11 March 2013

IAIS: Ireland joins international information exchange agreement

Peter Braumüller, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), announced that the insurance supervisor of Ireland has joined an international supervisory cooperation and information exchange agreement. There are now 34 jurisdictions admitted as signatories to the IAIS Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU), representing more than 52 per cent of worldwide premium volume.

The MMoU is a global framework for cooperation and information exchange between insurance supervisors. It sets minimum standards to which signatories must adhere, and all applicants are subject to review and approval by an independent team of IAIS members. Through membership in the MMoU, jurisdictions are able to exchange relevant information with and provide assistance to other member jurisdictions, thereby promoting the financial stability of cross-border insurance operations for the benefit and protection of consumers.

“We are glad to welcome Ireland to the MMoU and to see it grow, in less than six years, to a tool covering more than 50 per cent of worldwide premium volume”, said Mr Braumüller. “The global insurance marketplace in which we operate demands an insurance supervisor with the ability to cooperate quickly and effectively for the benefit of consumers. The MMoU is an essential regulatory tool – not only in crisis situations, but on a day-to-day basis – for supervisors to foster safer and more stable insurance markets, and the IAIS encourages each of its Members to become a MMoU signatory.”

Previous MMoU signatories include, among others, Australia, Austria, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Connecticut (USA), Chinese Taipei, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Washington state (USA).

Press release

© IAIS - International Association of Insurance Supervisors