The Life Insurance Industry including Reinsurance in South Africa
Life cover plays a central role in safeguarding financial security as it provides an income stream to dependants who would otherwise suffer financial loss in the event of the death, disability or serious illness of a breadwinner. In 2020, 65 primary life insurers, five life cell captives, five composite reinsurers (offering life and non-life reinsurance), two life reinsurers, and one life microinsurer were registered with the Financial Services Conduct Authority. The life insurance sector is dominated by large companies such as Sanlam, Discovery and Old Mutual.
Pandemic Effects
The coronavirus pandemic has put pressure on new business, lapse rates and potential future claims in the life insurance sector. It has caused extreme equity market and interest rate volatility, which affects the performance of the industry players. Gross written premiums are expected to decline as customers’ income is affected by unemployment. Liquidity constraints are highly likely in the event of product cancellation, an increase in surrenders, and decline in renewals and new business due to economic conditions.
Risks
Given the economic environment, long-term insurers are particularly exposed to market risk as well as lapse and surrender risk. As unemployment increases, many insurance policies lapse as policyholders cash in their savings or invest elsewhere. Other underwriting risks including mortality and morbidity catastrophes.
Report Coverage
This report focuses on the life insurance industry including reinsurance, and examines the state and size of the sector, key performance indicators, corporate actions and various influencing factors. There are profiles of 45 companies including large traditional insurers such as Sanlam and Old Mutual and relatively new players such as African Rainbow Capital, which was launched in 2019. There are also profiles of reinsurers such as Swiss Re and Munich Reinsurance.
Table of Contents
Companies Mentioned
- 1 Life Insurance (RF) Ltd
- 3Sixty Life Ltd
- Absa Life Ltd
- African Rainbow Life Ltd
- African Unity Life Ltd
- AIG Life South Africa Ltd
- Alexander Forbes Investments Ltd
- Alexander Forbes Life Ltd
- Allan Gray Life Ltd
- Assupol Life Ltd
- AVBOB Mutual Assurance Society
- Bidvest Life Ltd
- BrightRock Life Ltd
- Clientele Life Assurance Company Ltd
- Coronation Life Assurance Company Ltd
- Discovery Life Ltd
- Fedgroup Life Ltd
- General Reinsurance Africa Ltd
- GIC Re South Africa Ltd
- Guardrisk Life Ltd
- Hannover Reinsurance Group Africa (Pty) Ltd
- Hollard Life Assurance Company Ltd
- Hollard Specialist Life Ltd
- Investec Life Ltd
- Land Bank Life Insurance Company SOC Ltd
- Liberty Holdings Ltd
- Lion of Africa Life Assurance Company Ltd
- Momentum Metropolitan Life Ltd
- Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa Ltd
- Nedgroup Life Assurance Company Ltd
- Nedgroup Structured Life Ltd
- Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (South Africa) Ltd
- OUTsurance Life Insurance Company Ltd
- Professional Provident Society Insurance Company Ltd
- Prudential Portfolio Managers (South Africa) Life Ltd
- PSG Konsult Ltd
- Rand Mutual Assurance Company Ltd (The)
- RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa Ltd
- Sanlam Life Insurance Ltd
- SCOR Africa Ltd
- Standard General Insurance Company Ltd (The)
- Strategic Investment Service (Pty) Ltd
- Swiss Re Africa Ltd
- Sygnia Life Ltd
- Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Ltd
Methodology
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