December 20: Nepal Insurance Authority has changed the investment guidelines for insurance companies. After criticism that the capital of the companies was accumulated only in fixed deposits of banks and financial institutions, the authority changed the guidelines and widened the scope.

The investment guidelines issued in four years ago opened the door for insurance companies to invest in infrastructure and productive sectors including real estate business and water resources, agriculture, and tourism. The then Insurance Board at that time had instructed insurance companies to invest according to the guidelines a year ago, saying that the companies were not investing in the infrastructure development sector. However, the insurance companies have not been attracted to the new sectors.

In the instructions issued separately for life, non-life, reinsurance and micro insurance companies, the newly-revamped insurance authority has directed those companies to reduce the amount to be kept in the banks’ term deposits and increased the portion of investments to be made in agriculture, hydropower, infrastructure, among other areas.

According to the guidelines, life insurance companies will be allowed to invest up to 25 per cent of the total investment in government bonds and non-life and reinsurance companies will be allowed to invest up to 20 per cent. Similarly, all types of insurance companies are allowed to keep a minimum of 30 per cent of their total investment in the fixed deposits of commercial banks and infrastructure development banks, 10 percent in development banks and finance companies. 

Earlier, insurance companies had to invest at least 40 per cent of their total technical reserves in term deposits of commercial banks and infrastructure development banks. In addition, there was a provision to invest a maximum of 20 per cent in the deposits of development banks and a maximum of 10 per cent in finance companies.

Surya Prasad Silwal, chairman of the authority, said that the scope was increased after receiving complaints that companies could not increase investment due to the guidelines. 

According to the authority's data, insurance companies have invested a total of Rs 527.8 billion in the fiscal year 2021/22.

Of that amount, Rs 408.43 billion (77.48 per cent) have been invested in fixed deposits of banks and financial institutions, Rs 7.45 billion  (1.41 percent) have been invested in the infrastructure sector.