A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the degree Master of Commerce (Insurance and Risk Management) by dissertation, June 2017 / In 2011, National Treasury proposed the introduction of the Twin Peaks regulatory model for the South African financial sector. The adoption of this model will significantly change the regulatory landscape in South Africa. A growing body of mainly government generated literature focuses predominantly on the introduction of the Twin Peaks regulatory model and concentrates on the structure of this model rather than on the details of the model’s two peaks: prudential and market conduct. Market conduct regulation is understood in broad terms, however only limited studies are available as to the details of this peak. The study provides discourse as to the history and the role of the state (with specific reference to the Lockean framework) and further examines the various economic theories of regulation which provide the justifications for regulation. A brief discussion of the Twin Peaks system provides the necessary background and contextualisation. The purpose of this study is to establish the origins, development and nature of market conduct regulation in four insurance markets, including the United Kingdom (UK), European Union (EU), United States (US) and South Africa, with specific reference to the South African short term insurance market. This is achieved by providing a narrative of the development of insurance regulation in the four markets. From this narrative, the development of market conduct regulation is specifically distilled and the applicability of the various economic theories of regulation is sporadically assessed. The findings indicate that traces of market conduct issues can be detected at various periods in the nearly 500 year history of the global insurance market. However contemporary market conduct regulation evolved in the mid-1900s in the US and between 1986 and 2000 in the UK. In this regard, market conduct regulation was pioneered in these two markets. Furthermore, the study argues that contemporary regulatory developments in the UK have seen the market gradually transition away from regulation that historically was underpinned by the Lockean framework to a new framework. The study does not define or critiqued this new framework. This may be an avenue for further and more focused research. / XL2018

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Management in Finance and Investments at the Wits Business School, 2015 / The South African insurance industry exists within the shifting paradigm of regulation. The global financial crisis in 2008 has fostered a worldwide need to reassess the financial regulatory environment. Financial stability, reduction of redundancies and the closing of loopholes, so as to avoid arbitrage, has since come under the spotlight. In keeping with the international principals and trends The South African National Treasury has tabled a series of legislation that will help close the gaps, ensure the prudential integrity of the insurance system and outline the fair treatment of customers involved. Micro-insurance and funeral insurance present systems that are highly unregulated and therefore pose a threat to both the principals of prudential and market conduct oversight. Micro-insurance is also heralded as the saving grace (Morduch, 2002) in providing a vehicle to include the formerly excluded members of the society to the mainstream insurance market. The paper explores the various operators that exist in the funeral insurance market and aims to answer whether an opportunity exists for them under the new regulatory paradigm. Perceptions of industry role players are presented in the findings of this paper. These perceptions were attained by interviewing the industry professionals that are privy to the compliance information and are well versed in the strategy of their company. The findings in the paper show that the current system that exists is not conducive for informal operators. It further acknowledges that even though a great opportunity exists for informal insurers, because of their understanding of socio-economic factors of the low income sector, they do not see the opportunity that is presented to them. Furthermore there exists a place for these players to operate in the formal network, and their entrance will not cannibalise the existing insurance industry. / GR2018

As a medium-sized life insurance company Assupol Life provide life insurance products to clients within government departments, although the company entered the broader private market. The enactment of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002 and the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2001 impacted financial service providers and the research analysed the influence of regulation on managerial decision making, marketing and sales, finance, human resources, training and the structures within the organisation to comply with the legislation. The study endeavoured to determine the influence of regulation on the company and the measures implemented by the management of Assupol Life. The research results confirmed that the primary challenge faced by the company is to find a balance between compliance, managing human capital and creating value for shareholders. The major impact of the legislation involves the human resource- and training functions and the study illustrated that other influences was less severe. / Business Administration / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

As a medium-sized life insurance company Assupol Life provide life insurance products to clients within government departments, although the company entered the broader private market. The enactment of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002 and the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2001 impacted financial service providers and the research analysed the influence of regulation on managerial decision making, marketing and sales, finance, human resources, training and the structures within the organisation to comply with the legislation. The study endeavoured to determine the influence of regulation on the company and the measures implemented by the management of Assupol Life. The research results confirmed that the primary challenge faced by the company is to find a balance between compliance, managing human capital and creating value for shareholders. The major impact of the legislation involves the human resource- and training functions and the study illustrated that other influences was less severe. / Business Administration / M. Tech. (Business Administration)