[January 28, 2013]

BestWeek Asia-Pacific: GCC Takaful Regulation Lags Behind Market Growth

While the takaful industry has been developing rapidly in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the development of takaful regulation varies significantly country by country, according to a new special report featured in BestWeek Asia-Pacific. As a result, the levels of policyholder protection differ from one state to another, which has created opportunities for takaful operators to pursue regulatory arbitrage.

Indeed, there is significant debate as to the right level of regulation. Market participants in some of the more demanding regimes consider the regulations to be stifling their companies. A.M. Best believes the solution is not less regulation but more consistent application of regulation throughout the region, which has the potential to provide sufficient policyholder protection, and thus safeguard the long-term viability of the takaful industry.

Also featured in BestWeek Asia-Pacific, a look at how widening health protection gaps in China are creating an opening and potential major role for private individual medical insurance to fill the gap. Health care spending is projected t grow from US$357 billion in 2011 to US$1 trillion in 2020, according to consultancy McKinsey & Co. Cigna Corp. told BestWeek Asia-Pacific the sustainability of the commercial group medical insurance market remains a big concern to many insurers in China, paving the way for private individual medical insurance to "play an important supplementary role" in health care reform.

The Jan. 29 edition is available at www.bestweek.com/asia and www.bestweek.com.

BestWeek is published by A.M. Best Co. for insurance professionals. To subscribe, visit www.ambest.com/sales/BestWeek.

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Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Co. is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2013 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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