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Business and Economics > Insurance

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 17 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Natural disasters x
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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Grenada: Disaster Resilience Strategy
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Natural disasters and climate change are existential threats to Grenada, with annual losses from these events estimated at 1.7 percent of GDP. Grenada has proactively pursued resilience-building, with its Climate Change Policy and National Adaptation Plan providing detailed roadmaps for policymakers. However, the challenges are increasing, including from slow-moving effects owing to the rising sea level, even as implementation capacity and resource constraints remain significant impediments. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified those challenges by increasing risks and tightening Grenada’s fiscal space.
Keywords:
DRS Fiscal; post DISASTER; DRS between the IMF; DRS coverage; DRS direct costs; debt sustainability implication; Natural disasters; Climate change; Infrastructure; Insurance; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Dominica: Disaster Resilience Strategy
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Dominica is among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. During 1997-2017, it was the country with highest GDP losses to climate-related natural disasters and ranked in the top 10 percent among 182 countries for climate-related fatalities. Following a huge devastation, owing to back-to-back major storms in 2015 and 2017, Dominica announced its intention to become the first disaster resilient nation. In 2019, it was agreed with the government that the Fund, in consultation and collaboration with other development partners, would provide support for preparing a Disaster Resilience Strategy (DRS), a comprehensive plan including policies, cost, and financing to build resilience against natural disasters.
Keywords:
DRS policy; D. DRS Cost; Dominica economy; financing gap; draft DRS; Natural disasters; Climate change; Infrastructure; Insurance; Caribbean; Global
Cover Policy Papers
2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review— Background Paper on The Surveillance Priority Confronting Risks and Uncertainties
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department
The coverage of risks has become more systematic since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC): staff reports now regularly identify major risks and provide an assessment of their likelihood and economic impact, summarized in Risk Assessment Matrices (RAM). But still limited attention is paid to the range of possible outcomes. Also, risk identification is useful only so much as to inform policy design to preemptively respond to relevant risks and/or better prepare for them. In this regard, policy recommendations in surveillance could be richer in considering various risk management approaches. To this end, progress is needed on two dimensions: • Increasing emphasis on the range of potential outcomes to improve policy design. • Encouraging more proactive policy advice on how to manage risks. Efforts should continue to leverage internal and external resources to support risk analysis and advice in surveillance.
Keywords:
baseline policy advice; fund surveillance; risk analysis; risk identification; policy recommendation; Insurance; Contingency planning; Natural disasters; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Government Insurance Against Natural Disasters: An Application to the ECCU
Mr. Alejandro D Guerson
This paper estimates insurance requirements against natural disasters (NDs) in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) using an insurance layering framework. The layers include a government saving fund, as well as market instruments. Each layer is calibrated to cover estimated fiscal cost of NDs according to intensity and expected damage. The results indicate that ECCU countries could target saving fund stocks for relativelly smaller and more frequent events in the range of 6-12 percent of GDP, enough to cover 95 percent of NDs’ fiscal costs. To ensure financially-sustainable saving funds with a low probability of depletion, this requires annual budget savings in the range os 0.5 to 1.9 percent of GDP per year. Additional coverage could be obtained with market instruments for large and less frequent events, albeit at a significant cost.The results are based on a Monte-Carlo experiment that simulates natural disaster shocks and their impact on output and government finances.
Keywords:
ECCU; fiscal cycles; Monte Carlo experiment; debt sustainability.; WP; SF stock; ECCU country; CCRIF payout; financing flow; annual budget; cost composition; insurance cost; Natural disasters; debt sustainability; payout amount; rate of return; Insurance; Standing facilities; Stocks; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
United States: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note-Insurance Supervision and Regulation
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This Technical Note (TN) is a targeted review of cross-cutting themes building on the detailed assessment of the Insurance Core Principles (ICPs) conducted in 2015. The targeted review was chosen, in part, due to the performance of the U.S. insurance regulatory system in the 2015 detailed assessment where it was assessed that the U.S. observed 8 ICPs, largely observed 13 ICPs and partly observed 5 ICPs. The analysis relied on a targeted self-assessment against a subset of ICPs covering valuation and solvency, risk management, conduct, winding-up, corporate governance and enforcement, and the objectives, powers and responsibility of supervisors. The choice of subjects covered in this review is based on those aspects most significant to financial stability and a follow-up on key recommendations from the 2015 detailed assessment. The focus of the analysis has been on the state-based system of regulation and supervision, reflecting the existing institutional setup.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; insurance regulator; holding company; life insurance; risk management; balance sheet; financial condition; State insurance act; state insurance department; State insurance regulator; State regulator; federal government; Insurance companies; Insurance; Natural disasters; Financial statements; Solvency; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Natural Disaster Insurance for Sovereigns: Issues, Challenges and Optimality
Aliona Cebotari
and
Karim Youssef
Natural disasters are a source of economic risks in many countries, especially in smaller and lower-income states, and ex-ante preparedness is needed to manage the risks. The paper discusses sovereign experience with disaster insurance as a key instrument to mitigate the risks; proposes ways to judge the adequacy of insurance; and considers ways to enhance its use by vulnerable countries. The paper especially aims to inform policy decisions on disaster insurance. Through simulations of natural disasters and various insurance options, we find that sovereign decisions on optimal risk transfer involve balancing trade-offs between growth and debt, based on government risk preferences and country risk exposure. The choice of optimal insurance for smaller countries turns out to be more constrained by cost considerations due to their higher exposure, likely resulting in underinsurance; donor grants could help them achieve a more optimal protection. We also find that optimal insurance packages are those that are least costly relative to expected payouts (i.e. have the lowest insurance multiple), which are also the packages that insure less severe (more frequent) disasters.
Keywords:
WP; insurance coverage; insurance premium; insurance package; utility function; catastrophe risk insurance program; agency GSIS; options country; Insurance; Natural disasters; Insurance companies; Options; Disaster aid; Caribbean; natural disaster insurance; debt growth tradeoffs; optimal insurance for sovereigns
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Grenada: Climate Change Policy Assessment
International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.
Grenada has made significant strides to counter climate change but meeting the daunting remaining challenges will require domestic policy actions and sustained international support. Climate change is an existential threat to Grenada. Increasing frequency and intensity of coastal storms threatens infrastructure and livelihoods, as do increased risk of coastal flooding and drought. Notably, Hurricane Ivan in 2004 caused damages of over 200 percent of GDP. Grenada has recognized this by placing climate resilience at the center of its policy making and forging strategic alliances with key global climate finance providers. However, the challenges facing the country remain daunting and will require large increases in international support, both financial and technical, to assist the Grenadian authorities turn their impressive resilience plans into action.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; insurance coverage; private sector; capital budget; real GDP; financial support; excise tax; tax system; carbon tax; Climate change; Natural disasters; Insurance; Greenhouse gas emissions; Public investment and public-private partnerships (PPP); Caribbean; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Building Resilience in Developing Countries Vulnerable to Large Natural Disasters
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, &amp
,
Review Department
,
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
, and
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This paper discusses how countries vulnerable to natural disasters can reduce the associated human and economic cost. Building on earlier work by IMF staff, the paper views disaster risk management through the lens of a three-pillar strategy for building structural, financial, and post-disaster (including social) resilience. A coherent disaster resilience strategy, based on a diagnostic of risks and cost-effective responses, can provide a road map for how to tackle disaster related vulnerabilities. It can also help mobilize much-needed support from the international community.
Keywords:
PP; country; country effort; lending toolkit; executive board assessment; disaster-vulnerable country; donor country; climate funds; Natural disasters; Insurance; Disaster aid; Climate change; Fiscal space; Caribbean; Pacific Islands
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: Selected Issues Paper
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper presents a quantification of the long-term benefits of ex-ante resilient investment and insurance needs against natural disasters (ND) in Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). Cost-benefit analysis of resilient investment based on a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model tailored to small states and calibrated to all ECCU economies is also discussed in the paper. The model’s aggregate production function illustrates the interaction among the participating sectors and their contribution to output, ultimately informing the role of resilient investment. The study also quantifies government insurance coverage needs and costs using an empirical stochastic model that simulates NDs fiscal costs. The insurance needs are framed within the World Bank insurance layering framework. The results in this paper underscore the importance of a shift from ex-post recovery to a focus on ex-ante resilience building. Ex-ante resilient investment and insurance are key to the welfare and financial sustainability of the ECCU, given high intensity and recurrence of NDs.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; ECCU country; country authorities; private sector; depreciation rate; resilient investment; ECCU economy; deficit bias; labor migration; debt target; insurance cost; Natural disasters; Public investment spending; Insurance; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: 2018 Discussion on Common Policies of Member Countries-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This 2018 discussion on common policies of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) highlights that the member countries are gradually recovering following the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Conditions remain favorable to growth, however, risks are increasing. The fiscal balance for the region as a whole worsened in 2017, reflecting lower inflows from citizenship-by-investment programs and higher reconstruction and current spending. The IMF team made several policy recommendations including shifting focus from the current emphasis on recovery from natural disasters to building ex-ante resilience. The report also recommends intensifying decisive and timely actions to resolve weaknesses in the financial sector, including longstanding problems in the banking sector and emerging risks in the non-banking sector. The authorities expressed commitment to the acceleration of key reforms to upgrade and strengthen the financial sector regional oversight framework. In addition to fiscal consolidation, injecting new vigor into the structural policy agenda will help enhance competitiveness and make growth more inclusive.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; ECCU country; ECCU price aggregate; Cartac; ECCU debt target; ECCU authority; ECCU region; ECCU work program; ECCU aggregate; Natural disasters; Insurance; Nonperforming loans; Credit bureaus; Caribbean; Global; staff advice; IMF's transparency policy; IMF's article