Monday, August 24 2026 13:14
Karina Melikyan

ArmInfo FinRating: MTPL premiums continue to rise, while health  insurance premiums decline

ArmInfo FinRating: MTPL premiums continue to rise, while health  insurance premiums decline

ArmInfo.  MTPL premiums continue to rise, while health insurance premiums are declining.

According to the Financial Rating of Armenian Insurance Companies as  of June 30, 2026, prepared by ArmInfo News Agency based on published  financial reports and missing data requested from insurance  companies, MTPL premiums accelerated year-on-year from 16% to 18.5%,  while health insurance premiums fell even further, from 4.7% to  34.7%. Meanwhile, it is these two classes that support the market,  accounting for 45.2% and 19.8%, respectively.

While the rapidly growing premiums for compulsory motor third-party  liability insurance (CMTPLI) are the result of a significant tariff  increase (starting in February 2025), the accelerated decline in  health insurance premiums is due to the market's transition from a  private (VHI) system to a state-run universal health insurance (CHI),  which is changing the structure of financial flows and the rules of  the game for insurance companies. Specifically, starting in 2026, the  country will introduce mandatory state health insurance, which is  causing the classic commercial segment and voluntary corporate  packages to undergo a transformation.

At the same time, CMTPLI reimbursements accelerated year-on-year from  8.7% to 17.7%, while health insurance reimbursements reversed from a  12.3% increase to a 20.7% decline. These two classes also dominate in  terms of claims, accounting for 56.6% and 30.1% of the market,  respectively.

The following picture emerges for the remaining classes: property  insurance premiums increased by a paltry 2.1%, while claims jumped  2.4-fold; travel insurance premiums increased by 49.5%, while claims  grew modestly by 6.8%; accident insurance saw a near-stagnant 0.4%  increase in premiums, accompanied by a strong 85.3% increase in  claims; CASCO premiums and claims increased almost equally, by 29.6-  27.6%; aviation insurance saw a 41.4% increase in premiums,  accompanied by a negligible increase in claims; cargo insurance saw a  more significant increase in claims (23.2%) than in premiums (15.9%).  In general liability insurance, a significant 50.3% decline in  premiums was accompanied by a significant 69.4% increase in claims.

Meanwhile, the highest premium growth-tens of thousands of times-was  recorded for agricultural risk insurance (with no claims at all),  which is explained by the relatively recent revitalization of this  sector.  This segment has been revitalized this year thanks to  government support, including raising the subsidy threshold from  50-60% to 70-80% and the state assuming the "reinsurance function"  until the selection of a foreign reinsurance company as a future  partner for this program.

As for the remaining two classes-financial loss insurance and credit  risk insurance-in the former, a moderate 16% increase in premiums was  accompanied by a threefold jump in claims, while in the latter,  premiums increased by only 3.8% with no claims at all (only two  insurance companies-Armenia Insurance and LIGA Insurance-are licensed  to insure credit risks).

Overall, total insurance premiums across the market slowed in  year-on-year growth from 7.2% to 1.1%, while total claims maintained  growth at an accelerating rate from 4.3% to 4.7%, reaching $114  million and $63.4 million, respectively, in the first half of 2026.  Premium growth, which has weakened to the point of stagnation, and  the continued upward trend in claims limits the potential for  significant net profit growth.

Profits are losing the ability to grow at their previous high rates

This premium and claim dynamics deprives profits of the ability to  continue growing at their previous high rates. Specifically, net  profit slowed year-on-year from 2x to 71.4%, reaching $9.1 million in  the first half of the year. The only insurance company to report a  loss in the first half of this year was Efes, which had shown strong  profits just a year ago, but even then, its premiums had already  stagnated, which, in fact, turned into the largest market decline a  year later.

Armenia Insurance Insurance generated the leading net profit in the  first half of the year, reaching $2.1 million, with a 2.1x  year-on-year increase. Of the other five insurance companies that  ended the reporting period with a profit, three also managed to  significantly increase their profits (by 2.4-8.3 times - Sil  Insurance, Nairi Insurance, and INGO). REGO Insurance saw its growth  slow significantly to 49%, and LIGA Insurance only slightly increased  its net profit. It's worth noting that LIGA Insurance has had new  shareholders since the end of January 2026: the Austrian financial  concern GRAWE Reinsurance Limited LLC (75%) and the investment group  CQ Investment Group LLC (25%).

Of these six insurance companies, only three increased premiums (by  31.3%-5.8% - Sil Insurance, REGO Insurance, and Nairi Insurance).  These same insurance companies, along with INGO, also increased their  claims (by 41%-9.8% - the highest for INGO, the lowest for Nairi  Insurance).

Armenia Insurance, the leader in net profit, significantly increased  travel insurance premiums and claims, significantly increased  property insurance premiums and claims, significantly increased  general liability insurance premiums and claims, achieved high  double-digit growth in CASCO premiums and claims, resumed financial  loss insurance, and continued to increase credit risk insurance  premiums.

Equity is growing due to profits, while the authorized capital has  remained unchanged for a year.

The total equity capital of insurance companies accelerated  year-on-year from 5.5% to 16.2%, reaching $90.6 million. This was due  to accelerated growth in accumulated profit from 16.6% to 36.2% and a  more than twofold increase in reserves (general and revaluation),  while the authorized capital has remained unchanged for a year.  Moreover, the growth in accumulated profit could have been much  higher, were it not for the significant decline in this indicator at  Efes Insurance Company. By July 2026, the absolute value of  accumulated profit reached $33.2 million, reserves reached $5.8  million, and the authorized capital remained at AMD 18.8 billion or  $51.2 million. As can be seen, the authorized capital continues to  dominate the equity structure, but with a decrease in share from  65.6% to 56.5%. Meanwhile, the share of accumulated profit increased  from 31.3% to 36.6%, and reserves increased from 3.6% to 6.4%.

For three insurance companies, profit dominates their equity (INGO,  Nairi Insurance, and Armenia Insurance), while for the remaining four  insurance companies, the authorized capital holds a larger share.

LIGA Insurance maintains leadership in terms of equity capital and  authorized capital.  Importantly, this company's new strategy is  supported by the new owners' serious intentions to further strengthen  its position, including through the introduction of life insurance,  which will become a strategic growth area in the coming years.  Furthermore, LIGA Insurance is preparing to enter the small and  medium-sized business insurance niche, which will be a new  development in the market.

TOP 3 by Key Indicators: The top three by current assets are INGO,  LIGA Insurance, and Nairi Insurance, with a combined market coverage  of 62%.

In terms of current liabilities, INGO, Efes, and Nairi Insurance  lead, with a combined coverage of over 62%.

In terms of insurance premiums, Nairi Insurance, Efes, and LIGA  Insurance account for 49%.

In terms of reimbursements, Nairi Insurance, INGO, and LIGA Insurance  represent a combined market share of 51%.

In terms of equity, the top three companies are LIGA Insurance, INGO,  and Nairi Insurance, with a combined market share of over 59%. In  terms of authorized capital, the top three companies are LIGA  Insurance, REGO Insurance, and SIL Insurance, with a combined market  share of nearly 55%.

The top three companies by accumulated profit are Nairi Insurance,  LIGA Insurance, and INGO, with a combined market share of nearly 79%.  In terms of net profit for the first half of 2026, Armenia Insurance,  Nairi Insurance, and INGO lead, generating a combined market share of  nearly 64%.

In terms of premium breakdown by class, the leading insurance  companies are:

Nairi Insurance - for compulsory motor third-party liability  insurance and cargo insurance; Efes - for health insurance, property  insurance, and general liability insurance; LIGA Insurance - for  financial damage insurance; INGO - for comprehensive insurance; Sil  Insurance - for aviation insurance (including liability insurance)  and guarantee insurance; REGO Insurance - for accident insurance;  Armenia Insurance - for credit risk insurance and agricultural  insurance.

According to ArmInfo analysts, the transition of insurance companies'  financial reporting to a new format is increasingly obscuring more  and more important indicators from the possibility of a detailed  market analysis. It's worth noting that, unlike the previous  reporting format, the new version lacks a unified approach to  publishing financial statements, allowing insurance companies to  selectively disclose certain balance sheet indicators. ArmInfo IC is  therefore requesting insurance companies to provide important data  missing from the new format, as it has become difficult for them to  independently analyze the market situation.

It's worth noting that seven companies operate in the Armenian  insurance market. Of the 20 existing insurance classes, 18 are active  in Armenia, excluding railway liability insurance and legal and  extrajudicial expenses insurance. Only Armenia Insurance is licensed  for railway insurance. INGO and Armenia Insurance are licensed for  the largest number of classes, with 16 licenses, and LIGA Insurance  is licensed for 15.