Regulation 1
RegulationConfirmedUAE
MoHRE ties UAE work permits to valid worker health cover
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has published a guide setting out how the issuance and renewal of certain work permits is linked to a valid health insurance policy, without adding new obligations on employers. The policy must meet minimum approved coverage, run for the full permit period, cost the worker nothing and not be cancelled mid-term, which puts the onus on brokers and insurers to keep employer books clean rather than merely placed.
Governance 3
GovernanceConfirmedSaudi Arabia
Saudi Re completes its £8.95m entry into Lloyd's
Saudi Re has completed the acquisition of a 22.5% stake in Ada Risk Holding, the London company behind Lloyd's Syndicate 2024, for £8.95m funded from its own capital. The syndicate writes energy, marine, ports, cargo and aviation business, and Saudi Re expects the earnings contribution to show from the third quarter, giving the Kingdom's only specialist reinsurer a foothold in the specialty market it has so far bought from rather than sat inside.
GovernanceConfirmedQatar
AM Best moves Qatar General Insurance outlook back to stable
AM Best has revised the outlooks on Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance to stable from negative and affirmed the B++ financial strength and 'bbb' issuer credit ratings. The agency points to credit fundamentals steadying after several years of significant operating losses, while still expecting performance to be no better than adequate and to carry some volatility.
GovernanceConfirmedKuwait
Kuwait Re holds its A rating, with a flag on the investment book
AM Best has affirmed Kuwait Reinsurance Company at A (Excellent) with a stable outlook, citing a return on equity that peaked near 20% in 2025. The agency's reservation sits on the asset side rather than the underwriting side, with real estate and equity holdings drawing scrutiny, which is the familiar trade-off for Gulf reinsurers running yield-seeking balance sheets.
People moves 1
People movesSingle-sourceSaudi Arabia
Arabia Insurance Cooperative names Resini Alresini as COO
Resini Alresini has been appointed chief operating officer of Arabia Insurance Cooperative Company in Riyadh. The appointment follows the Saudi insurer's board refresh earlier in the year, and adds operational leadership at a point when the Kingdom's mid-sized carriers are under pressure to industrialise their back offices.
Company 3
CompanyCorroboratedOman
Oman United lifts first-half premiums by a third
Oman United Insurance reported gross written premiums up 32.7% to OMR 23.5m for the first half, with insurance revenue up 19.3% to OMR 19.3m and net profit of OMR 3.27m. Topline is running well ahead of revenue recognition, which is worth watching as the earned side catches up over the second half.
CompanyCorroboratedOman
Oman Qatar Insurance posts OMR 2.71m first-half profit
Oman Qatar Insurance has reported net profit of OMR 2.71m for the six months to 30 June. It is a steady result in a market where first-half revenue growth across Omani carriers has run ahead of the profit line.
CompanyCorroboratedQatar
QIC's digital ecosystem takes Initiative of the Year in Qatar
Qatar Insurance Company has been named Digital Insurance Initiative of the Year in Qatar at the Insurance Asia Awards 2026 for its unified platform, which now bundles a car marketplace, vehicle care, hotel and event booking and loyalty rewards alongside cover. The bet is that owning the everyday customer relationship is worth more than owning the policy alone, and it is the clearest ecosystem play any MENA carrier has put in the market.
Market 4
MarketConfirmedUAESaudi ArabiaQatarKuwaitOmanBahrain
Commercial rates in the region fall 16% in Q2, the steepest of any market
Marsh's latest index puts the composite commercial rate change for India, the Middle East and Africa at minus 16% in the second quarter, the largest fall of any region, against a global decline of 6% in the eighth consecutive quarter of softening. Property led the way down, and buyers are using the capacity glut to reopen structure and retentions rather than simply bank the price.
MarketConfirmedSaudi Arabia
Southern Red Sea war-risk premiums double after tanker strikes
Indicative war-risk premiums for southern Red Sea voyages rose above 1% of hull value from about 0.75% earlier in the week and 0.3% before the Houthi announcement, after missile and drone attacks on Saudi-linked tankers. Quotes for sailings out of Jizan and Al Shuqaiq reached as high as 3%, which adds hundreds of thousands of dollars to a single seven-day voyage and lands squarely on Saudi export economics.
MarketConfirmedUAEQatarKuwaitOman
Lloyd's clause would void cover for owners paying Hormuz tolls
The Lloyd's Market Association has issued optional model wording that lets an insurer cancel a vessel's cover the moment a toll payment for Hormuz passage comes to light, on the basis that the payment itself may breach sanctions and terrorism law. Adoption is voluntary, but for Gulf trades it removes the quiet middle option and leaves owners choosing between the long route round Africa and waiting the situation out.
MarketSingle-sourceSaudi ArabiaOman
Travel policies written from 21 July carry known-event exclusions for Saudi and Oman
Australia's move to raise its advisories for Saudi Arabia and Oman to level three has triggered known-event exclusions in travel policies bought from that date, taking the regional list to eight Middle Eastern countries. Cancellation, curtailment and airspace-closure costs fall away for new buyers, a reminder that inbound travel and events business in the Gulf is now being priced off advisory maps written elsewhere.
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.