Insurance Authority to replace Insurance Authority office in regulating insurers from tomorrow

The Insurance Authority will replace the Insurance Companies Ordinance regulator, the Insurance Authority office, a government department, in regulating insurers from 26 June 2017, and the Insurance Authority office will be dissolved on the same day. The new regime will widen the scope of regulation of insurers, and the Insurance Authority plans to implement a statutory licensing regime for insurance intermediaries within two years. The Insurance Authority will charge authorisation fees to insurers from the same day, and plans to levy a premium on policyholders from 1 January 2018; the subsidiary legislation has been submitted to the Legislative Council for scrutiny.