Morocco to Begin Compulsory Insurance for Natural Disasters Early 2020

Morocco to Begin Compulsory Insurance for Natural Disasters Early 2020
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Morocco to Begin Compulsory Insurance for Natural Disasters Early 2020

Morocco to Begin Compulsory Insurance for Natural Disasters Early 2020

Compulsory insurance against natural and terrorist disaster damages will begin in Morocco in early 2020, according to Nouman Essami, director at the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance.

His comments were made Monday during the opening of the 26th Afro-Asian Federation of Insurance and Reinsurance (FAIR) Conference held in Morocco.

Essami pointed out that the mechanism of securing catastrophic cases in Morocco, whether resulting from nature or from human activities such as terrorism, has been put in place in recent years.

He said all the concerned legal provisions are ready in addition to the formation of a solidarity fund against disasters.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Supervisory Authority of Insurance and Social Welfare (ACAPS) Hassan Boubrik told Asharq Al-Awsat that the new insurance act will be compulsory and cover all Moroccan residents.

On how the insurance works, Boubrik said it would be included as a special article in all insurance contracts, except for life insurance.

For those who do not have insurance contracts, Boubrik explained that they will benefit from the newly created Disaster Solidarity Fund, whose director has been recently appointed by the Moroccan King.

He said the Fund will be operational starting early 2020.

The Conference kickstarted Monday in Marrakech and witnessed the participation of 1,100 insurance and reinsurance companies from both continents.

The general assembly of the Afro-Asian FAIR has elected Morocco as president of the federation for the next two years.

FAIR’s board of directors handed over the presidency from Bahrain’s Yassir al-Baharna to Morocco’s Youssef Fassi Fihri during the opening ceremony.

The Kingdom is a founding member of the Afro-Asian FAIR in 1964 in line with the implementation of the principles of the Bandung Declaration on cooperation among Non-Aligned Countries.



Saudi Arabia Approves First ETFs Tracking Hong Kong-listed Equities 

Saudi Arabia Approves First ETFs Tracking Hong Kong-listed Equities 
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Saudi Arabia Approves First ETFs Tracking Hong Kong-listed Equities 

Saudi Arabia Approves First ETFs Tracking Hong Kong-listed Equities 

Saudi Arabia has granted approval for its first exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking equities listed in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) said, marking the debut of such a product in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia's CMA said in a statement it approved local asset manager AlBilad Investment Company's request to offer "Albilad CSOP MSCI Hong Kong China Equity ETF" units on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

The ETF is a collaborative effort with Hong Kong's CSOP Asset Management, and focused on Hong Kong-listed companies including Chinese firms traded in the city.

Last November, Hong Kong launched Asia's first ETF tracking Saudi equities - CSOP Saudi Arabia ETF - and has been actively seeking cross-listing opportunities in both capital markets.

The Hong Kong-listed ETF's size has expanded to nearly HK$10 billion ($1.28 billion).

In June, Julia Leung, CEO of Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), visited Saudi Arabia to meet officials and discuss the potential listing of the ETFs on each other's exchanges.

China also approved its first two mainland listed ETFs tracking Hong Kong's CSOP Saudi Arabia ETF in June, seeking to further strengthen financial sector cooperation between the two regions and provide Chinese investors exposure to Middle East companies.