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
Mashreq has built Sukoon-underwritten policies straight into its MashreqBiz platform, so SME customers can buy workmen's compensation and third-party liability cover inside their online banking with instant quotes and digital issuance. It is a bank-led, insurer-powered distribution model, and a useful signal of where UAE SME cover is heading.
Moody's has rated National Health Insurance Company (Daman), PureHealth's insurance arm, at A1 for insurance financial strength with a stable outlook, citing its capital position and profitability. The rating places Abu Dhabi's dominant health insurer among the most highly rated carriers in the region.
Moody's has assigned First Takaful Insurance Company of Kuwait a Ba2 insurance financial strength rating with a stable outlook, pointing to its asset quality and capital buffer. A first external rating gives the takaful operator a benchmark to work against as Gulf regulators press for stronger capitalisation.
Bupa Arabia has approved a 40% cash dividend for 2025, about SAR 600m or SAR 4 a share, following the Insurance Authority's no-objection. The payout reads as confidence in the Saudi health insurer's earnings even as motor and medical competition squeezes sector margins.
Gallagher Re has recruited Shreyaa Vohra from Price Forbes as an executive director to run its Dubai facultative business out of the DIFC, bringing more than 14 years across London and the Middle East. The hire adds senior broking capacity in the Gulf fac market and continues the reinsurance broker's regional build-out.
A deVere Acuma review reports that roughly seven in ten UAE expatriates either hold no meaningful life cover or are underinsured, driven by overreliance on employer benefits and infrequent reviews. For life carriers it frames a sizeable protection gap in a market where expatriates make up around 85% of residents.
Trade coverage notes that war exclusions and a globally diversified book have insulated Kuwait Reinsurance from the recent regional tensions, supporting its resilience. It is a reminder that discipline on political-violence wordings is doing real work across Gulf reinsurance portfolios this year.
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.