Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE’s listed insurance sector maintained its recovery in the first half of 2025, posting strong gains in revenue, profitability, and underwriting results, according to a performance analysis released by Badri Management Consultancy.
Total revenue across 27 listed insurers rose 19% to Dh24.6 billion, up from Dh20.7 billion in the same period last year.
“This expansion reflects sustained premium rate increases, improved risk-based pricing, and continued demand in Motor and Medical lines, which remain the primary growth drivers,” the report said.
AWNIC displayed the highest growth of 120%, while UFI experienced the largest dip in business of 13%. Insurance service results (ISRs) jumped 68% to Dh1.6 billion, compared to Dh972 million in H1 2024.
The five largest insurers contributed Dh1.3 billion of this, up 31% year-on-year, while mid-sized players staged a sharp turnaround, swinging from Dh14 million last year to Dh372 million.
According to Badri Management Consultancy, only 8 out of 27 insurers reported negative ISRs.
DAMAN posted the highest growth of Dh125 million, while SALAMA faced the sharpest decrease of Dh21 million.
Profits before tax for the 27 companies analysed surged 63% to Dh2.2 billion, compared to Dh1.3 billion a year earlier.
The top five profit generators grew earnings 32% to Dh1.6 billion, while the remaining companies collectively reported a 420% profit increase, from Dh107 million to Dh557 million.
Investment performance remained a critical factor for several insurers, the report said.
While most of the top 10 profit makers were buoyed more by investment income than core insurance operations, some players booked investment losses, indicating an uneven reliance on financial markets.
Underwriting profitability also improved, with the weighted average margin doubling to 4% form 2% a year earlier.
Some insurers maintained industry-leading margins above 25%, while others, though still negative territory, narrowed losses significantly compared to last year.
Badri said these findings underscore the sector’s firm recovery from the stress impact of April 2024 rains, which had pressured performance last year.
