Insurance Industry in India: Structure, Performance, and Future Challenges

Abstract

With the liberalization and entry of private companies in insurance, the Indian insurance sector has started showing signs of significant change. Within a short span of time, private insurance has acquired 13 per cent of the life insurance market and 14 per cent of non-life market. However, there is still a huge untapped demand for insurance. Insurance companies have a pivotal role in offering insurance products which meet the requirements of the people and, at the same time, are affordable. Some of the challenges faced by the insurance sector pertain to the demand conditions, competition in the sector, product innovations, delivery and distribution systems, use of technology, and regulation. To understand the growth and development and the future prospects of this sector, this colloquium addresses the following issues: What will be the demand for insurance? What types of innovative strategies of insurance education and awareness will we require to encourage the Indian consumers? With the changes following bank participation in insurance, will the nature of competition in this sector intensify? What kind of competitive and risk pressures will the insurance businesses experience? What are their implications for profitability, margins, and efficiency? The average size of the polices will continuously decline as the insurance companies increase the geographic coverage. As a result of this, the intermediation costs will go up. What are the implications of these on average costs? What will be the product market scenario? Has the insurance sector benefited from the knowledge base of global companies? To what extent have the technology gains in telecommunications, computer information, and data processing contributed to increased efficiency and productivity of insurance companies? The following key points emerged from the responses of the panelists: The future in life insurance will be determined by the increase in pure protection products, a refreshing look at unit-linked plans, launch of customized plans, and improved service levels. The insurance sector will grow steadily rather than rapidly. While the law and regulations are in place to ensure financial strength and solvency of insurers, the regulator's challenge lies in monitoring compliance. The opportunity for financial services is increasing all over the world. Big domestic companies with significant market shares in the local countries will have the opportunities to commence business in other markets. Keeping in mind the complexities of the industry, multi-product, multi-channel, and multisegment route needs to be followed for growth. The challenge of successfully implementing bancassurance lies in training the staff, integrating the insurance products, and ensuring best quality service. Agents in the insurance sector are critical for its success and, in order to gain competitive advantage, quality people are needed but attracting and retaining agents is a challenge.