. We employ three insurance market development metrics namely; premium volumes, insurance density and insurance penetrations ratios to establish trends in the level of development of global insurance markets. Our results document that the African countries (excluding South Africa) have the least developed insurance markets. For most of the countries in our sample, the non-life insurance industry dominates the life-insurance industry. As such, it is imperative that their respective governments put in place measures that will grow their economies in order to stimulate the development of insurance markets in Africa.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof.Dr Filloreta Madani ◽  
Assoc. Prof.Dr Evelina Bazini

Life insurances occupy a small part in the insurance market in developing countries. The new age of the insurance industry and the level of the economic development in Albania make the life insurance market even more fragile. Factors affecting the development of this market are influenced by the economic growth and by other factors such as inflation, education of population, population growth, government policies, private investment, etc. In this article we will analyze using statistical methods the degree of the impact of the above factors in the life insurance market and we will also analyze through penetration coefficients the impact of the life insurance industry in Albania's economic development.


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