With the present study conducted by the MicroInsurance Centre and co-published by the Microinsurance Network and the Munich Re Foundation, the Microinsurance Network's World Map of Microinsurance has identified the details of microinsurance activities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as of 2013. The study analyses comprehensive data from almost 100 insurance companies in LAC and reports on the following key topics: Business Case, Mass vs Micro, Growth and Moving Forward.

In this document, Allianz reports on all microinsurance activities for the year 2014. Highlights include: 44.6 million lives insured, premiums exceeding €100, a feature story on customer conversion in Indonesia, a section on the two MILK studies conducted by the MicroInsurance Centre, and background information on why Allianz chooses to be involved in microinsurance business.

El presente diagnóstico tiene como objetivo: (i) presentar la situación del sector de microseguros en Colombia teniendo en cuenta los hallazgos obtenidos por el equipo consultor; (ii) identificar barreras actuales y potenciales que puedan obstaculizar el desarrollo de los microseguros; (iii) identificar factores y oportunidades que puedan contribuir al desarrollo del sector de microseguros en Colombia y (iv) presentar recomendaciones para lograr dicho objetivo.

The Microinsurance Network is pleased to announce the arrival of its Annual Report for the year 2013. The Annual Report provides an insight into the Microinsurance Network's many achievements of the last year and the activities of the Network's working and discussion groups, as well as details of the various conferences it arranged and supported. Contributions from members outline how the network was able to successfully meet its objectives and in what way this has impacted the microinsurance sector.

In this annual report, we review the dramatic shift in microinsurance that has taken place over the last 6 years, from the beginning of 2008 to the end of 2013. The ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility has both contributed to these changes, and adapted to them. Part 1 provides an overview of the last 6 years. Parts 2 and 3 respond to the two key questions currently facing the industry: how and whether microinsurance can be viable (Part 2), and offer value to clients (Part 3). Achieving viability and client value are not just questions for individual organizations. In Part 4 we explore the need to develop countries’ microinsurance markets, and outline our plans for the next 5 years. The annexes list our innovation grants and strategic partners (Annex I), knowledge products (Annex II), and capacity-building activities (Annex III). Annex IV gives details of the Facility’s team.

This annual report is organized into three parts: Part 1 summarizes the major outputs of the ILO's Microinsurance Innovation Facility in 2012 and introduces our initial thoughts on the Facility's plans after 2013; Part 2 describes microinsurance development and the experiences of our partners in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, India and Latin America and the Caribbean; and Part 3 presents lessons that were generated by our partners in 2012. The Annexes list our innovation grantees and strategic partners (Annex I), knowledge products (Annex II) and capacity-building activities (Annex III).

Ce numéro hivernal du bulletin commence par un article consacré à la 8ème Conférence internationale sur la micro-assurance, qui s’est tenue en Tanzanie au mois de novembre 2012. Cette conférence, la plus grande jamais organisée, a été un grand succès, après son inauguration par S.A.R. la Princesse Máxima des Pays-Bas.

2012 étant l’Année internationale des coopératives, Kumar Shailabh défend l’idée d’une protection populaire contre les risques et met en évidence quelques avantages du modèle de partage des risques par rapport au modèle de transfert des risques. Le dernier article présente le nouveau plan stratégique du Microinsurance Network pour la période 2012-2017.

La edición de invierno del boletín se inicia con un artículo sobre la 8ª Conferencia Internacional sobre Microseguros que tuvo lugar en Tanzania en el mes de noviembre de 2012. La conferencia, que fue la más larga hasta ahora, fue un gran éxito y fue iniciada por su Alteza Real la Princesa Máxima de Holanda.

Dado el hecho que 2012 es el Año Internacional de las Cooperativas, Kumar Shailabh elabora un caso de protección al riesgo liderado por la gente y resalta algunas de las ventajas del modelo de compartir el riesgo, comparado con el modelo de transferencia del riesgo. El artículo final presenta el nuevo plan estratégico 2012 – 2017 del Microinsurance Network.

The winter edition of the newsletter opens with an article on the 8th International Microinsurance Conference that took place in Tanzania in November of this year. The conference, which was the largest one so far, proved a great success and was opened by her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.

In view of the fact that 2012 is the International Year of the Cooperatives, Kumar Shailabh makes a case for people led risk protection and highlights some of the advantages of the risk sharing model, compared to the risk transfer one. The final article presents the Microinsurance Network’s new strategic plan 2012-2017.

Esta edición del boletín se centra en los distintos enfoques que los donantes pueden jugar en los microseguros y ha sido co-editada por el Grupo de discusión de Financiadores del Microinsurance Network, previamente conocido como el Grupo de discusión de Donantes, que busca mejorar las contribuciones, compartir las lecciones aprendidas y maximizar la efectividad de los financiadores.

El primer artículo resalta algunas ideas para que los donantes aceleren la provisión de seguros que brindan valor a clientes de bajos ingresos. El segundo artículo explora la Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO) y el rol de los donantes de liderar este tipo de asociación público-privada para ayudar a desarrollar mecanismos para enfrentar el riesgo en el mundo.

Ce bulletin met l’accent sur les divers rôles et approches que les bailleurs peuvent jouer en micro-assurance. Le texte a été en partie rédigé par le Groupe de discussion Financeurs du Microinsurance Network, anciennement connu sous le nom de Groupe de discussion Bailleurs, qui a pour objectif d’améliorer les collaborations, de partager les enseignements et maximiser l’efficacité des bailleurs et financeurs.

Le premier article propose des idées susceptibles d’aider les bailleurs à accélérer la prestation de services de micro-assurance apportant une vraie valeur aux clients à bas revenus. Le second article présente la Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO) et le rôle moteur que jouent les bailleurs dans ce partenariat public-privé qui développe des mécanismes de gestion des risques.

This edition of the newsletter focuses on the various roles and approaches donors can play in microinsurance. The newsletter has been co-edited by the Funders Discussion Group of the Microinsurance Network, formerly known as the Donors Discussion Group, which aims to improve collaborations, share lessons and maximise the effectiveness of funders.

The first article highlights some ideas for donors to accelerate the provision of insurance that provides value for low-income clients. The second article explores the Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO), and the role of donors in spearheading this public-private partnership to help develop risk coping mechanisms in the Caribbean and beyond.

The 'International Microinsurance Conference--Learning Session Ghana' was held from 22 to 23 May, 2012 in Accra with the aim of further promoting microinsurance in Ghana. The report at hand summarizes the key issues and messages which emerged from the discussions at the conference. It is structured along the six thematic learning sessions presented during the conference: (1) Regulation, (2) Managing Information, (3) Pricing and the Development of Actuarial Capacity, (4) Research and Development, (5) Distribution Channels, and (6) Innovation and Technology. Each chapter includes brief summaries of the presentations and key findings derived from the discussions.

Ce numéro hivernal de la Trilogie de la Micro-Assurance est en grande partie consacré à la micro-assurance au Brésil. Le pays a non seulement accueilli la 7ème Conférence internationale sur la micro-assurance mais il a également été récemment le sujet de plusieurs études et publications consacrées au marché brésilien de la micro-assurance et aux mesures prises pour faciliter l’offre de produits d’assurance aux personnes à faible revenu.

Ce bulletin d’information commence par un article sur la conférence et aborde ensuite les spécificités du marché brésilien de la micro-assurance, en utilisant pour ce faire les principales conclusions d’un rapport stratégique. Enfin, ce numéro se concentre également sur une étude de cas illustrant un des nombreux modèles innovants et alternatifs de micro-assurance au Brésil.

The winter edition of the Microinsurance Trilogy focuses on microinsurance in Brazil. Not only was the 7th International Microinsurance Conference held there in November 2011, but a number of papers and case studies have recently been published focusing on the Brazilian microinsurance market and the steps that are being taken to facilitate the offering of insurance products to low-income people.
The newsletter begins with an article on the conference before examining the Brazilian microinsurance market by extracting the key findings from a strategic report. It then continues by focusing on a case study that illustrates one of the many innovative and alternative microinsurance distribution models in Brazil.

La edición de invierno de la Trilogía de Microseguros se centra en los microseguros en Brasil. No es simplemente el hecho de que allí se llevó a cabo la 7a. Conferencia Internacional sobre Microseguros en Noviembre de 2011, sino que un número de documentos y estudios de caso han sido publicados recientemente sobre el mercado de microseguros brasilero y sobre los pasos que se están siguiendo para facilitar la oferta de productos de seguros a personas de bajos ingresos.

El boletín comienza con un artículo sobre la conferencia antes de examinar el mercado de microseguros brasilero al extractar los aspectos más importantes de un informe estratégico, y luego se focaliza en un estudio de caso que ilustra uno de los muchos modelos innovadores y alternativos de distribución de microseguros en Brasil.

IFAD has been working on index insurance as part of its commitment to reduce the vulnerabilities of poor rural smallholders and open their access to a range of financial services with a view to improving their livelihoods. With a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2008 IFAD joined forces with the World Food Programme (WFP) to launch the Weather Risk Management Facility (WRMF). The WRMF has conducted global research in government and donor best practice in weather index-based insurance (WII), while supporting WII pilots in China and Ethiopia (IFAD and WFP 2010). This technical guide translates the findings and experience to date into practical decision-making steps for IFAD and WFP country programme management staff and other donors interested in promoting this risk mitigation tool.

Ce numéro de Trilogie de la Micro-Assurance présente deux initiatives mettant l’accent sur les divers aspects de la gestion des connaissances: le Fonds pour l’Innovation en Micro-Assurance du BIT et le projet MILK (Microinsurance Learning and Knowledge) du MicroInsurance Centre, tous deux sont financés par la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates.

Tandis que le Fonds aborde la question de la connaissance par le biais de ses activités de recherche et des conclusions des chercheurs boursiers, le projet MILK base son approche sur des études de cas approfondies des pratiques de micro-assurance relevées parmi les acteurs clés de la chaîne de valeur, ainsi que sur des recherches menées auprès des clients sur la valeur ajoutée de la micro-assurance  par rapport à d’autres systèmes de gestion du risque. Ces deux approches différentes mais complémentaires sur la création des connaissances contribuent toutes deux à une meilleure compréhension de la micro-assurance.

This edition of the Microinsurance Trilogy presents two initiatives that focus on the various aspects of knowledge management: ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility and the Microinsurance Learning and Knowledge (MILK) project implemented by the MicroInsurance Centre, both initiatives are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

While the Facility is addressing the knowledge issue through lessons learnt from their grantees and its research activities, the MILK project is addressing them through in-depth studies of the business cases of key players throughout the value chain, and through research with clients looking at the value added of insurance over other risk management options. These two different yet complementary approaches of creating knowledge will provide a comprehensive understanding of microinsurance.