Now reading: 10 years, eight trends: Where does microinsurance go from here?

Resilience & Insurance


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. 

Regulating for Innovation webinar
Resilience & Insurance

10 years, eight trends: Where does microinsurance go from here?

8 trends that will shape the future of microinsurance As Cenfri and the ILO’s Impact Insurance Facility turn 10, they reflect on the last decade of microinsurance and identify eight trends that will shape its future over the decade.     This work forms part of the Risk, Remittances and

Read More »
Busy street Kenya
Digital Transformation & Data

Inclusive insurance enhanced through the use of client data

How different types of alternative and traditional client data solve key challenges in inclusive insurance provision This publication adds depth to the discussion of the use of client data in inclusive insurance provision, by examining the specific applications of different types of data to different key insurance activities. The explosion

Read More »
Payments & Remittances

Voluntary take-up: The holy grail of microinsurance

Last week, Cenfri was in Brussels to present at the BRS microfinance lunch on what we deem to be the holy grail of microinsurance – voluntary take-up (something highly desirable but very hard to achieve). The BRS microfinance lunch is a semi-annual series that provides an opportunity for the KBC

Read More »
Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for change: Five important considerations

I recently participated in a panel at the IAIS Global Seminar in Moscow where a regulator from the audience asked a very relevant question: Given the scale of technological change in my market, how do I still ensure effective regulation? It is a question we’re increasingly hearing from financial sector regulators and

Read More »
Governance, Policy & Regulation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with consumer data protection risks

Across industries, businesses are collecting, storing and using increasing amounts of consumer data. This has been made possible by the growth in broadband connectivity, particularly through smartphone penetration, and the increased capacity to collect and share data on individuals. Technological developments in data analytics have increasingly allowed businesses to use

Read More »
Resilience & Insurance

China Access to Insurance Diagnostic: A Market and Regulatory Analysis

This report contains the findings of a diagnostic study on the provision of microinsurance to rural workers in China. The study was commissioned by the Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii) and approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) in 2010. The study covers the provision of personal and property

Read More »
African man walking and talking on mobile phone
Digital Transformation & Data

Using technology to build loyalty among insurance customers

Mary is the owner of a small business in Blantyre, Malawi, and the main breadwinner for her family. To support her family in the event that something happens to her, she has a funeral policy that she contributes to monthly in cash at the local insurance branch. The process is

Read More »
Regulating for Innovation webinar
Resilience & Insurance

10 years, eight trends: Where does microinsurance go from here?

8 trends that will shape the future of microinsurance As Cenfri and the ILO’s Impact Insurance Facility turn 10, they reflect on the last decade of microinsurance and identify eight trends that will shape its future over the decade.     This work forms part of the Risk, Remittances and

Busy street Kenya
Digital Transformation & Data

Inclusive insurance enhanced through the use of client data

How different types of alternative and traditional client data solve key challenges in inclusive insurance provision This publication adds depth to the discussion of the use of client data in inclusive insurance provision, by examining the specific applications of different types of data to different key insurance activities. The explosion

Payments & Remittances

Voluntary take-up: The holy grail of microinsurance

Last week, Cenfri was in Brussels to present at the BRS microfinance lunch on what we deem to be the holy grail of microinsurance – voluntary take-up (something highly desirable but very hard to achieve). The BRS microfinance lunch is a semi-annual series that provides an opportunity for the KBC

Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for change: Five important considerations

I recently participated in a panel at the IAIS Global Seminar in Moscow where a regulator from the audience asked a very relevant question: Given the scale of technological change in my market, how do I still ensure effective regulation? It is a question we’re increasingly hearing from financial sector regulators and

Ed=ffect of COVID-19 on African insurance markets
Resilience & Insurance

Third-party cell captives as an enabler for transformation in the insurance sector

During the parliamentary hearings on financial sector transformation last year, there was a strong sense of urgency for radical transformation. In the insurance industry, some targets have been met, but others are still lagging behind. Can cell captives help to drive a more transformed insurance market? And if so, what

Payments & Remittances

Building concrete markets: The role of insurance in property markets in Africa

The housing shortfall in Africa is immense. For instance, the World Bank (2017) estimates that across eight countries in West Africa about 800,000 new housing units are needed every year to address the housing shortages. Yet, banks in these countries collectively only issue 15,000 new mortgages per year. Similar shortages

Governance, Policy & Regulation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with consumer data protection risks

Across industries, businesses are collecting, storing and using increasing amounts of consumer data. This has been made possible by the growth in broadband connectivity, particularly through smartphone penetration, and the increased capacity to collect and share data on individuals. Technological developments in data analytics have increasingly allowed businesses to use

Resilience & Insurance

China Access to Insurance Diagnostic: A Market and Regulatory Analysis

This report contains the findings of a diagnostic study on the provision of microinsurance to rural workers in China. The study was commissioned by the Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii) and approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) in 2010. The study covers the provision of personal and property

African man walking and talking on mobile phone
Digital Transformation & Data

Using technology to build loyalty among insurance customers

Mary is the owner of a small business in Blantyre, Malawi, and the main breadwinner for her family. To support her family in the event that something happens to her, she has a funeral policy that she contributes to monthly in cash at the local insurance branch. The process is