Moody's Investors Service has announced the insurance financial strength rating of Dubai Insurance Company at A3 with a stable outlook.
According to the agency's report, which was copied by (Namazone), the insurance financial strength rating in category A3 reflects Dubai Insurance Company's good market position and its brand as the seventh largest insurance company in the UAE. With a market share of 3.8% in terms of GWP in 2020, in addition to its well-established brand and service excellence with a good reputation.
The rating also reflects strong capital adequacy with a total underwriting leverage of 2.5 times at the end of 2020, in addition to strong profitability with an average return on capital ratio for five years. of 9.8% in 2020, supported by a combined 5-year average ratio of 71.9%.
The agency indicated that the rating also reflects the company's strong reserve adequacy, indicating that Dubai Insurance recorded a continuous strong performance in 2021, as growth reached in the first nine months of the year. The current rate increased by 22.4% compared to the same period last year in terms of written premiums, and profits amounted to 58.8 million dirhams, and the combined ratio was about 75%, and the shareholder’s equity ratio achieved a growth of about 15%.
But these strengths are offset to some extent by Dubai Insurance's focus on the UAE insurance market. The quality of assets is also constrained by focusing on investments in the stock market, which, along with exposure to real estate risks, contributed to raising the proportion of high-risk assets, which amounted to 73.3% of shareholders’ equity at the end of 2020. However, the company has consistently maintained sufficient liquidity reserves that enable it to implement a long-term strategy to maintain high-risk assets in order to absorb any short-term fluctuations.
Moody's positively noted that the company has developed and continues to maintain a mandated employee protection program, which supports its market position and brand while also supporting comfortable diversification of the company's products. Although the size of the program generates some concentration risks, the success of Dubai Insurance Company and the reputation of the services it provides to program stakeholders enables it to address the risks.