DNB supervises the Dutch insurance sector. The data we present in this dashboard is the product of our supervision. It shows a number of important financial indicators for the Dutch insurance sector – balance sheet, solvency and premiums written.
For each indicator, we first provide a brief explanation before presenting the data. Developments in the number of insurers in the Netherlands can be found on our page about supervised entities.
There are three types of insurers in the Netherlands:
Our supervision of the Dutch insurance sector means that we monitor insurance companies to ensure they comply with laws and regulations, remain financially sound, manage risks properly and meet integrity requirements. This is mostly based on the Solvency II framework, a risk-based set of rules for the insurance sector.
A company’s balance sheet shows the assets and liabilities that the company has. The same is true for insurers. On the left of the balance sheet the assets are shown and on the right the debts – the “liabilities”. If the debts on the right are subtracted from the assets on the left, you get what is known as own funds.
The assets held by insurers mainly consist of investments. In the chart below, we have broken them down, perhaps somewhat enigmatically, into “investments” and “other investments”. We have done this to show the differences between the most common investments, such as shares, bonds and index-linked investment funds, and special investments, such as real estate and mortgage loans. The category “Other assets” consists mainly of funds still to be received (claims) and readily available cash.
The largest part of the liabilities on the balance sheet is the technical provisions. A technical provision is the amount of money set aside to cover future liabilities, such as insurance claims, pension benefits and costs. If technical provisions are well-managed, they provide adequate cover for insurance risks. The technical provisions shown are broken down by category of insurance for which they are held. The category “Other liabilities” mainly consist of debt and derivatives. Derivatives are financial products used to hedge against risks.
Solvency is the extent to which a company is able to repay its debts using its assets. A higher solvency therefore means a healthier financial position, because the insurer has more assets compared to the risks to which it is exposed in that case.
A key measure of insurers’ solvency is the Solvency II ratio. This ratio is calculated by dividing own funds by required own funds. A 100% Solvency ratio therefore means that the insurer has sufficient capital to meet the regulatory requirements. Therefore, it is the minimum requirement under the Solvency II rules.
The premium income of insurers consists of all the premiums they receive from their customers (also known as policyholders). They use this money to compensate for damages when something goes wrong (for example, in a car accident) or to make payouts (for example, in a life insurance policy). Together, premiums and investment returns form the main source of income for an insurer. When an insurer generates significant income, it can contribute to their own funds.
The premiums are often divided into various categories, such as car insurance, health insurance, and so on. This is referred to as the “Line of Business”. Additional explanations about the different Lines of Business can be found in the explanatory notes accompanying the data table. The charts you observe indicate the amount of premiums booked in each category.
Gross premiums written is the amount that an insurer receives in a given period for the insurance policies taken out during that period. It comprises all premium receipts (both one-off and periodic) and is an important source of income for insurers.
The premiums from direct business are the amounts that insurers charge their customers (both individuals and businesses). Reinsurers are not involved in this process.
This dashboard presents the data that we publish on supervision of Dutch insurers. View more data in the tables:
More information
See also the full list of insurance data and the latest news items about the insurance sector.
Macroeconomic statistics about the assets on the balance sheets of various Dutch insurers.
Navigate to dashboard about Insurers (macro-economic)Financial indicators about the supervision of the Dutch insurance sector.
Navigate to dashboard about Insurers (supervision)
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