ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in a bid to complement the government’s objectives of providing ease of doing business and enhanced consumer protection, launched Pakistan’s first-ever centralised information repository for life insurance sector. The repository that will function under the regulatory impetus of SECP will hold critical data of life insurance policies electronically.
SECP Chairman Aamir Khan said that the initiative would augment technological advancement in the insurance industry and will ensure facilitation and protection of policyholders. He hoped that it would facilitate effective settlement of insurance claims and cause reduction in mis-selling and policy churning.
“We, at the SECP are very mindful of our responsibilities as a progressive regulator that needs to help the industry to develop and grow, and simultaneously, create linkages between its regulated sectors and the real economy,” he said and underlined that the centralised documentation of data in digitalized form is critical to achieving transparency, speed and cost-effectiveness.
He informed participants that the SECP has already embarked upon a transformational journey of digitalization through its recently launched initiative – ‘Leading Efficiency through Automated Prowess (LEAP). This will enable 100 percent end-to-end automation, complete integration with multiple government agencies for one-time registration, and digitalization and storage of financial statements of companies through introduction of Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL).
The centralized repository will enable electronic storage of life insurance and family takaful policies and serve as central point for critical policyholder related information. It will assist the underwriting function of the insurers to determine the appropriateness of an insurance policy, the level of insurance coverage and affordability of the insurance policy for the customer which will ultimately result in need-based selling and substantial reduction in mis-selling.
Aamir Khan, Chairman SECP, Shaukat Hussain, Commissioner Insurance, Moin M. Fudda, Chairman, Centralized Depository Company (CDC), Badiuddin Akber, Chief Executive Officer, CDC, senior officials from SECP, CDC, CEOs and representatives of life insurers, non-life insurers, and relevant stakeholders attended the launching ceremony held the other day. .
