Thursday, August 6 2026 12:27
Karina Melikyan

Armenian insurance companies` profit growth is slowing due to  premiums approaching stagnation

 Armenian insurance companies` profit growth is slowing due to  premiums approaching stagnation

ArmInfo.  Armenia's insurance sector increased its net profit in the first half of 2026 by 71.4%  year-on-year (versus a 2.1-fold increase a year ago), reaching AMD  3.3 billion ($9.1 million). Moreover, this high double-digit growth  rate, despite some slowdown, is the result of tariff increases  introduced a year ago, which boosted premium and claim growth. While  collections have significantly weakened, payments have accelerated.  This is evidenced by the Financial Rating of Armenian Insurance  Companies as of June 30, 2026, prepared by ArmInfo Investment Company  based on published financial reports and additional data requested  from insurance companies.

Specifically, insurance premiums slowed in year-on-year growth from  7.2% to a meager 1.1%, while claims accelerated in growth from 4.3%  to 4.7%, amounting to AMD 41.9 billion ($114 million) and AMD 23.3  billion ($63.4 million), respectively.

In terms of net profit for the first half of 2026, Armenia Insurance  IC took the lead with AMD 766.3 million (up from third place a year  ago). Nairi Insurance moved up to 2nd place, up from 5th last year,  with a net profit of 718.7 million drams. INGO Insurance moved up to  3rd place, up from 7th last year, with a net profit of 651.8 million  drams.  Liga Insurance and Rego Insurance, which occupied the top two  positions last year, took 5th and 4th positions, respectively, in the  first half of 2026, with net profits of 526.9 million drams and 544.2  million drams. Sil Insurance maintained its 6th position with a net  profit of 214.7 million drams. SC Efes, which demonstrated the  greatest growth in net profit several times a year ago and was then  in 4th place, now finds itself in last place with a loss of 77.5  million drams.

INGO recorded the largest net profit growth (7.3 times, after last  year's net profit growth of 2.1 times, going from negative to  positive), while Efes recorded the only decline (2.2 times, compared  to the highest growth of almost 5 times a year ago). Armenia  Insurance, the leader in net profit, improved its year-on-year  performance, moving from a slight decline to a significant 2.1-fold  increase.

Nairi Insurance took the lead in insurance premium volume with 7.6  billion drams, while it remains the leader in claims with 4.3 billion  drams. This pushed Efes Insurance Company down to second place in  premiums with 6.5 billion drams, while its reimbursement figures  dropped from third to sixth place with 2.8 billion drams, with both  indicators deteriorating year-over-year, from growth to a  double-digit decline. Liga Insurance Insurance Company ranks third in  premiums and reimbursements with 6.4 billion drams and 3.5 billion  drams, respectively. INGO Insurance Company, which held onto its  fourth position in premiums with 5.9 billion drams, moved up from  fifth to second in reimbursements with 4.1 billion drams. Sil  Insurance Insurance Company moved up from sixth to fifth place in  premiums and reimbursements with 5.9 billion drams and 3.1 billion  drams, respectively. REGO Insurance, which ranked seventh in both  premiums and claims a year ago, has moved up to sixth in premiums  (4.8 billion drams) and fourth in claims paid (3.3 billion drams).  Armenia Insurance, which ranked fifth in premiums and fourth in  claims a year ago, has fallen to seventh place, with premiums and  claims paid (4.7 billion drams) and 2.2 billion drams, respectively.

Of the seven operating insurance companies, three saw annual premium  growth (6-31%, with Sil Insurance seeing the highest growth and Nairi  Insurance seeing the lowest). Four insurance companies saw annual  growth in claims (10-41%, with INGO seeing the highest growth and  Nairi Insurance seeing the lowest growth). It's worth noting that  last year, INGO saw the highest double-digit decline in claims  despite strong double-digit premium growth, while Nairi Insurance  also saw the lowest premium growth, but with a decline in claims. Of  the seven insurance companies operating in the Armenian market, four  saw a decline in premiums (12-2%, with Efes seeing the highest  decline), while three saw a decline in claims (25-8%, with Armenia  Insurance and Efes seeing the highest decline).

ArmInfo analysts believe it's appropriate to clarify that the change  in LIGA Insurance's position in the Armenian insurance market in 2025  was due to a transaction underway during that period involving the  transfer of a controlling stake to European companies.  However, on  February 3, 2026, this process was completed and approved by the  Central Bank of Armenia. As a result, the Austrian financial concern  GRAWE REINSURANCE LIMITED LLC (75%) and the investment group CQ  Investment Group LLC (25%) acquired 100% of the shares of LIGA  Insurance, which will continue to operate in the Armenian market  without a name change, but will indicate that it is a member of the  GRAWE Group. It is noteworthy that from this point on, life insurance  will become LIGA Insurance's strategic growth area in the coming  years. In this regard, the Central Bank has scheduled discussions in  the National Assembly of Armenia to amend the RA Law "On Insurance"  to allow for life and non-life insurance (life and general insurance)  to be provided under a single license.

The agency's analysts also note that the transition of insurance  companies' financial reporting to the new format is increasingly  contributing to the concealment of important indicators, hindering  market analysis. It's worth noting that, unlike the previous  reporting format, the new version lacks a unified approach to  financial reporting, allowing insurance companies to selectively  disclose certain balance sheet indicators. ArmInfo Investment Company  is therefore requesting important data from insurance companies that  are missing from the new format, as it has become difficult for them  to independently analyze the market situation.

As a reminder, 18 of the 20 existing insurance classes are currently  in use in the Armenian insurance market, excluding railway liability  insurance and legal and extrajudicial expenses insurance.

Armenia Insurance is the only insurance company licensed for railway  insurance. INGO and Armenia Insurance are licensed for the largest  number of classes, with 16 each, and LIGA Insurance with 15. Efes is  the only insurance company not licensed for compulsory motor  third-party liability insurance (OSAGO). (The estimated exchange rate  for the dram to the dollar as of June 30, 2026, was 367.89 AMD/$1.)