26 risk insurers and one life insurer will leave the insurance market of Ukraine in 2022, according to a review of the non-banking financial sector, published on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the NBU, in the fourth quarter of 2022 the volume of gross premiums of life insurance companies increased by 9%, while the risk insurance, on the contrary, decreased by 8%.
In general in 2022 the volume of premiums on life insurance decreased by 17%, and risk insurance – by 21%. At the same time, insurers’ payouts were almost unchanged, for the quarter. At the same time for the year for life insurance premiums increased by 7%, risk insurance – decreased by almost a third.
The share of premiums on motor insurance (Casco, CMTPL and Green Card) in 2022 increased by 10 p.p. – to 49%. In particular, the volume of premiums “Green Card” more than doubled compared to the previous year, and payments almost by a third. At the same time, premiums for property insurance and insurance of financial risks more than halved, and their payments decreased by 62%.
The volume of gross premiums ceded in reinsurance, for the year decreased by more than two times, and reimbursements – almost 60%. For the fourth quarter, premiums to reinsurers decreased by 36%, and reimbursements – by 40%.
The NBU notes that the total amount of reserves for losses of insurers remained almost unchanged for the quarter, but had different dynamics in relation to separate types of insurance: for voluntary types the reserves for losses slightly decreased by 7% in comparison with the third quarter; for compulsory types – increased by 10% in comparison with the previous quarter. In annual terms, reserves for losses on both voluntary and compulsory types of insurance increased by 36%.
Investment income of risk insurers in 2022 increased almost one and a half times compared with the previous year. Most of this income was interest on bank deposits. However, the growth of investment income could not cover the increase in operating expenses. The operating efficiency ratio increased to 88%.
In the fourth quarter of last year, one of the life insurance market leaders reclassified investment income, resulting in a significant decrease. Excluding this company’s data, life insurers’ investment income increased 30% year-over-year and 12% quarter-over-quarter. Deposit income was up 36% to the previous quarter, while income from investments in GSEs remained flat.
Risk and life insurers ended the fourth quarter with a small loss, but both groups were fairly profitable for the year.
Return on equity for risk insurers was 15%, and for life insurers – 13%.
For the fourth quarter of 2022, life insurers’ assets increased 3%, and for all of 2022, they increased 18%. Assets of risk insurers declined slightly over the quarter, but rose 6% for the full year.
As of January 1, 2023, seven insurers had violated at least one of the solvency and capital adequacy and transaction risk ratios.
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