On January 17, 2019 the ACRA Board of directors, based on the statement of Ekaterina TROFIMOVA, decided to release her from the position of the General Director of the agency, as ACRA announced.

The international rating agency FITCH removed the financial stability rating of VSK from the list of Rating Watch Negative (RWN), where it was placed in July 2018, as well as confirmed the company's rating at BB-, outlook negative, as reported by ASN.

Preliminary data of the National Association of Agriculture Insurers (NAAI) for 2018 show that GWP in livestock insurance increased by 33% y-o-y to RUB 866 million, as ASN wrote.

On February 7, 2019 the law on compulsory MTPL insurance will come into force in Kyrgyzstan, as the State Service for Regulation and Supervision of the Financial Market under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic informed.

Staring January 1, 2019 Kazakh life insurers may offer Unit-Linked products, charging an insurance fee that will depend on the investment results. Also this year insurance companies may get an investment broker license, as explained the Deputy chairman of the board of Nomad Life, Askar SHAKENOV.

On January 3, 2019 Fuad KULIEV was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of the reinsurance company AzRe, according to the company.

The deputy general director of Turkmengosstrakh - Dovletmyrat GULMYRADOV was appointed as the acting General Director of this single insurance organization, as the State information agency of Turkmenistan announced on January 21 with reference to an official decree of the President of the country.

International rating agency FITCH Ratings on January 18, 2019 confirmed tong-term and short-term sovereign credit ratings of Belarus for obligations in foreign and national currency at 'B' level, outlook stable.

Azer ALIYEV has been appointed the new chairman of the Azerbaijan Insurers Association (ASA). Association's ex-chair Mustafa ABBASBEYLIi has been assigned advisor to Labor & Social Protection Minister Sahil BABAYEV, as analytical and news agency FINEKO and ABC.AZ wrote.

MTPL loss ratio in Armenia in 2018 increased from 65% to 72.5%, based on the data of the Armenian Bureau of Motor insurers.

Re/insurance broker Aon has estimated that the re/insurance industry will incur USD 90 billion of catastrophe losses in 2018, or around 40% of the total USD 225 billion economic cost, according to Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight: 2018 Annual Report.

On December 21, 2018 S&P Global Ratings assigned its 'BB-/B' long-term and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings to Uzbekistan. The outlook is stable, as the agency informed.

Generali has launched on 21 January a subordinated bond with a 10 years bullet format targeting institutional investors for an overall amount of EUR 500 million. At the initial yield guidance of 4.625%, the issuance attracted around 450 orders for more than EUR 6.5 billion, more than 13 times the target size.

Corporate insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) targets growth in Asia with new India reinsurance branch.

AXA XL announced that it has completed the transfer of its EU insurer - XL Insurance Company SE, from the UK to Dublin, Ireland.

Swiss Re announced it appointed Archie KANE as the new non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of its UK-based closed book business ReAssure effective immediately.

Between 2008 and 2017, the Croatian insurance market saw an 8% decrease in business, in GWP terms. From an absolute value of EUR 1.32 billion recorded in 2008, GWP at the overall market level gradually decreased year by year, until 2015, when the market started to grow again. The positive trend seen in 2016 and 2017 was not strong enough to bring the market at the pre-crisis level.

Macedonian insurers nine-months 2018 aggregate GWP amounted MKD 7.4 billion (~EUR 120 million), 8.9% more y-o-y, according to the market figures provided by the Insurance Supervision Agency of Macedonia.

In 2018 export insurance recorded a significant growth. Total insured amount was AMD 7.9 billion (+73% y-o-y), at that total insurance premiums exceeded the planned level for 2018-2020 by 31%, as the press office of the Export Insurance Agency of Armenia announced.

Dmitry GRISHANKOV, who has been the president of Expert RA, left his post by agreement of the parties on December 30, 2018. However, he remains a shareholder and a member of the board of directors of the agency, as the rating agency reported.