2014-01-01
The General Authority for Financial Supervision issued Board Decision No. 19 of 2014 to regulate how Egyptian insurance and reinsurance companies may outsource the management of reserved funds investment portfolios to licensed securities portfolio managers or investment funds. The decision mandates strict eligibility criteria for external managers, including a minimum three-year operational history, a 200 million EGP average portfolio value, and concentration limits capping outsourced assets at 30% of the manager's total book and 50% of the insurer's total reserved funds. It further requires formal board approval, detailed contractual safeguards covering investment policies and conflict-of-interest protocols, quarterly fund reporting, and immediate submission of executed contracts to the Authority within one week.
The Official Gazette - Issue 51 on March 4, 2014
General Authority for Financial Supervision General Authority for Financial Supervision Board Decision No. 19 of 2014 Concerning Insurance and Reinsurance Companies Contracting to Manage Reserved Funds Investment Portfolios
The Board of Directors of the General Authority for Financial Supervision Having reviewed Law No. 10 of 2009 regulating supervision over non-banking financial markets and instruments: And Law No. 10 of 1981 on supervision and regulation of insurance, and its Executive Regulations: And Law No. 95 of 1992 on the capital market, and its Executive Regulations: And the Statute of the General Authority for Financial Supervision issued by Presidential Decree No. 192 of 2009: And the positions of the Authority's Board of Directors in its meeting held on February 9, 2014:
Has decided:
Article (1) An insurance or reinsurance company may entrust the management of a portion of its reserved funds investment portfolio to one of the companies licensed by the General Authority for Financial Supervision to conduct securities portfolio formation and management activities, investment fund management activities, or both (hereinafter referred to in this Decision as the "Investment Manager"), in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.
Article (2) The reserved funds investment portfolio whose management may be entrusted may be invested in cash deposits, bank savings certificates, government securities, bonds, sukuk, investment fund instruments, and their shares, provided that the Portfolio Manager shall ensure that investments comply with the rules and regulations stipulated in Article (40) of Law No. 10 of 1981 on supervision and regulation of insurance, and Article (28) of its Executive Regulations. In all cases, the investment officer at the insurance or reinsurance company shall maintain compliance with the rules and regulations stipulated in Article (28) of the Executive Regulations regarding the total reserved funds investment portfolio of the company, whether fully or partially entrusted to an investment manager, as stated in Article (1).
Article (3) The following conditions shall apply to contracting with one of the reserved funds investment portfolio management companies:
Article (4) The insurance or reinsurance company shall ensure that the reserved funds investment portfolio management contract includes the following:
Article (5) The insurance or reinsurance company's contract to entrust the management of reserved funds investment portfolios shall not take effect until its Board of Directors approves the contract. The minutes of the Board meeting where the contracting is approved must include evidence that a copy of the draft contract, the track record of the targeted investment manager, the experience of its investment management team, the latest audited financial statements of the investment manager company, the size of the portfolios it manages, and compliance with all conditions stipulated in this Decision were presented.
Article (6) The insurance or reinsurance company shall submit to the Authority, within one week of concluding the contract with the portfolio manager, a copy of the contract and a copy of the Board of Directors minutes containing the approval of such contracting.
Article (7) This Decision shall be published in the Official Gazette and on the Authority's website, and shall take effect from the day following its publication in the Official Gazette. It shall be communicated to the relevant departments and concerned companies for implementation.
Chairman of the Board Sherif Samy