الهيئة العامة للرقابة المالية

• Obliging insurance companies to establish specialized departments to handle and respond to customer complaints
• The Authority mandates insurance companies and related professions to submit periodic reports on the causes and patterns of complaints
• Complaints shall be submitted to the Authority only after completing all necessary information and unsuccessful attempts to resolve within the company.
• Establishing a committee within the Authority to address and issue final decisions on customer complaints within 30 days.
• The Authority seeks to strengthen the protection of insurance customers’ rights and promote greater transparency within the sector.

FRA Board of Directors chaired by Dr. Mohamed Farid, issued Resolution No. (77) of 2025 setting comprehensive guidelines for handling and reviewing customer complaints across all companies and entities operating in the insurance sector and related activities.

This strategic step aims at safeguarding customer rights, raising transparency and governance standards, and ultimately enhancing customer trust in the insurance market. By improving the quality of services and complaint resolution, FRA seeks to support greater insurance, financial and investment inclusion.

This new resolution covers all insurance companies, including takaful (Islamic insurance), health insurance, micro-insurance firms, healthcare management companies, as well as government and private insurance funds, and entities involved in insurance-related professions such as actuarial firms, insurance consulting, risk assessment, inspection and damage evaluation and insurance or reinsurance brokerage.

In addition, the new guidelines requires all companies and entities in the sector to uphold the highest standards of disclosure and transparency when interacting with customers. Companies shall present all information about insurance products and services in clear, straightforward language, minimizing the use of complex technical terms unless essential, and offering thorough explanations during negotiations or prior to contracting to ensure customers have a complete understanding of the insurance product details.

The resolution requires that insurance applications and policies be clearly written in precise, non-misleading language, using a legible font, and must detail all terms governing the contract between the insurance company and the insured or beneficiary, including coverage amount, any applicable deductible and claims process.

It also mandates that companies provide customers with all critical terms and conditions of the insurance product, such as company’s name and legal status, policy type, coverage details, exclusions, premium payment methods and schedules and rules regarding late payments.

Additionally, the guidelines stipulates preparing brochures, summaries, or explanatory videos that present insurance products and services in simple language accessible to diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, ensuring no misleading advertisements or inaccurate information are included.

Furthermore, companies and entities in the insurance sector are required to form an internal department or designate a dedicated officer responsible for reviewing customer complaints promptly, promoting self-regulation and addressing issues seriously and objectively before escalating them to the Authority.

Companies must include a clear and prominent disclosure in all contracts, communications, advertisements, and printed materials, stating that they are subject to the Authority’s supervision and regulation. This required information must contain company’s license number, commercial registration and the contact details for the complaints department, including a dedicated phone line. Furthermore, customers must receive a written notice explaining their right to escalate any dispute to the Authority if they reject the settlement proposed by the company.

Moreover, the resolution stresses the need to verify a valid insurance interest for the beneficiary, particularly in high-value policies. Furthermore, the policy must clearly outline cancellation, liquidation, or benefit forfeiture conditions and offer the option to resolve any disputes through the Egyptian Center for Arbitration and Settlement of Non-Banking Financial Disputes (ECAS).

The resolution mandates that, immediately upon finalizing an insurance contract, companies must submit all policy documents to the customer. These regulations guarantee fairness and equal treatment, protect data privacy, and ensure proper account management through the routine collection and updating of customer information. Customers are also entitled to receive regular account statements, have the right to dispute any discrepancies, and must be notified about policy renewals and any earned profits or annual surpluses.

If payments are suspended, companies are required to inform the customer and provide them with the option to select one of the approved alternatives before making any deductions from investment policy balances. Cancellation or liquidation of any active insurance policy is only permitted upon the insured’s request or in accordance with policy terms, with clear explanations for the cancellation. The company is allowed to cancel the policy if the insured fails to fulfill payment obligations, but the insured is entitled to receive a proportional refund of premiums for the remaining unused coverage period.

For after-sales services, the regulations require insurance companies to maintain high quality, continuous customer service and promptly inform customers of any amendments to policies, company information, branches or representatives. Notifications must be clear and precise, outlining the potential impact on policyholders’ rights. No modifications can be made without the prior written consent of the insured or policyholder and the Authority’s approval.

Additionally, the resolution requires all companies and entities to establish and publicly disclose a comprehensive internal regulation that details specific procedures for handling complaints. This regulation must ensure that multiple, clearly advertised communication channels are included and consistently shared across all customer communications and materials.

The resolution also mandates that companies shall maintain dedicated complaints register recording the data of each complaint, such as date of submission, summary of the issue, actions taken and final decisions. This allows the Authority to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of complaint handling systems.

Furthermore, insurance sector entities are required to submit periodic complaint reports to the Authority – quarterly for insurance companies and semi-annually for professional service providers and insurance funds. These reports must detail number and classification of complaints, their causes, complainant information, complaint content, resolution outcomes, analyses of recurring issues, corrective measures implemented and their effectiveness in preventing repeated complaints.

On the other hand, the resolution establishes clear requirements for submitting complaints to the Authority, including the obligation to provide comprehensive details of the complaint previously submitted to the company or relevant entity, along with evidence that all internal dispute resolution attempts failed. This is in addition to filling an official complaint form including all necessary information about the complainant. These provisions guarantee that disputes are resolved quickly and effectively.

Additionally, a specialized committee within the Authority shall be formed, chaired by FRA Vice Chairman and comprising experts. This Committee shall review and resolve insurance disputes and issue final decisions within 30 days after receiving all necessary documents, in accordance with the unified insurance law, thereby ensuring timely and conclusive resolution of disputes.