Askari Life swings back to profitability on the back of premium growth

Askari Life Assurance Company Ltd has quietly engineered one of the more striking turnarounds on the Pakistan Stock Exchange this year. After several years of losses, the life insurer has swung back into profit on the back of strong premium growth and a much healthier insurance margin.

According to a recent corporate briefing, Askari Life posted earnings per share of roughly Rs0.3 for the first nine months of calendar 2025, compared with a loss of about Rs0.4 per share in the same period of 2024. In the third quarter alone, EPS came in at around Rs0.1, reversing a similar-sized loss a year earlier.

The improvement is driven above all by a sharp rise in premium income. Premium revenue for the first nine months of 2025 climbed to about Rs2.2 billion, up from roughly Rs1.3 billion a year earlier – an increase of 75%. Net premium revenue, after taking account of ceded reinsurance, nearly doubled from just under Rs1.0 billion to close to Rs1.9 billion, reflecting both higher new business and better retention of risk. The company’s net premium revenue growth outpaced the rise in premiums given to reinsurers, which only increased by about 12% over the same period.