Banking & Insurance

About 7 million South Africans have funeral insurance; this is according to Finscope’s 2019 statistics. This figure underlines the importance we place on making sure our loved ones have a dignified send-off. The question to be asked is whether it is necessary to have both types of insurance policies to achieve long-term financial stability.

If you haven’t already dusted off the business interruption, liability and event cancellation policies you have underwritten, or placed for an insured, and checked for coronavirus coverage, now is the time to do so.  

The opportunities for growth in Africa’s insurance industry are huge despite recent economic and political uncertainty. The insurance industry has done well to adapt to continuous disruption, with technological advances now considered the most important global trend disrupting the industry.

Despite being viewed as an administrative and burdensome expense with excessive paperwork sometimes causing potential delays to establishing business relationships and concluding transactions, Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) compliance is more crucial than ever.

Managing your organisation’s reputation, regardless of industry, is a key component of effective corporate governance and – if poorly handled – can adversely affect your bottom line.

The insurance 'grudge purchase' can open a world of valuable personal engagement and revenue opportunities in a well-designed service ecosystem. As insurance products become more homogenous and industry competition intensifies, insurers need ways to differentiate themselves and stay relevant.

Mandatory health cover of formally employed is tried and tested and if put to use in South Africa could reduce the public health burden, increase public per capita spend on health, and free up resources that could help address the country’s most pressing health crises.

Businesses in South Africa experienced major losses in July from physical damage, business interruption, and loss of revenue, looting, vandalism caused by civil commotion, protests and riots which resulted in about $3.4 billion in lost output and placed 150,000 jobs at risk.

Claims rejected for death occurring during waiting periods is one of the leading causes of complaints to the office of the Ombudsman for long-term insurance. Generally, funeral policies have a 6-month waiting period before a customer can claim. If a customer chooses to change their insurer, they would be obligated to serve a waiting period with their new insurer even if they had completed waiting periods with their previous one.

The deadline for accountable institutions to meet the amendments of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, No. 38 of 2001, as amended by the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment Act, Act 1 of 2017 (FICA) legislation, which was introduced to counteract money laundering and the financing of terrorism, is fast approaching on April 2, 2019.