Cenfri has deep insurance expertise from working with the insurance markets in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Insurance penetration in these markets is often low and we understand the need for responsible market innovation so that insurance fulfils its optimal role in building resilience, supporting business growth, and contributing to broader policy and development objectives.
The breadth of Cenfri’s insurance and resilience work spans diagnostic studies, development of global and regional standards and national regulations, technical assistance and innovation support (to regulators and the private sector), innovation studies, MSME-tailored resilience solutions, improved risk management in response to climate-related events, and definitive work on cell captives.
Our partners include GIZ, Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii), the UK’s FCDO (formerly DFID), the FSD Africa and other financial sector deepening trusts, the Swiss Capacity Building Fund, FSCA, Hollard, Santam, Old Mutual, AXA, Britam, Generali, the Microinsurance Network, UNCDF, UNDP, The World Bank, IFC, IADB and ADB.
Distribution is one of the key challenges in extending microinsurance to the low-income market. Traditionally, insurance distribution is either via brokers or agents or, in the low-income space, on a compulsory sales basis on the back of credit. More recently, commercial insurers have started to employ other, alternative distribution channels
Hospital cash plans (HCPs) have emerged as an affordable risk cover for many low-income South Africans without access to medical aid. HCPs pay out a cash amount directly to the client on hospitalisation, rather than by providing comprehensive care cover. The increasing popularity of HCPs in South Africa have become
Hospital cash plans (HCPs) have the potential to provide financial protection against health risks to low-income individuals that are unable to afford medical scheme membership, but still incur significant costs or co-payments at a public facility. This 2013 report is a follow-up to our review of the South African market
Implications for policymakers and regulators Funeral insurance is the most prevalent form of insurance in South Africa with just less than 90% of all risk cover being attributed to this form of insurance, more than a quarter of which is informal. This 2012 paper presents the nature of informality in
This case study on microinsurance innovation in Colombia forms part of a series of case studies on alternative, innovative microinsurance distribution models prepared for the International Labour Organization’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility. The case study covers three channels, namely the partnership between Codensa, an electricity utility company, and the insurance company Mapfre;
New Frontiers in Microinsurance Distribution The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Microinsurance Innovation Facility (MIF) commissioned Cenfri to compare innovative distribution models from India, South Africa, Colombia and Brazil. The study was based on several case studies conducted and commissioned by Cenfri. The aim was to create a typology for innovative
This series of documents brings together research and analysis on the country context, demand, supply and regulatory framework for insurance in Tanzania. It includes a series of eight documents, consisting of one headline findings document and seven input documents, each focusing on a specific thematic area that build ups the
41.14% of the adult population Mozambique has either never heard of a bank (22.5%) or does not know what it is (18.9%). There still remains a long way to go before electronic payments become part of daily life for most Mozambicans. This 2012 study analysed the country context, demand, supply
In 2012, there were estimated to be between 1 and 1.5 million hospital cash plan (HCP) policies in effect in South Africa, with total lives covered estimated to be 2.4 million people. The market is relatively large and rapidly growing with an estimated 50,000 new policies sold every month This
In 2011, insurance reach in Nigeria was extremely low and the market was plagued by a number of challenges, many of them relating to distribution. The reach of the insurance market was limited to the higher-income, formally-employed male market and even those who were supposed to have compulsory insurance (e.g.
Distribution is one of the key challenges in extending microinsurance to the low-income market. Traditionally, insurance distribution is either via brokers or agents or, in the low-income space, on a compulsory sales basis on the back of credit. More recently, commercial insurers have started to employ other, alternative distribution channels
Hospital cash plans (HCPs) have emerged as an affordable risk cover for many low-income South Africans without access to medical aid. HCPs pay out a cash amount directly to the client on hospitalisation, rather than by providing comprehensive care cover. The increasing popularity of HCPs in South Africa have become
Hospital cash plans (HCPs) have the potential to provide financial protection against health risks to low-income individuals that are unable to afford medical scheme membership, but still incur significant costs or co-payments at a public facility. This 2013 report is a follow-up to our review of the South African market
Implications for policymakers and regulators Funeral insurance is the most prevalent form of insurance in South Africa with just less than 90% of all risk cover being attributed to this form of insurance, more than a quarter of which is informal. This 2012 paper presents the nature of informality in
This case study on microinsurance innovation in Colombia forms part of a series of case studies on alternative, innovative microinsurance distribution models prepared for the International Labour Organization’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility. The case study covers three channels, namely the partnership between Codensa, an electricity utility company, and the insurance company Mapfre;
New Frontiers in Microinsurance Distribution The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Microinsurance Innovation Facility (MIF) commissioned Cenfri to compare innovative distribution models from India, South Africa, Colombia and Brazil. The study was based on several case studies conducted and commissioned by Cenfri. The aim was to create a typology for innovative
This series of documents brings together research and analysis on the country context, demand, supply and regulatory framework for insurance in Tanzania. It includes a series of eight documents, consisting of one headline findings document and seven input documents, each focusing on a specific thematic area that build ups the
41.14% of the adult population Mozambique has either never heard of a bank (22.5%) or does not know what it is (18.9%). There still remains a long way to go before electronic payments become part of daily life for most Mozambicans. This 2012 study analysed the country context, demand, supply
In 2012, there were estimated to be between 1 and 1.5 million hospital cash plan (HCP) policies in effect in South Africa, with total lives covered estimated to be 2.4 million people. The market is relatively large and rapidly growing with an estimated 50,000 new policies sold every month This
In 2011, insurance reach in Nigeria was extremely low and the market was plagued by a number of challenges, many of them relating to distribution. The reach of the insurance market was limited to the higher-income, formally-employed male market and even those who were supposed to have compulsory insurance (e.g.
