The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), an agency of the federal government of Australia, reportedly has pledged its support to Women’s World Banking (WWB), a US-based nonprofit microfinance network, to assist with the expansion of international microinsurance services. Continue Reading »

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), Uganda’s insurance industry regulator, reportedly is partnering with Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A), a multilateral platform that aims to coordinate financial sector activities among African governments, and the Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii), a global program hosted by Germany’s international cooperation agency (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), to create regulation that make access to microinsurance more efficient, mainly for low-income earners. Continue Reading »

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), the county’s central bank, is reportedly planning to draft a policy framework to regulate the microinsurance industry. Continue Reading »

The Chinese government reportedly is requiring provincial governments to purchase commercial health insurance for farmers through the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS), a social security program run independently by each province and funded by the central government, local governments, farmers’ cooperatives and families. Continue Reading »

“Invisible Giants;” by Lindsay Levin; published by Vala Publishing; March 2013; 176 pages, available for purchase at: http://vala.wazala.com/?page=product_det&id=112381 Continue Reading »

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), the insurance regulator of India, recently issued Indian microfinance institution (MFI) SKS Microfinance a fine of INR 5 million (USD 91,800) for collecting corporate insurance agent fees beyond the premium price. Continue Reading »

By Michael J. McCord; published by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, the Microinsurance Centre and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); 2012; 124 pages; available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/wrmf/manual.pdf

In this manual, Mr. McCord proposes a “systematic new-product development process” for the microinsurance market. Continue Reading »

7-Eleven, a convenience store subsidiary of Japan-based retail group Seven and I Holdings, reportedly has been licensed to sell microinsurance policies in Thailand. Continue Reading »

The Microinsurance Network, a nonprofit membership organization in Luxembourg that aims to expand access to insurance services for low-income people around the world, has stated that it expects the global microinsurance industry to double its reach by 2020 to serve 1 billion customers. Continue Reading »

The National Insurance Commission (NIC) of Ghana, the country’s regulatory authority for the industry, reportedly has announced a new set of regulations that aims to formalize and facilitate the sale of microinsurance products. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the US-based World Bank Group, recently announced plans to donate USD 1.96 million to the Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organization (MiCRO), a Barbados-based company that was established in 2011. Continue Reading »

The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a public-private partnership, reportedly has launched a weather-indexed microinsurance pilot project covering crop and livestock in the districts of Khushab and Chakwal. Continue Reading »

By Michael J. McCord, Roland Steinmann and Molly Ingram; published by Deutche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Munich Re Foundation; 2012; 11 pages; available at: http://www.microinsurancecentre.org/resources/documents/doc_download/918-briefing-note-the-landscape-of-microinsurance-in-africa-2012.html

This report presents an analysis of the status and characteristics of the microinsurance industry in Africa. Continue Reading »

“MILK Brief #18: Doing the Math with Property Microinsurance in Coastal Columbia;” by Barbara Magnoni and Derek Poulton; published by Microinsurance Centre; October 2012; 2 pages; available at: http://www.microinsurancecentre.org/milk-project/milk-docs/doc_details/914-condensed-milk-18-doing-the-math-with-property-microinsurance-in-coastal-colombia.html Continue Reading »

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the issuer of government identity cards in Pakistan, reportedly has designated the government-owned State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan as the low bidder in a procurement process through which NADRA will fund accidental death insurance for all Pakistani citizens. Continue Reading »

By Premasis Mukherjee, Rosalind Piggot and Sunil Bhat; published by MicroSave; December 2012; 63 pages; available at: http://www.microsave.org/sites/default/files/research_papers/Securing_the_Silent_MI_Report.pdf

This paper examines the microinsurance industry in India, specifically the industry for life and health microinsurance. Continue Reading »

“A Guide to Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance;” by Robert Peck Christen, Kate Lauer, et al; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); October 2012; 120 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/publications/guide-regulation-and-supervision-microfinance Continue Reading »

Event Name: Africa Microinsurance Microfinance Conference 2013

Event Date: March 26-28, 2013

Event Location: Accra, Ghana Continue Reading »