THE PARTNERSHIP
As the “implementation arm” of IAIS on access to insurance, the A2ii is its eyes, ears and hands on the ground. IAIS is embedded in our governance structure and operations. We work with the IAIS to determine necessary standards and structures, provide research-based guidance on how to implement them, and then work on the ground to bring them to life through capacity building with supervisors.
The IAIS was established in 1994 as an international organisation through which insurance regulators and supervisors can cooperate to contribute to improved regulation and supervision of the insurance industry on a domestic as well as on an international level in order to maintain efficient, fair, safe and stable insurance markets for the benefit and protection of policyholders. Today the IAIS represents insurance regulators and supervisors of some 200 jurisdictions in nearly 140 countries constituting 97% of the world's insurance premiums. Part of its core objective is to promote the development of well-regulated insurance markets.
A2ii contributes to the IAIS efforts, and the IAIS provides valuable synergies and benefits to the Access to Insurance Initiative.
IAIS STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE
A2ii supports the IAIS in its efforts to develop global standards and guidance and assists countries in the implementation of those standards. The Initiative provides a key contribution to this process for the IAIS by generating knowledge about practices and experiences through its country diagnostics, synthesis and thematic research.
In line with the work plan of the IAIS, learning from A2ii’s research and practical experience finds its way into IAIS materials through the development of standards and guidance. This process also provides A2ii with a key vehicle to ensure that learning is institutionalised into the resources of supervisors worldwide and for ongoing reference.
The IAIS has a methodology for the assessment of regulatory and supervisory systems more generally. Including this methodology in the A2ii’s country diagnostics facilitates the assessment of microinsurance issues within the context of regulatory and supervisory elements more generally. Moreover, it offers the potential for strengthening these key elements as part of the implementation phase.
