GCC Insurance Daily
The day's insurance news across the GCC: regulation, governance, AI in insurance, and people moves. Curated, attributed, and linked to the source.
Top story
The market is being told to prepare for a dedicated Central Bank licence covering digital-only insurers and insurtech platforms from 1 January 2027, holding them to the same consumer-protection, data and governance standards as conventional carriers. The practical effect is a higher bar to entry that should favour better-capitalised platforms over thinly resourced start-ups.
AM Best has given Kuwait International Takaful a financial strength rating of B+ and a long-term issuer rating of bbb-, both with a stable outlook. The agency calls the balance sheet very strong but flags a limited, motor-heavy book and marginal risk management, a familiar profile for the smaller Kuwaiti takaful names operating in a crowded market.
The board of Abu Dhabi-listed Al Ain Ahlia Insurance has resolved to conclude Mohd Mazhar Hamadeh's tenure as chief executive, effective 11 June. No successor has been named, so an interim arrangement is the likely bridge while the board runs a search.
HDI Global has appointed Jessica Heaume as Head of Cyber for the Middle East and Lloyd Lui as senior construction risk engineer for the region. The hires point to where the industrial carriers see growth in the Gulf: cyber cover and the engineering risks attached to a heavy construction pipeline.
Dubai Insurance has tied up with the Abu Dhabi Chamber to offer member businesses, smaller firms in particular, a package of corporate, health and risk-advisory cover. It reads as a low-cost distribution play, using the chamber's membership base to reach SMEs that brokers often find expensive to serve directly.
Each item is a short editorial summary with a link to the original source. Items marked Rumour · unverified are unconfirmed and should be treated with caution. Compiled automatically; corrections welcome.