Regulation 4
RegulationConfirmedOman
Oman extends compulsory sick leave insurance to expatriate workers from 20 July
Oman's Social Protection Fund has made sick leave and extraordinary leave cover compulsory for expatriate staff in government bodies and private sector firms under the Labour Law, effective 20 July under SPF Decision No. 13/2026. Domestic workers stay outside the scheme. Omani nationals have held the same cover since 2019, so this closes a long-standing gap rather than creating a new benefit, and it hands insurers and employers a materially larger insured population to administer.
RegulationCorroboratedKuwait
Kuwait's Insurance Regulatory Unit issues new anti-money laundering circular
The IRU has published circular no. 14 of 2026 setting out the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing obligations that regulated insurance entities must meet. Kuwait has been steadily tightening conduct and financial crime expectations since the IRU took over supervision, and compliance teams should expect the reporting burden to rise rather than settle.
RegulationConfirmedUAE
UAE Ministry of Interior warns drivers over fake motor insurance sellers
The ministry has cautioned motorists about fraudsters posing as motor insurance brokers online, typically quoting well below market rates and pressing for immediate direct transfers. The warning followed a national cybercrime workshop in Abu Dhabi involving police, prosecutors, the Central Bank and telecoms regulators. Distribution fraud of this kind erodes trust in legitimate digital channels, which is precisely where most motor business is now written.
RegulationCorroboratedSaudi Arabia
Saudi Shura Council presses the Insurance Authority on cover for older citizens
The Shura Council has issued its decision on the Insurance Authority's annual report and asked the regulator to examine the difficulty older citizens face in obtaining adequate cover, alongside broader recommendations on sector efficiency. Age-related underwriting gaps rarely close without regulatory pressure, and this puts the question formally on the Authority's agenda.
Governance 1
GovernanceConfirmedSaudi Arabia
MedGulf clears its accumulated losses using the share premium account
Shareholders approved applying SAR 77.82m from share premium to extinguish the accumulated losses carried in the accounts to 31 March 2026, leaving the balance sheet clean. The timing matters with risk-based capital due in 2027: several Saudi insurers still carry accumulated deficits, and dealing with them from reserves is considerably less painful than going to the market for fresh capital.
AI in insurance 1
AI in insuranceSingle-sourceUAE
Digital investment is shifting the competitive balance for mid-sized UAE insurers
Trade commentary out of the UAE argues that technology spending is letting mid-sized insurers compete more effectively, through lower operating costs, better customer experience and faster product development. The claim is directional rather than evidenced, but it matches what we see in practice: scale advantages in the UAE market are increasingly about operating model rather than balance sheet.
Company 1
CompanySingle-sourceOmanQatar
Oman Qatar Insurance reports OMR 2.71m first-half profit
The QIC Group subsidiary posted a net profit of OMR 2.71m for the first half of 2026. The result follows a sharp first-quarter improvement and suggests the Omani book is holding its recovery, though the half-year figure implies a softer second quarter than the opening three months.
Market 2
MarketCorroboratedGCC
Middle East reinsurance renewal rates fell 10 to 15% at 1 July
Guy Carpenter reports Middle East renewal rates down 10 to 15% at the 1 July date, with cedants prioritising continuity of cover over chasing the last point of rate. Softening on this scale alongside unresolved regional risk is a reminder that capacity, not loss experience, is setting the price.
MarketCorroboratedSaudi Arabia
S&P expects Saudi insurers to sustain profitability for another two years
S&P Global Ratings sees the Saudi market holding its profitability through the next two years, while noting the performance gap between the largest insurers and the rest is unlikely to narrow. That split is the more useful signal: sector-level growth figures continue to flatter a market where earnings are concentrating in a handful of names.
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.