03/04/2023
HOW important is an insurance coverage for your security and well-being? An insurance coverage will assure you of funds when your regular income flow stops due to an accident, severe illness, or even death. A non-life coverage, on the other hand, takes care of damages and losses. An insurance coverage can also serve as investment for future needs.
In terms of social impact, insurance companies use their funds to invest and add value into the economy. According to insurance market expert Jennifer Rudden, as a result of these investments, gross domestic product (GDP) grows and this will in turn lead to an increase in the level of disposable income. "An increase in the level of disposable income will have a direct impact on population, density and urbanization, leading to sociocultural repercussions that will cause an increase in the sense of risk aversion by individuals and communities," Rudden said in her report. This is a cycle, the creation of additional value from the insurance industry into the economy and back.
Importance of the insurance industry in the Philippine economy
During the pre-pandemic era, the Philippine insurance market has already proven that it has been growing side by side with its Southeast Asian market counterparts. The University of Indonesia's Insurance Administration and Actuary Program reported that the Philippines recorded a high 22.6 percent gross premium growth in 2016, second to the top-grosser Vietnam with 38.4 percent growth rate. In comparison, also in 2016, the McKinsey Global Insurance report recorded a 4.4 percent gross premium growth for the global insurance market, which at that time was already valued at 4.6 trillion Euros.
But how important is a 'healthy' insurance industry to the Philippine economy in general? A 2014 study by Marcus Cristea and the Procedia Economics and Finance stated that life and non-life gross written premiums contribute positively to the country's overall economic growth. In support of this statement, the University of Indonesia report affirms that a country's insurance industry, having a stable and long-term financial asset portfolio, will play a vital role in sustaining overall economic growth. The insurance industry is an "institutional investor" that provides vital fuel to the engines of economic growth.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/04/29/supplements/growth-of-philippine-insurance-industry-bodes-well-for-filipinos-and-for-nation-building/1841713