EUROPE INSURANCE MARKETS

EUROPE: MAY 2008 - Finansinspektionen's traffic-light model measures risk exposure.

The role of Finansinspektionen, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, is to promote stability and efficiency in the financial system and to ensure effective consumer protection. It was established in 1991 through the merger of the former banking and insurance regulators with the aim of creating a single integrated regulator covering banking, securities and insurance.

They use a traffic-light model to measure the exposure of insurance companies to extreme price fluctuations in the financial markets so that they can identify, at an early stage, companies that have damagingly high levels of risk exposure. The initial version, subsequently revised, was introduced at the beginning of 2006. The examples of price fluctuations that companies they regulate should be able to withstand include a 40% fall in Swedish share prices, a 35% fall in real estate prices and a 30% fall in long-term interest rates.

Of 189 insurance companies, consisting of 60 life insurance companies and occupational pension funds and 129 non-life insurance companies, that filed a...more

Sweden Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Sweden Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Swedish life insurance market and covers traditional and unit-linked insurance. It does not include reinsurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Sweden Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Sweden Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Sweden Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Swedish non-life insurance market and covers motor insurance, ilness & accident, commercial buildings insurance, household buildings and contents insurance animal and other non-life insurance policies. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Sweden Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Germany Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Germany Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the German insurance market and covers life and non-life (property and casualty) insurance. It does not include reinsurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Germany Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Germany Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Germany Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the German non-life insurance market and covers private health, motor, property and other non-life insurance policies. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Germany Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Mexico Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Mexico Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Mexican non-life insurance market and covers motor, private medical, private pensions, earthquake, fire, maritime and transport, civil responsibility, agriculture, credits and other insurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Mexico Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Russia General Liability Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Russia General Liability Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Russian general liability insurance market and covers general liability insurance. Market value is based on gross written premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Russia General Liability Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

ASIA INSURANCE MARKET

Detariffing of India's general insurance sector benefits the private sector.

The Indian general insurance sector saw the completion of the detariffing process on 1 January 2008. Price controls had first been lifted in January 2006 but the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (IRDA) had capped discounts at 51.2%.

Figures released by the IRDA show that growth figures in January 2008 have matched those of the previous eight months. There had been concerns that a period of cut throat competition may have ensued with market participants slashing prices to win market share at the expense of revenue growth. This had been the experience in other markets undergoing detariffing.

India's private sector insurers have been gaining market share since detariffing at the expense of the state owned entities although this has slowed from 8% in the period from April to December 2006 to 5% in the equivalent period of 2007.

The IRDA Chairman, CS Rao, stated at the CII Health Insurance Summit in Mumbai in October 2007 that he expected, 'Removal of tariff on other lines of business is....more

Australia Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Australia Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Australian life insurance market and covers superannuation and ordinary life (long-term) insurance. Market value is based on regular premiums in force and new single premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Australia Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

India Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots India Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Indian insurance market and covers life and non-life insurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots India Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

India Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots India Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Indian life insurance market. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots India Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

India Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots India Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Indian non-life insurance market and covers motor, fire, health accident, marine, engineering, personal, liability, aviation and other non-life insurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots India Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Japan Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Japan Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Japanese life insurance market and covers individual, individual annuity, group, group annuity and others. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Japan Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Japan Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Japan Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Japanese non-life insurance market and covers fire, marine, inland transit, voluntary automobile, personal accident, compulsory automobile and other. Market value is based on value on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Japan Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Hong Kong Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Hong Kong Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Hong Kong life insurance market and covers individual life and annunity (non-linked), individual life and annuity (linked), other individual, retirement scheme group business and non-retirement scheme group. Market value is based on the value of office premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Hong Kong Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Germany Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Germany Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the German life insurance market and covers life insurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Germany Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Canada Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Canada Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Canadian life insurance market and covers traditional life insurance, pension insurance and personal accident insurance. Market value is based on net written premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Canada Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

US Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots US Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the US insurance market and covers life and non-life insurance. Market value is based on net written premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots US Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

US Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots US Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the US life insurance market and covers traditional life insurance, pension insurance, personal accident insurance, and others. Market value is based on net written premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots US Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

US Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots US Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the US non-life insurance market and covers motor, property, liability, and other non-life insurance policies. Market value is based on net written premiums. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots US Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

US Property and Casualty Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots US Property and Casualty Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the US property and casualty insurance market and covers the net written premiums earned by property and casualty insurance companies in the US. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots US Property and Casualty Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Russia Non-Life Insurance 2008
Snapdata's Snapshots Russia Non-Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 4 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Russian non-life insurance market and covers complusory, property, personal, general liability and other non-life insurance policies. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Russia Non-Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

AMERICAS MUTUAL FUNDS MARKET

AMERICAS: MARCH 2008 - The use of sub-advisers by US mutual funds is on the increase.

The use of sub-advisers by US mutual funds enables them to utilise knowledge and expertise in geographic areas and asset classes without the expense or time lapse involved in acquisition or building it in-house. This is despite the fact that the sub-adviser will receive approximately 50% of the management fee.

Lipper have reported that assets held in sub-advised funds in the United States increased to $641 bn in 2007 from $261 bn in 2002. Financial Research Corp. analysts forecast that over the next five years assets in sub-advised funds will grow at a...more

EUROPEAN CONSUMER BORROWING MARKET

EUROPE: MARCH 2008 - The rate of growth in unsecured lending slows whilst pawnbroking grows.

By June 2007 the total indebtedness of the UK had reached over £1.3 trillion which compares to UK wealth which, including property, is estimated by PwC to exceed £6 trillion. The Bank of England noted in its 2007 Inflation Reports that the ratio of household debt to annual income has risen by around a half since the start of the decade to 160% in the first quarter of 2007.

Secured lending (primarily mortgage lending) had a growth rate of 11.3% during the year to June 2007 whilst growth in unsecured lending fell to 1.1%. Secured debt accounted for around 84% of total outstanding debt.

PwC believe that the recent significant....more

RUSSIA LIFE INSURANCE MARKET

EUROPE: MARCH 2008 - Russian insurance industry interests foreign investors.

Mergers and acquisitions activity in the Russian financial services sector has been strong since the beginning of 2006 and this trend is expected to continue through to the middle of 2008 according to a survey conducted by mergermarket for PwC. However, obstacles to concluding deals were found and included the lack of transparency, a lack of suitable targets and competition for the most attractive targets.

46% of respondents believed that the retail banking sector would be the most active whereas only 14% believed that the life insurance sector would be. However, a PwC spokesman was more positive stating that the Russian insurance market, because of its low capitalisation and high growth rate, would remain very attractive for foreign investors.

German, French and Italian companies are expected to have the most interest in acquiring in Russia. Most domestic respondents favour the presence of foreign investors because they provide easier...more

EUROPEAN INSURANCE MARKET

EUROPE: FEBRUARY 2008 - Central and eastern European insurance markets display strong growth from low base.

Ken PwC recently published the results of a follow-up survey on the insurance market in the accession nations of central and eastern Europe (CEE). They published the original survey at the end of 2004.

Based on 2005 figures, the latest available at the time of compilation, the key finding was that insurance penetration, measured by premia paid as a percentage of GDP, in the 10 CEE countries averaged 3.26% whereas the figure for the 15 original EU members was 8.64%.

However the....more

New Overview of the UK Credit Cards Market 2008

For more information follow this link: UK Credit Cards 2008

Snapdata's Snapshots UK Credit Cards 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the UK credit card market, and covers consumer and commercial credit cards. It does not include retail store cards. Market value is based on the value of transactions. Market volume is based on the number of card transactions. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots UK Credit Cards 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage.

Hungary Life Insurance Market 2008

Snapshots Hungary Life Insurance 2008

Snapdata's Snapshots Hungary Life Insurance 2008 provides 2007 year-end market size data, with 2008 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the Hungarian life insurance market, and covers insurance allied with investments, endowment, death and critical illness and other insurance. Market value is based on gross premium income. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots Hungary Life Insurance 2008 forms part of Snapdata's Financial Services industry coverage....more

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

EUROPE: UK public sector expenditure on management consultants continues to grow.

The UK Management Consultancy Association has published figures showing that public sector expenditure on management consultants increased by 23% in 2005 to £2.2bn. The wider drive to contract out services by local and central government and their agencies has been estimated to lead to an outsourcing market that will be worth £64bn by 2009. This is, however, not a risk free environment; Accenture recently quit the controversial NHS IT modernisation project and, in the process, made a provision of £240m against potential losses.

INSURANCE

EUROPE: MiFID offers both opportunities and burdens.

The Market in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), to be implemented in November 2007, aims to create a single market for financial services in Europe. Amongst its myriad aims are the creation of genuinely competitive and consistently well regulated markets for financial services throughout the EU.

Although implementation raises significant IT and Compliance burdens it will be important to focus equally on the business opportunities that are offered.

The EU Commission and national regulators envisage that most benefit will accrue to the prime movers. The predicted advantages are the ability to distribute products into other national markets and the uniform regulatory landscape and its concomitant reduction in the costs and difficulties of doing business in non-native markets. However, there is a feeling that it will be hard for retail-focussed institutions to gain significant advantages in the short-term as existing distribution channels will continue to predominate.

INSURANCE

ASIA: Rise in middle-class prosperity drives growth in the Chinese insurance market

Growth in the Chinese insurance market will be driven by the growth in the middle-class - those who are sufficiently prosperous to take a long-term view of their own financial security.

Although the insurance industry is by definition about risk, this inherent risk is exacerbated when entering developing markets with huge potential such as China. Specific issues are the difficulty in recruiting experienced local staff, the sheer size of the country which creates problems in providing national coverage, the regulatory and corporate governance environment and low interest rates leading to paltry returns on fixed-income investments

INSURANCE

AMERICAS: Market liberalisation drives Latin American premium growth

Total insurance premium income is growing at a faster rate than the economy as a whole in Latin America. One of the reasons suggested for this dynamism is market liberalisation and consequent growth in competition from subsidiaries of overseas companies. For example the market share by premium of foreign controlled insurance companies in Mexico grew from 0% to over 50% between 1993 and early 2005.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

EUROPE: Insurance markets grow in Central and Eastern Europe, as social welfare is transferred into private hands

Markets for life, disability and health insurance products are growing quickly in Central and Eastern Europe, as more responsibility for social welfare is transferred into private hands.

Accession to the EU of eight eastern and central European countries has contributed to the removal of the political, regulatory and cultural obstacles to cross border mergers in the financial services industry. Additionally conversion to IFRS reporting will help to introduce a level of transparency that has not historically existed. Consequently it is safe to suggest that central and eastern European financial services companies will continue to be affected by the growth in consolidation, driven by cross border mergers, in the sector. Between 1996 and 2004 the share of financial assets in central and eastern Europe owned by foreign banks tripled to 66%.

In Russia there is considerable un met demand for retail banking services. Until 2003, for example, there was no legal framework governing the securing of loans against property. There is now considerable scope for large and rapid growth in the provision of mortgage lending. There are endemic problems in operating in the Russian market but overseas institutions may have one advantage by virtue of their foreignness, there is a saying in Moscow that ''only foreigners will trust a Russian, other Russians don't.''