A few manage to attract you and subsequently, millions of mobile applications are available to offer insurance policies, compare insurance prices and provide you with tailor-made insurance products.

Bearing in mind, the electronic insurances, Insurance Authority along with UAE Government, issued a draft for Electronic Insurance regulations (the Draft Law) in early in this year. The intention behind the issuance of this Law was to govern all insurance policies sold or purchased online within the UAE.

Overview of the Draft Law
Primarily, the Insurance Authority will require all insurance companies operating electronically to obtain approval from the authority by submitting an action plan, risk analysis, and operations plan for 3-year for ensuring the progression of the company.

Companies shall mandatorily have IT Department regulating and managing the insurance website, however, if the company wishes to outsource the work to an IT company, they must obtain a pre-approval from the authority.

The principal objective of the Draft Law is to regulate the insurance products sold online along with the registration of all the online sellers. Additionally, any website which compares two different insurance policies is strictly prohibited in under the Draft Law.

The Draft Law additionally proves to be very supportive of clients as it mandates the insurance providers to ensure that the requirement of the client is fulfilled up to his protection needs, relevant due diligence has been performed, the insurance product is correct and proper procedures have been followed.

Importantly, it necessitates the insurance provider to communicate with the client through two other additional means which can be email or message to enhance the security of the customer. It further requires the client to submit original documents to the insurance provider in hard copy, however, the rationale behind such requirement is not yet clear, as the regulation is strictly for electronic insurance.

Critically examining the provisions of the Draft Law, while the regulations are drafted in line with the modern technologies and digital era, there are particular prerequisites which still correspond with the traditional insurance laws.

The only advantage of this Law is to enable the world to experience the insurance sector with most modernized technology and to avoid paperwork. Yet, the Draft Law somehow restrict the companies to work entirely through online technology and limit them in certain areas. Nevertheless, the Draft Law is an incredible chance for UAE insurance Authority to manage and utilize technological advancements in the insurance sector.