AWRIS Addresses Regional Insurance Challenges and Geopolitical Developments in the GCC in High-Level GAIF Industry Webinar
May 18, 2026,
Arab War Risks Insurance Syndicate (AWRIS) announced its participation in a high-level webinar organized by the General Arab Insurance Federation (GAIF), in collaboration with the Financial Services Institute (FSI), Egypt, examining “The Current Geopolitical Situation in the GCC and Its Impact on the Insurance Industry.”
The webinar brought together leading insurance and reinsurance professionals from across the region to discuss how evolving geopolitical tensions are reshaping insurance markets, maritime trade, underwriting practices, and global supply chains, particularly across the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.
AWRIS was represented by Mr. Imad M. Abdel Khaleq, Chief Executive Officer, and Ms. Lana Ebrahim Zainal, Chief Technical Officer, who participated as speakers during the webinar. Discussions focused on geopolitical risk developments and their implications on war-risk insurance, marine insurance, political violence coverage, reinsurance capacity, pricing volatility, and risk management strategies in high-risk environments. The session also explored the growing operational and underwriting challenges facing insurers and reinsurers amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, including dynamic repricing, selective underwriting practices, accumulation concerns, held cover mechanisms, and disruptions affecting global shipping and trade routes.
Particular attention was given to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea trade corridors, the impact of geopolitical instability on marine cargo and hull insurance, and the increasing role of insurance availability in supporting shipping continuity and broader economic activity. The discussion also addressed evolving market dynamics and practical industry concerns including loss of profit exposure, business interruption limitations, cargo deviation risks, coverage gaps, and the need for innovative risk-transfer mechanisms and regional cooperation frameworks capable of responding to increasingly complex geopolitical risks.
The webinar further highlighted the role of AWRIS as a regional war-risk pooling platform supporting insurance market resilience across the Arab world. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain, AWRIS serves more than 190 insurance and reinsurance companies across 16 Arab countries and provides specialized war-risk and political violence reinsurance solutions to insurance markets across the region.
Its coverage spans marine cargo war, marine hull war, aviation war, political violence, sabotage and terrorism, war on land, kidnap and ransom, and other specialized risks that are often critical to maintaining trade, transportation, logistics, infrastructure and broader business activity during periods of geopolitical instability.
As regional tensions continue to affect shipping routes, energy flows and business operations across parts of the Middle East, war-risk insurance has become increasingly important in supporting trade continuity and economic resilience. Established to support insurance markets across the Arab world, AWRIS provides regional access to specialized war-risk capacity backed by international reinsurance markets.
AWRIS’ participation in the GAIF webinar reflects the growing importance of specialized war-risk insurance solutions in supporting regional insurance markets, maintaining business continuity, and strengthening economic resilience amid evolving geopolitical developments across the GCC and wider region.
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About Arab War Risks Insurance Syndicate (AWRIS)
Founded in 1980 and headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain, AWRIS is a specialized regional war-risk insurance and reinsurance syndicate serving more than 200 insurance and reinsurance companies across 16 Arab countries. Established to support insurance markets and safeguard economic interests across the Arab world, AWRIS provides specialized coverage and reinsurance solutions relating to war and political violence risks.
AWRIS is supported by leading international reinsurance markets and has been assigned a Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb+” (Good) by AM Best, with a stable outlook.
