VIS Reaffirms IFS Rating of EFU General Insurance Limited - Press Release issued by VIS Credit Rating Company Limited.

Karachi -- November 23, 2022 (PPI-OT)

Following is the text of press release issued by VIS Credit Rating Company Limited

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VIS Credit Rating Company Limited has reaffirmed the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) Rating of EFU General Insurance Limited (EFU) at 'AA++ (IFS)' (Double a plus (IFS)). The IFS rating of 'AA++(IFS)' denotes very strong capacity to meet policy holders and contract obligations. Risk factors are very low, and the impact of any adverse business and economic factors is expected to be very small. Outlook on the assigned rating is 'Stable'. The previous rating action was announced on March 31, 2022.

The rating assigned to EFU is underpinned by its strong financial profile and dominant market positioning in the private insurance sector of Pakistan, as evident from its market share of 21.7% in 2021. During 2021, insurance industry growth did pick up pace, rising from 8% to 11%, which can broadly be attributed to 4 companies, which contributed 87% of this growth.

Given the lacklustre growth across the industry, insurance penetration in the country persists on the lower side. A change in trend has been noted, wherein industry growth was reported at 26% in H1'2022, which is viewed to be aligned with the uptick in inflation. Despite some market share losses over the years, owing to competitive pressures in the industry, overall growth in EFU's underwriting remains close to industry growth.

EFU's assigned rating is supported by a sound...