The position of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority on the dividend policy of insurance and reinsurance companies, adopted in December last year, allowed them to share profit from the last two years with shareholders. Companies eagerly took advantage of this opportunity, Gazeta Ubezpieczeniowa reports with reference to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

In 1H2021 GWP of insurance organizations of the republic amounted to BYN 874.7 million (EUR 290.11 million), which is about 18.6% more y-o-y, according to the data published by the Ministry of Finance.

The insurance market in Ukraine in 1H2021 grew by 17.9% to UAH 24.8 billion (EUR 767.13 million). At the same time, net premiums increased by 25.6% to UAH 23.5 billion, according to the data published by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

Global reinsurer Swiss Re announced plans to create a central cyber underwriting team. John COLETTI will join Swiss Re as Head of Global Cyber. Maya BUNDT, the current Head of Cyber Solutions, has decided to take on a newly created role at the Swiss Re Institute's Cyber Centre of Competence.

SCOR announces changes to its Group Executive Committee that reflect "the importance of transformation and sustainability in the next phase of its strategic development". The new composition, proposed by Laurent ROUSSEAU, Chief Executive Office of SCOR, was supported by the Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors and approved by the entirety of the Board.

The Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) formed a partnership with AfB (Arbeit fur Menschen mit Behinderung / work for people with disabilities), Europe's largest non-profit IT company, in 2011. In 2020 alone, the Austrian VIG companies helped to conserve 213,040kg of raw materials and avoid 630,936kg of greenhouse gas emissions by passing on used IT devices to AfB; five new inclusive jobs were also created.

Property insurance claims paid by Czech insurers in the first half of 2021 reached CZK 5.6 billion, up by almost 20% y-o-y, following the increased severity and frequency of the weather extreme events in 2021 as compared with 2020. The total number of claims files wet up by 76.6%, to 154,186.

French Groupama's combined financial statements for the 1H2021 show a combined premium income of EUR 10.1 billion, up by +8.8% y-o-y. Business was up significantly in life and health insurance (+16.7%) with premium income reaching EUR 4.7 billion. In property and casualty insurance, the Group generated EUR 5.3 billion in premium income, up +2.3% y-o-y.

Following the storm in July, Hungarian insurers have already paid out reserved, by mid-August, nearly HUF 10 billion (~ EUR 29 million) for claims. Only claims paid for home insurance exceed the total amount of claims for the storm season between May and August of 2020, the Association of Hungarian Insurers (MABISZ) has said.

After successfully issuing a green bond in 2020, Munich Re has launched a green subordinated bond for the second time in its corporate history, the German Group announced today. The volume of the issue is EUR 1billion. The bond has a coupon of 1.00 % and will mature in 2042.

Based on reinsurance GWP in 2020, Munich Re took over the first position in the AM Best's annual ranking of the Top 50 Global Reinsurance groups, marking a return to a position that it last held in 2017 and pushing Swiss Re to ranking second.

In 2Q2021, the number of MTPL contracts concluded reached 2.4 million units, which is 8.5% more y-o-y. GWP on them amounted to UAH 1.9 billion/EUR 58.74 million* (+14.9% in UAH). Paid claims amounted to UAH 862 million - the number of settled claims increased by 40%, and the volume of paid claims - by 46%, according to a press release from MTIBU.

Global broker Aon announced new regional leadership roles in Reinsurance Solutions "to further strengthen the team and enhance local reach".

Italian group GENERALI announced that the Czech National Bank (CNB) approved the appointment of Lenka KEJIKOVA as new CEO of Generali pension company (GPS) in the Czech Republic and a member of its Board of Directors. She was nominated last 1st of July taking over the role from Radek MOC, who is now focusing on his function as Head of Strategy in the Austria, CEE & Russia Region.

French insurer Groupama announced its Hungarian subsidiary - GROUPAMA Biztosito finalized the acquisition of 100% of the shares of the Croatian insurance company OTP Osiguranje from OTP Banka d.d., Croatian subsidiary of OTP Bank.

In 1H2021, the insurance sector of Moldova recorded a GWP increase by more than 29% y-o-y, up to MDL 878.01 million (EUR 41.03 million).

Global broker Willis Towers Watson announced that it has selected Andrew KRASNER as the company's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) succeeding Michael BURWELL. Andrew KRASNER returns to Willis Towers Watson after driving financial strategy and performance as the CFO of AssuredPartners, Inc.

At the meeting of the Oliy Majlis (Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan), the senators approved the law "On insurance activities", which provides for "revitalization" of the insurers' activities, as well as development and expansion of the infrastructure of the insurance market, UzReport.news informed.

GWP of the ROSGOSSTRAKH group, included in the TOP-10 insurers, in 1H2021 reached RUB 60.5 billion (~EUR 0.7 billion*), which is 20.5% more y-o-y in local currency, and the profit amounted to RUB 1.5 billion, ASN reports with reference on the data of the group's interim consolidated financial statements (non-life insurance company ROSGOSSTRAKH and life insurer ROSGOSSTRAKH Life).

The average amount of MTPL paid claims in the second quarter of 2021 decreased by 1.5% compared to the same period in 2020, ASN wrote with reference to the data of the Bank of Russia.