Insurance Companies Encouraged to Invest in Long-Term Equity by way of Capital Relief

The EU Commission has published a proposal to amend the EU insurance directive (known as “Solvency II”) so that insurance companies can scale up long-term investments – see more here.

As part of the proposal, the EU Commission will introduce in 2022 technical changes to the criteria attached to the long-term equity category in the Solvency II Delegated Act by lowering the risk charges that are attached to insurance companies’ investment in long-term equity, including investment into alternative investment funds.

According to a press release issued by the EU Commission, it is expected the reduction in capital requirements would reach approximately EUR 10.5 billion under a cautious scenario assuming that only 15% of additional equities would qualify as long-term. This would be a decrease of more than 6% compared to current levels for insurance companies which can be further invested in long-term equity.

Next Step: The amendments to the long-term equity category is expected to be adopted during 2022.

Tags:  Solvency II