The presented reports and statements of insurers and reinsurers in non-life insurance and life insurance, according to Ordinance No. 53 of 23.12.2016 and quarterly quantitative templates, according to Regulation (EU) 2015/2450 under Art. 304, paragraph 1, letter “d” of Regulation (EU) 2015/35 at the end of the first quarter of 2021 are summarized and published on the FSC website – www.fsc.bg, section “Insurance Activity“, “Statistics”.

For the period from 01.06.2021 to 30.06.2021 the FSC received 30 (thirty) notifications from competent authorities of EU Member States regarding the cross-border activity in Bulgaria of insurers and insurance intermediaries based in other EU Member States.

1 (one) notification was received for withdrawal of the intention of an insurer based in another EU Member State to carry out insurance activity in Bulgaria. As of the end of June 2021, the number of insurance companies based in other EU and EEA Member States which intend to operate in Bulgaria under the principle of freedom to provide services, decreased to 426 (six hundred and twenty-six).

For the period, the FSC received 16 (sixteen) notifications regarding the intention of insurance intermediaries based in EU Member States to carry out insurance mediation activities in Bulgaria under the terms of freedom to provide services, as well as 6 (six) notifications for termination of such activity in the country. As of 30.06.2021, there are 2,292 (two thousand two hundred and ninety-two) insurance intermediaries based in EU Member States that have stated their intention to carry out cross-border insurance intermediation activities in Bulgaria

In June 2021, the FSC sent a notification to the national competent authorities of all EU Member States regarding the withdrawal of the intention of Bulgarian Export Insurance Agency EAD (BAEZ EAD) to carry out insurance activities under the conditions of freedom to provide services.

During the reporting period, the FSC provided information to the relevant competent supervisory authorities regarding the stated intention of Lev Ins AD to operate in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Hungary, Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for certain classes of insurance.

As of the end of June 2021, the total number of local insurance companies which have stated their intention to carry out insurance activities on the territory of other Member States of the EU and the EEA under the terms of freedom to provide services, decreased to 17.

For the period 01.06.2021 – 30.06.2021 the FSC did not send notifications regarding the intention of local insurance intermediaries to carry out cross-border activity on the territory of other Member States. At the end of the period, the total number of insurance intermediaries based in Bulgaria which declared their intention to carry out insurance intermediation activities in the territory of EU Member States under the terms of freedom to provide services or the right of establishment, remains 52 (fifty two) intermediaries.

The updated lists of notifications are available on the FSC website in the section “Supervised entities” – “Notifications”.

The reports presented by insurers and reinsurers in non-life and life insurance according to Ordinance No. 53 of 23.12.2016 at the end of 2020 are summarized and published on the FSC website – www.fsc.bg, section “Insurance Activity”, “Statistics”.

Quantitative reports according to Regulation (EU) 2015/2450 under Art. 304 (1) (d) of Regulation (EU) 2015/35 as of the end of 2020 have also been summarized and published.

Pursuant to Art. 86, para. 11 of Ordinance No. 53 of 23.12.2016 on the requirements for reporting, valuation of assets and liabilities and the formation of technical reserves of insurers, reinsurers and the Guarantee Fund, the Financial Supervision Commission published the maximum amount of technical interest for calculating premiums and reserves for the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 September 2021. Data on the maximum amount of technical interest can be found in the section “Insurance Activity”, “Statistics”, “Life Insurance”, “2021”.

The package of reports, statements and appendices in connection with the submission to the Financial Supervision Commission of the periodic reports of the insurance brokers as of 30.06.2021, on the grounds of Art. 311, para. 3, item 2, in connection with para. 4 of the Insurance Code has been updated.

In connection with the above, the completion of the above reports and statements, and their submission through the electronic portal of the FSC, must begin after downloading the mandatory updated format (version 30.06.2021), published on the FSC website at:

www.fsc.bg, section “Administrative documents”, subsection “Forms and templates”, “Insurance market”.

IMPORTANT:

Attachments must meet the following conditions:

• The main file containing the reference package according to Appendices 2.1-2.8 and 3.1-3.4 with basic information must be in .xls format (Microsoft Excel 2003);
• The content of the main file with basic information must be filled in according to the templates approved by the Financial Supervision Commission, observing all rules for data validity (these rules are not part of this instruction and can be downloaded from the Financial Supervision Commission website) ;
• The name of the main file with basic information must be formatted according to the rules set by the Financial Supervision Commission;
• Appendix No. 1 shall be filled in according to the attached template contained in the reference package, the information must be in .xls format;
• Files must be signed with a universal electronic signature in p7m or p7s format (PKCS # 7), and encryption should NOT be used when signing;
• The signature on the files must belong to the same employee who logged in the system.

 In connection with the frequent inquiries regarding the determination of the amount of pensions from universal pension funds (the so-called “second pension”) and given the high public interest in the adoption and alignment of regulations with amendments to the Social Insurance Code governing the payment of pensions from the universal pension funds, promulgated in the State Gazette, 19 / 5 March 2021, the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) provides the following clarifications:

 The Social Insurance Code (SIC) specifies the types of pension products and the obligations of pension insurance companies in relation to their payment and guarantees. The determination of the amount of the supplementary lifelong old-age pension from the universal pension funds is regulated at the legal level and is determined on the basis of the following 3 components:

1. the funds under the individual account of the insured person

 The information on the accumulations on the individual accounts of the persons insured in the universal pension funds is kept by the pension insurance companies. The insured person has the right to receive at any time information about the current state of the accumulated funds in their individual account. Regardless of the chosen type of payment – one-off, deferred or lifelong, for determining the initial amount of the pension, all funds on the individual account of the person at the time of concluding the pension contract are taken into account.

2. the table of mortality and average life expectancy, published by the National Statistical Institute

 The table for mortality and life expectancy of the National Statistical Institute is publicly available information available on the Institute’s website and is updated according to the statistical information calendar. Using a single table of mortality and calculating the pensions from universal pension funds by single formulas ensures the same way of calculating the pensions of all persons, regardless of the fund in which they are insured.

3. technical interest rate

 When calculating the amount of pensions, a technical interest rate is used, which reflects the expectations for the return on investment of pensioners’ funds. Its specific amount is determined by each pension insurance company in compliance with the regulatory requirements.

 In this regard, the FSC adopted the Ordinance on Technical Interest Rates and Formulas for Calculating Supplementary Lifetime Pensions for Old Age and the Ordinance on Reserves of Pension Insurance Companies for Guaranteeing the Gross Amount of Contributions to Universal Pension Funds Related to Calculating the Supplementary Lifetime Pension for Old Age. As a result, pension insurance companies have the necessary information and can perform forecast calculations and consult their clients.

 With regard to the deadlines for exercising the right of persons to choose social insurance:

 Persons who, up to and including 30 June 2021, have less than 5 years until the retirement age and who have not been granted a pension for length of service and age, may, once, until 30 June 2021, exercise the right to choose to change their insurance from a universal pension fund to the state social insurance.

 From 01 January 2022, other deadlines for exercising this right apply:

 – from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025 – not later than 1 year before the age under Art. 68, para. 1;

 – from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030 – not later than 2 years before the age under Art. 68, para. 1;

 – from 1 January 2031 to 31 December 2035 – not later than 3 years before the age under Art. 68, para. 1;

 – from 1 January 2036 to 31 December 2037 – not later than 4 years before the age under Art. 68, para. 1;

 – after 1 January 2038 – not later than 5 years before the age under Art. 68, para. 1

Pursuant to Council of Ministers Decision No. 441 of 04.06.2021 and published list of persons who fall or could fall within the scope of sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) by the United States Department of the Treasury, the Financial Supervision Commission informs that:

 has no relations with persons included in the list under item 1 of Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 441 of 04.06.2021

 in accordance with its legal powers and the current regulatory requirements it observes and is ready to assist the competent authorities under item 1 of Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 441 of 04.06.2021 on the persons included in the scope of inspections.

The FSC emphasizes that in its supervisory practice it will continue to take all legally regulated and necessary measures to preserve the stability of the capital market and the non-banking financial sector as a whole, prevention of illegal practices leading to damage to the confidence of the investment community.

The data presented from the reports of insurers in non-life and life insurance at the end of February 2021 are summarized and published on the FSC website – www.fsc.bg, section “Insurance activity”, “Statistics”.

The data presented from the reports of insurers in non-life and life insurance at the end of January 2021 are summarized and published on the FSC website – www.fsc.bg, section “Insurance activity”, “Statistics”.

The Financial Supervision Commission adopted on a second vote an Ordinance on the technical interest rates under Art. 169, para. 1, item 3 and para. 8, item 3 of the Social Insurance Code and the formulas for calculating the supplementary lifelong old-age pensions after a repeated public consultation.

With the Act to Amend and Supplement the Social Insurance Code (promulgated SG No. 19/2021), regulating the payment of pensions for insurance in a universal pension fund, the legislator instructed the Financial Supervision Commission to determine by ordinance the formulas for their calculation, as well as the requirements to the technical interest rates for determining their amount and the pensions from the occupational pension funds.

The formulas for calculating the supplementary lifelong old-age pensions provided for in the ordinance are based on established provisions in actuarial science and practice. Defining uniform formulas for pensions from universal pension funds ensures the same way of calculating the pensions of all persons, regardless of the fund in which they are insured. The formulas provided in the ordinance make it possible to determine the amount of the pension on the basis of the transferred gross contributions or on the basis of the higher amount of funds in the individual account in accordance with the possibilities provided by law. Regardless of the chosen type of guarantee for determining the initial amount of the pension, all funds on the individual account of the person at the time of concluding the pension contract are taken into account. The formulas also allow, depending on the agreement between the pensioner and the pension insurance company, that the pension be determined both at the time of concluding the pension contract and from an earlier or later time (e.g. from the moment of acquiring the right to a pension or from at a later date if the pensioner wishes to continue working after the conclusion of the pension contract). The regulation of the formulas in a regulatory act provides clarity and legal certainty in the relations between the pension insurance companies and the pensioners, facilitates the future pensioners in planning their income after retirement and increases the transparency and trust in the activity of supplementary pension insurance.

When calculating the amount of pensions, a technical interest rate is used, which reflects the expectations for the return on investment of pensioners’ funds. The specific amount of the technical interest rate is determined by each pension insurance company in compliance with the prescribed regulatory requirements and is approved by the Financial Supervision Commission. The ordinance requires pension insurance companies to adhere to the precautionary principle when determining the specific amounts of technical interest rates in order to reduce the risk of shortage of funds for future payments, as adopted in actuarial practice. According to the legal delegation, the ordinance also regulates the maximum amounts of technical interest rates. In this regard, it is envisaged that the technical interest rate for determining the supplementary lifelong old-age pension may not be higher than the long-term interest rate for assessing the degree of convergence published by the Bulgarian National Bank (average for the last seven years). The indicator used is determined on the basis of the yield on long-term government securities, which according to the Social Insurance Code must be taken into account when determining the technical interest rate. With regard to pensions from occupational pension funds, the same indicator was used to set the maximum technical interest rate, setting a wider range (150 per cent of the long-term interest rate for assessing the degree of convergence) given the differences in their activities and investments. In both cases, the technical interest rate may not be less than zero.