Magazines

OESAI recently held their 45th annual conference in Mauritius and in this months edition we bring you feedback and highlights from the event as well as two eye opening articles from the Chief Executive and the Assistant Director for Insurance and Pensions, at the Mauritius FSC. What a breath of fresh air it was to discuss regulation with regulators that have their focus firmly on growing the financial services industry in Mauritius. Reading these two articles will give you new hope for the struggle with over- regulation, which our industry is clearly burdened by.

A key focus in this edition of COVER, is the growing risk in the cyber environment, several contributors are sounding the alarm, warning that the risk is much bigger than most businesses anticipate. I believe that the main reason for this stride mentality from the business environment and the insurance industry, is the fragmented manifestation of the risk and claims. However, the alarm calls should be heeded and the potential for a national or even global cyber pandemic should be a collective agenda, we need to tackle the issue on a grand collective scale.

August is Women’s Month, once again, we are celebrating the value woman add to our world, in so many ways. Our women's month feature in this edition is focused on the important topic of financial inclusivity for women, which is a crucial imperative for fostering equitable and sustainable economic growth. Don't miss the collection of insightful articles from women in the industry talking about this important issue.

Our main feature presents a series of summaries of the various TechFest2023 talks and presentations. This year we hosted 24 speakers in nine sessions, spanning four months, where we unpacked the digitisation journey in all its stage, from the perspective of the fundamentals of successful insurance business. Our second feature focused on high-net-worth advice, both in the short-term and long-term space.

In this issue we also unpack the latest on Construction & Engineering Insurance. Despite the depressed economy and uncertainty, there is an optimistic feel to the comments on this segment. Most commentators felt that several infrastructure projects relating to electricity, water/ sanitation and social housing would filter through to the C & E industry. However, risk management and a cautionary approach is essential. Be sure to read the articles in this feature. Don't miss our candid conversation with Jeanette Marais, the newly appointed Group CEO for Momentum Metropolitan.

What is clear from the various contributions to this months Offshore feature, is that it is not as straight forward as simply deciding what the general offshore average is and whether you are looking at long- or short term investing. Advice is not only essential to this process, but advisors should also be consulting technical experts when it comes to factors like regulatory requirements and pitfalls in the various jurisdictions. It can be a minefield, where clients lose, rather than benefit, from their diversification efforts.