ACRA Affirms ААА(RU) to SOGAZ INSURANCE, Outlook Stable Lead Analysts
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FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS RATING PRESS RELEASE INSURANCE June 25, 2021 ACRA affirms ААА(RU) to SOGAZ INSURANCE, outlook Stable Lead analysts: Alla Borisova, Associate Director +7 (495) 139-0480, ext. 153 The credit rating assigned to SOGAZ INSURANCE (hereinafter, SOGAZ, or the Company) [email protected] is based on its very strong business and financial profiles and adequate management quality. The rating is backed by the Company’s strong market position and operating Irina Nosova, Director performance, and high assessments of capital adequacy, asset quality, and liquidity. +7 (495) 139-0481 Additional positive influence comes from the assessment of the Company’s relationship [email protected] with one of its shareholders and largest customer, Gazprom (ACRA rating: AAA(RU), outlook Stable). In 2020, SOGAZ continued to confidently lead the Russian insurance market in terms of signed insurance premiums, assets and equity. SOGAZ Group includes the parent company SOGAZ INSURANCE (a universal insurer), its subsidiaries: IC SOGAZ-ZHIZN LLC (life insurance) and IC SOGAZ-Med JSC (compulsory health insurance), and several healthcare and related businesses. SOGAZ provides insurance cover to major Russian corporations, including Gazprom, Rosatom, Joint Stock Company “Russian Railways” (ACRA rating: AAA(RU), outlook Stable), and Rosneft Oil Company. Key rating assessment The very strong business profile stems from the Company’s strong market positions and factors strong operating performance. The market share of SOGAZ Group is 24.4% according to data for 2020. SOGAZ Group holds strong positions in the accident insurance, voluntary health insurance and corporate property insurance segments (50%, 38% and 54% of the market in the aforementioned period, respectively). The Company’s client base diversification is assessed as above average. The Agency assesses the quality of SOGAZ’s product range as high in view of the Company’s ability to meet its customers’ needs for insurance protection against major property risks and its experience in the field of employee health insurance. The structure of distribution channels is dominated by direct sales (38%) and the banking channel (48%), whose share continues to increase after the acquisition of insurance companies owned by VTB Bank (PJSC) and its inclusion among the shareholders of SOGAZ. The operational efficiency of the Company is consistently high. The combined loss ratio was 0.9 in 2020. The insurance premium growth rate has outpaced the market average in recent years due to both M&A transactions and the organic growth of the Company. ACRA expects the Company to maintain the average market growth rate at the least by holding on to its existing market share. According to the Agency’s assessments, the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions related to it have had a limited impact on SOGAZ Group’s business, which was reflected in the redistribution of a part of the premium between periods in some segments (the so- called deferred demand effect), as well as in a decrease in unprofitableness during the period of the main restrictions, for example, in vehicle insurance. In terms of personal insurance, which in general turned out to be the most affected by the pandemic, the Company’s portfolio showed growth both due to the integration of the businesses of companies owned by VTB Bank (PJSC), and also due to new clients, for whom the stability of a large insurer was an important factor in the conclusion of contracts. ACRA does not expect the future development of the pandemic to have a serious impact on SOGAZ’s market share or on the medium- and long-term growth rates of SOGAZ Group. ACRA also does not expect operating efficiency indicators to decline. The very strong financial profile is underpinned by the Company’s high capitalization and conservative investment policy. ACRA affirms ААА(RU) to SOGAZ INSURANCE, outlook Stable June 25, 2021 The ratio of available capital to capital at risk, calculated according to ACRA’s methodology, is 3.9, which contributes to the high capital adequacy of SOGAZ. The Company’s asset quality remains high, regardless of the continuing increase in the share of deferred acquisition costs driven by the growth of bank insurance in its portfolio. ACRA also notes that asset concentration has been maintained at a comfortable level. The strong liquidity position is determined by the short-term and long-term liquidity ratios of 1.9 and 1.2, respectively. Management quality is assessed as adequate in view of the positive assessments of management experience and structure, and the actuarial function. The Agency also notes the consistent development of the risk management system. In its final assessment of the rating, ACRA also made a positive adjustment to the standalone creditworthiness assessment (SCA), taking into account the sustainable competitive advantage associated with the relationship with one of the Company’s shareholders and its largest customer, Gazprom. Key assumptions Retaining market share and leadership in the corporate insurance sector; Maintaining the conservative investment policy; Major shareholders retaining their shareholdings in the Company. Potential outlook or The Stable outlook assumes that the rating will most likely stay unchanged within the 12 rating change factors to 18-month horizon. A negative rating action may be prompted by: Lower business performance indicators of the Company; Lower assessment of asset quality; Deteriorating assessment of the relationship with Gazprom. Rating components SCA: aa+. Adjustments: SCA + 2 notches. Issue ratings There are no outstanding issues. Regulatory disclosure The credit rating has been assigned under the national scale for the Russian Federation based on the Methodology for Assigning Credit Ratings to Insurance Organizations on the National Scale for the Russian Federation and the Key Concepts Used by the Analytical Credit Rating Agency Within the Scope of Its Rating Activities. The credit rating of SOGAZ INSURANCE was published by ACRA for the first time on July 5, 2017. The credit rating and its outlook are expected to be revised within one year following the publication date of this press release. The credit rating was assigned based on data provided by SOGAZ INSURANCE, information from publicly available sources, and ACRA’s own databases. The rating analysis was performed using the RAS and IFRS statements of SOGAZ INSURANCE. The credit rating is solicited, and SOGAZ INSURANCE participated in its assignment. In assigning the credit rating, ACRA used only information, the quality and reliability of which was, in ACRA’s opinion, appropriate and sufficient to apply the methodologies. ACRA provided additional services to SOGAZ INSURANCE. No conflicts of interest were discovered in the course of credit rating assignment. ACRA affirms ААА(RU) to SOGAZ INSURANCE, outlook Stable June 25, 2021 (С) 2021 Analytical Credit Rating Agency (Joint-Stock Company), ACRA (JSC) 75, Sadovnicheskaya embankment, Moscow, Russia www.acra-ratings.com The Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA) was founded in 2015, with its 27 shareholders representing major Russian corporate and financial institutions and its authorized capital exceeding RUB 3 bln. ACRA’s main objective is to provide the Russian financial market with high-quality rating products. Methodologies and internal documents of ACRA are developed in compliance with Russian legislation and with regard to global rating industry best practices. 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