Support The Moscow Times!

New Rules for Insurance Mergers

The State Duma has proposed tightening licensing and merger regulations for the insurance industry, which comprises more than 700 companies.

The industry was hard hit last year when car sales slumped more than 50 percent, reducing demand for auto insurance policies, which are the industry's major revenue source.

The local insurance market remains fragmented, with total assets of the top 10 insurers worth just 400 billion rubles ($13.6 billion) as of June 30, 2009.

Vladislav Reznik, who heads the Duma's committee for financial markets, has proposed requiring companies to inform a regulator when purchasing up to 1 percent of an insurer.

He also wants to require buyers to obtain regulatory approval prior to increasing their stakes above the 20 percent threshold.

The same rules have already been implemented in the banking sector.

"The proposed amendments will help to tackle the current problems of the insurance sector," Reznik said in an e-mailed statement.

The regulator would also have the right to revoke an insurer's license should it provide erroneous financial data or prove to be financially unstable.

The amendments have yet to be approved by the Duma.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more