MAPFRE: Premiums grow 19% and reach nearly €7.8 billion in the first quarter
By Lauren Towner · 28 April 2023

- Revenue is up 21% and stands at over €9.1 billion
- The net result reached €128 million (-17%) due to the impact of the earthquake in Turkey, with an estimated net cost of €77 million, as well as the complex Auto environment.
- IBERIA grew above the market, both in Non-Life and Life, with 31% premium growth, supported by the Life Savings business, and continues to be the region with the highest volume in the Group.
- LATAM, where net results took off to €94 million, is the main contributor to earnings.
- Improved Life result (+95%) and Non-Life financial result (+20%), in a better market context.
- The reinsurance unit grew 7% and global risks 11%.
- MAPFRE will pay the final dividend against 2022 results on May 24th.
- In the Life business, premiums are up almost €700 million, driven by the Life Savings business in Spain. The result for this line has benefitted from both good technical performance as well as strong financial income, especially in Latin America. The Life Protection combined ratio stands at 81.6% (-1.3 p.p.). All these factors led to a 95% improvement in the Life net result compared to the previous year.
- The earthquake in Turkey was the main relevant Nat cat event impacting results, and the estimates, which are still subject to a full damage assessment, have a net impact of approximately €77 million, mainly affecting MAPFRE RE (€72 million) and, to a lesser extent, the local insurance company (€5 million). In 2022, the most relevant cat claim for the company was the drought in Brazil, with a €37-million net impact for the Group in the first quarter.
- The Life business volume is 2.4 times higher than the previous year, reaching almost €1.1 billion, of which 965 million correspond to Life Savings (326 million in 2022). • Non-Life premiums grew 7.3% and reflect the positive development of the Accident & Health business (+9%), General P&C (+7.1%), and Auto (+4.9%).
- In Auto, tariffs continue to be gradually adapted to the inflationary context and based on individual risk profiles. The fleet reached 6,189,213 insured vehicles, with a slight reduction in the fleet in the first quarter related to risk-selection measures, which led to a more than 5% increase in the average premium.
- The Non-Life result and combined ratio have been affected by the Auto business, with the combined ratio at 106.5% (+6.8 p.p.). This line is affected by the recovery of mobility to pre-pandemic levels; the high inflation scenario and the Baremo update. The improvement in the combined ratio expected during the year will be based on strict cost control, while tariffs on average are expected to increase significantly more than that. • General P&C lines and the Life Protection business continue contributing positively to results, with combined ratios of 92.4% and 73.2%, respectively. • The financial result continues to improve in a more favorable environment, with a €37.2 million gross contribution to the Non-Life result (€30 million in 2022). • The net result reached €67.3 million, of which Spain contributed 64 million and Portugal 3.3 million. Of this amount, 11 million corresponds to realized gains (14 million in 2022). Business in LATAM consolidates the strong trends of recent quarters with close to €2.4 billion in premiums and a result of 94 million, the largest contributor to Group earnings.
- In Brazil, premiums reached almost €1.2 billion, up 22%, backed by the favorable development of the Brazilian real, which appreciated 3%. In local currency, premium growth reached 18%. The improvement in written premiums is due, above all, to the positive development of the Agro Insurance and Life Protection business, which grew in euros 44% and 28.5%, respectively.
- The Auto business grew 8%. This line continues to quickly adapt tariffs to inflation. The fleet reached 1,294,740 insured vehicles, with a slight reduction in the quarter related to risk-selection measures.
- The combined ratio dropped significantly to 81.6%, due in part to a 15 percentage point improvement in the Auto line after tariff increases. The combined ratio in Auto stands at 106.6% (-14.8 p.p.). Additionally, the Agro business improved its positive development thanks to a benign quarter after the losses in 2022 from the drought, and the General P&C ratio stands at an excellent 72%. The Life Protection business also has a solid combined ratio, standing at 77.8%.
- The financial result also continues to contribute very positively, with a €23.4-million gross contribution to Non-Life (€19.8 million in 2022).
- The combined ratio in LATAM SOUTH CENTRAL rose to 102.1% due to the situation in the General P&C line in Chile and Peru.
- In Peru, premiums reached €181 million, up 2.5%, while the net result reached €7.9 million. The combined ratio rose to 104.4% in the quarter, both as a result of the weather-related impacts of the coastal El Niño, as well as from political instability.
- In Mexico, premiums reached €333 million, up by 1.3%, supported by the favorable performance of the Mexican peso, which appreciated 14.6%, while the net result reached €12 million. The combined ratio rose by more than 2 percentage points to 94.9%, mainly due to the Accident & Health business.
- Both the Life Protection business and financial income continue to improve, contributing very positively to the result.
- In the North America Regional Area, premiums reached €584 million at March, growing 8.1% in euros and 4.1% in dollars. The largest contributor was the United States with €526 million and 8% growth. Puerto Rico recorded an 8.5% increase, reaching €58 million in premiums.
- The Auto business grew 8.1%. The fleet reached 1,414,304 insured vehicles, with a slight reduction in 2023.
- The Non-Life combined ratio stands at 107.7%, affected by weather-related events (Arctic Freeze) in the United States which caused higher losses in the Homeowners line, with a net cost of €13 million. As of May, tariffs in this line will increase around 15% on average to compensate the rate increase for catastrophic reinsurance coverage. • The Auto combined ratio stands at 105%, a significant improvement compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 (118%), supported by already implemented tariff increases. Auto rates will go up an additional 6.5% starting in May. • All of the above has led the region to post losses of €9.3 million. EMEA • In EMEA, premiums reached €437 million, representing 7.7% growth, and reflecting currency and inflation impacts in Turkey. The region recorded losses of €17.8 million, primarily related to the earthquake (5 million net impact), as well as the concentration of large loss claims in the Auto line in Italy.
- MAPFRE RE premiums, which include reinsurance and global risks business, grew 8%, reaching over €2.0 billion. On a risk-adjusted basis, the catastrophic business rates are growing above 20%.
- The reinsurance business grew 6.7% while the global risks business advanced more than 11%.
- The estimated cost for the earthquake in Turkey for MAPFRE RE amounts to €102 million, with a net impact for the Group of 72 million.
- The financial result also grew, with a €21.2-million gross contribution to the Non-Life result (9.4 million in 2022). In 2023, net gains of €4.4 million were realized (-0.2 million in 2022).
- The net result reached €33.4 million, and the combined ratio went up to 98.8%. ASISTENCIA enters a new phase, with a focus on more digital activity and geographic reorientation
- In 2023, MAPFRE ASISTENCIA has entered a new phase, with the launch of the new brand, MAWDY, present in 23 countries and focused on strategic markets for the group, mainly Europe and Latin America.
Companies in this story: MAPFRE
People in this story: Antonio Huertas