On 23 March, 2011 the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has launched the second Europe-wide stress-test for the insurance sector. The stress test is conducted in cooperation with the respective national supervisory authorities and will be concluded by the end of May, based on 2010 financial results. EIOPA will publish the aggregated results of the test in July 2011. The test is targeted towards the European insurance sector and will include a minimum of 50% of insurance companies per country measured by gross premium income. The Swiss Financial Market Authority (Finma) has decided to join the stress test in addition to member states of the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA).

To carry out this stress-test, EIOPA considered the macroeconomic assumptions that were applied to the banking stress test, in particular the assumptions underlying the macroeconomic adverse scenario provided by the European Central Bank. EIOPA further enhanced the definitions of those stress scenarios to address the actual market environment of the insurance industry.

Stress tests are a regular supervisory tool and the execution of periodic exercises is set down in EIOPA’s regulation, which defines EIOPA’s composition, powers, tasks and decision making process.

At its meeting on 6 April 2011, FSC took the following decisions:

1. Entered Bulgarian Credit Rating Agency AD as a credit rating agency in the Register under Art.30, para 1, Item 13 of the FSCA, kept by FSC.

2. Approved a prospectus for public offering of shares of HBG Investment Property Fund REIT, city of Varna.  The issue is to the amount of 32 500 common shares with a par value of BGN 1 each and issue value of BGN 17.20 each. Entered the issue of shares (in process of issuing) in the FSC’s Register.

3. Entered an issue of shares, issued by Holding Asenova Krepost AD, town of Asenovgrad, as a result of increase in the company’s capital. The issue is to the amount of BGN 4 644 201, divided into 4 644 201 common shares with right to vote, with a par value of BGN 1 each.

As of 31 March 2011, all pension insurance companies announced on their web sites information about the volume and structure of the investments by types of assets and securities issuers for each managed supplementary pension insurance fund. The information is disclosed in accordance with Art. 180 of the Social Insurance Code and the Requirements to the advertising and written information materials of the pension funds and of the pension insurance companies under Art. 123i, para 2 and Art. 180, para 2, Item 1 and Item  2 of the Social Insurance Code.

At 31.12.2010, the investments of all pension funds in debt instruments (bonds) were in overall 11 types of debt securities and 228 different issues, evaluated at the market value of BGN 1 761 111 030. The bonds occupied a share of 45.04% of the balance sheet assets of the universal pension funds, 41.27% of the balance sheet assets of the occupational pension funds, 41.59% of the balance sheet assets of the voluntary pension funds and 47.02% of the balance sheet assets of the voluntary pension funds under occupational schemes.

As of 31 December 2010, the investments of all pension funds in shares and other equity instruments were in overall 9 types of equity securities and 344 different issues evaluated at market value of BGN 1 055 964 344. The equity financial instruments account for 25.20%  share of the balance sheet assets of the universal pension funds, 28.23% of the balance sheet assets of the occupational pension funds, 31.20% of the balance sheet assets of the voluntary pension funds and 4.25% of the balance sheet assets of the voluntary pension funds under occupational schemes.

The data on the investments in 228 issues of debt and 344 issues of equity financial instruments at the end of 2010, in comparison with 184 issues of debt and 235 issues of equity financial instruments at the end of 2009, were indicative of the running of diversification processes in the pension funds through investments in a bigger number of issues, which if  appropriately combined had to result in reduction of the risk to the individual issuers and more optimal investment of the funds as rate of return-risk ratio.

By 31^st of March every year, the pension insurance companies must announce the achieved investment results (rate of return and investment risk) of the managed by them pension funds. The content and form of this information is specified in the Requirements to the advertising and written information materials of the pension funds and of the pension insurance companies. According to Item 23 of the above stated document, the information of the achieved investment results of the pension funds covers:

The presented individual data from the insurer’s reports for 2010 are summarized and published on the FSC’s web page – www.fsc.bg, in section E-library, Statistics, Insurance Market. In the same section, there are also data published for reinsurance company G P Reinsurance EAD.

In 2010, the gross premium income realized by insures, having a legal seat in the Republic of Bulgaria, amounted to BGN 1 630 550 thousand, where a decline of 3,0 % on a year-on-year basis was observed. The gross premium income, realized by the general insurance companies at the end of 2010, amounted to BGN 1 384 741 thousand, whereby a decrease of 5,1 % on a year-on-year basis was realized.

The gross premium income, realized by life insuring companies at the end of 2010, amounted to BGN 245 809 thousand, recording a growth of 10,5 % on an annual basis.

The occurred claims in general insurance were to the amount of BGN 749 410 thousand, declining by 1,6 % y/y.

The paid claims by life insurers were to the amount of BGN 98 633 thousand, recording a growth of 8,2 % year-on-year.

At the end of 2010, the sum of the insurers’ assets climbed by 4,9 % on an annual basis and amounted to BGN 2 922 704 thousand, including 63,8 % of the general insurance companies and 36,2 % of the life insurance companies.

In the end of 2010, the amount of the general insurance companies’ investments came to BGN 1 200 687 thousand and surged by 9,0 % year-on-year. The amount of the life insurance companies came to BGN 914 511 thousand and increased by 8,3 % year-on-year.

The assets amount of reinsurer G P Reinsurance EAD was BGN 1 609 914 thousand in the end of 2010, towards BGN 1 083 988 thousand in the end of 2009. 

The amount of the reinsurer’s investments in the end of 2010 was BGN 1 243 053 thousand, compared to BGN 975 583 thousand a year earlier.

The total amount of the insurers’ equity grew by 1,1 % on an annual basis and reached BGN 977 369 thousand, including BGN 526 261 thousand of the insurers pursing business of general insurance, and BGN 451 108 thousand of the life insurance companies.

The amount of the gross technical provisions, set aside by the general insurance companies increased by 8,1 % year-on-year and reached BGN 1 375 820 thousand.

The amount of the gross technical provisions, set aside by life insurance companies went up by 13,8 % year-on-year and reached BGN 574 750 thousand.

The companies in the general insurance sector reported a negative technical result of BGN (-43 279) thousand in 2010, compared to BGN (-7 736) thousand in 2009, respectively a negative financial result of BGN (-16 385) thousand in 2010, compared to BGN 26 689 thousand in 2009.

Social Insurance Supervision Division of FSC announced the final results of the activity in supplementary pension insurance for 2010. The information was obtained on the basis of the audited financial statements and statistics, submitted by the pension insurance companies at the Financial Supervision Commission.

As of 31 December 2010, the number of the insured persons in the four types of pension funds – universal, occupational, voluntary and voluntary under professional schemes, reached 3 882 883 persons, which represented an increase with 117 925 persons or by  3,13 percent compared to the insured in the end of 2009.

At 30 December 2010, the accumulated net assets in the system of supplementary pension insurance equaled to BGN 3 987 419 thousand and registered a growth of BGN 831 249 thousand, or 26,34 per cent in comparison with the net assets as of 31.12.2009.

The pension insurance companies closed the reporting 2010 year with total income to the amount of BGN 86 667 thousand, which represented an increase by 9,55 percent, compared to the recorded income in 2009. In 2010, the pension insurance sector realized a positive total net financial result to the amount of BGN 19 722 thousand, which represented a surge of this indicator by 18,83 in comparison with 2009.

The minimum rate of return on a year-on-year basis for the preceding 24-month period from 31.03.2009 to 31.03.2011 was   
4,79 percent from the management of the assets of the universal pension funds (UPF). Regarding the occupational pension funds (OPF), a minimum rate of return on an annual basis of 4,90 percent was determined for the same period. The weighted average rate of return of UPFs for the same period, calculated on an annual basis, was 7,98 per cent, and for OPF, respectively, it was 8,16 percent. All compulsory supplementary pension insurance funds reached a rate of return whose amount exceeded the set minimum level of rate of return for the relevant type of fund.

At its meeting on 20 April  2011, FSC took the following decisions:

1. Approved a prospectus for initial public offering of an issue of corporate bonds, which will be issued by Sofia Hotel Balkan AD, city of Sofia. The issue is at the amount of Euro 10 000 000, divided into 100 000 common bonds with a par value of Euro 100 each, 10% annual interest, with interest payments every 12 months, the principal being paid in one lump sum on the maturity date, and the term of the bond loan is 10 years, considered from the date of the bond loan conclusion.  Entered in the public register the above issue / in process of issuing/.

2. Approved a prospectus for initial public offering of an issue of shares, which will be issued as a result of increase in the capital of Sofia Hotel Balkan AD, city of Sofia.  The issue is to the amount of 4 785 360 common shares entitling to one vote, right to dividend and liquidation quota, proportionate to the par value of the share, with a par value BGN 1 each and issue value of BGN 3.60 each. Entered in the public register the above issue / in process of issuing/.

3. Entered an issue of shares with the purpose of trading on a regulated market, issued as a result of increase in the capital of Asenova Krepost AD, town of Asenovgrad, from BGN  1 232 568 to BGN 3 632 568. The issue is to the amount of BGN 2 400 000, divided into 800 000 common shares with right to vote, with a par value of BGN 3 each.

4. Entered in the register Debitum Invest SPV, city of Sofia, as a public company.

At its meeting on 27 April 2011, FSC took the following decisions:

1. Approved a prospectus for initial public offering of an issue of shares, which will be issued as result of increase in the capital of Bulstrad Vienna Insurance Group Plc, city of Sofia. The issue is to the amount of 613 647 common shares with right to vote, with right to dividend and liquidation quota, proportionate to the par value of the share, with a par value to the amount of BGN 10 each and issue value of BGN 49. Entered in the public register the above stated issue / in process of issuing/.

2. Entered an issue of shares with the purpose of trading on a regulated securities market, issued as a result of increase in the capital of Investor BG AD, city of Sofia, from BGN  1 199 460 to BGN 1 438 695. The issue is at the amount of BGN 239 235, divided into 239 235 common, freely negotiable shares with right to vote, with a par value of BGN 1 each. 

3. Entered an issue of shares with the purpose of trading on a regulated securities market, issued as a result of increase in the capital of Industrial Holding Bulgaria AD, city of Sofia, from BGN 58 282 079 to BGN 67 978 543. The issue is at the amount of BGN 9 696 464, divided into 9 696 464 common shares with right to vote, with a par value of BGN 1 each. 

4. G P A Group JSC, city of Sofia, notified FSC of its intention to carry out activity as insurance broker on the territory of Romania under freedom to provide services within the EU. FSC will inform the relevant competent authority of the host Member State about the intention of the insurance broker.

The presented individual data from the reports of the insurance brokers, registered in the Republic of Bulgaria as of 31 Dec., 2010 are summarized and published on the FSC’s web site – www.fsc.bg, in Section  E-Library, Statistics, Insurance market, Insurance brokers.
In 2010, the premium income realized through insurance brokers was at the amount of BGN  736 703 thousand, from which BGN 689 823 thousand in favor of insurers having a legal seat in Bulgaria, BGN 42 662 thousand in favor of insurers from other EU Member States and BGN 4 218 thousand in favor of the voluntary health insurance companies.
The revenues from commissions of the insurance brokers amounted to BGN 171 655 thousand, including BGN 165 260 thousand – in the intermediation with insurers having a legal seat in Bulgaria, BGN 5 878 thousand – in the intermediation with insurers from other states and BGN 517 thousand. – in the intermediation with voluntary health insurance companies.
The brokers’ commissions towards the realized through them premium income in favor of insurers having a legal seat in Bulgaria were 23,9 % in the general insurance and 24,7 % in life insurance.