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 Insurance Regulatory Unit's annual report puts FY2026 direct premiums at KWD543m, down 11.8%, with health cover collapsing 40% after the government scrapped its Afia scheme. Motor and fire lines still grew, but the health hole makes Kuwait the softest of the Gulf markets this cycle.
Doha Insurance Group's DIFC-based reinsurer has moved its chief underwriting officer, Tareq Hussein, into the top job after a decade with the firm. The choice reads as continuity, with specialty and political-violence lines staying central to MENA Re's regional book.
The Saudi insurer has appointed Resini Alresini, most recently a partner at reinsurance broker ReTech and previously section head of insurance control at SAMA, as COO. His regulatory pedigree fits a market being reshaped by the Insurance Authority's rulebook and the shift to risk-based capital.
Dr Ali Al Wazaney takes the AWRIS technical board for 2026 to 2029, overseeing the war-risk syndicate whose members include Saudi, Bahraini, Kuwaiti and Qatari insurers. The seat carries more weight than usual, with Gulf marine and energy war-risk pricing still elevated after the Hormuz disruptions.
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.