EIOPA Opinion on Supervisory Response to a Prolonged Low Interest Rate Environment

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has
published today an Opinion on Supervisory Response to a Prolonged Low
Interest Rate Environment.

Persistent low interest rates affect insurers in different ways. On the
liabilities side, they lead to an increase in firms' obligations in
today's terms and, consequently, to a deterioration of their financial
position. On the assets side, low interest rates have an adverse impact on
investment results and increase the reinvestment risk of assets. This
problem is even more pronounced where guaranteed rates of returns have
been offered to policyholders. In the case of short term insurance
business, lower returns reduce the financial margin available to offset
adverse combined ratios. Furthermore, low interest rates may encourage
other business model changes such as alterations in asset allocations in a
"search for yield", which may create new risks on the asset side of
the balance sheet.

The impact of the current period of low interest rates has been felt in
several European jurisdictions, where National Supervisory Authorities
(NSAs) and companies have already taken a range of different measures to
deal with the issue.

EIOPA recommends a coordinated supervisory response to the prolonged low
interest rate environment. NSAs should actively assess the potential scope
and scale of the risks arising in this environment, paying special
attention to those insurers identified as facing greater exposure. NSAs
are invited to report progress in these areas to EIOPA as well as to
notify any supervisory action planed or about to be taken.

NSAs should also engage with insurers to explore private sector measures to
address the impact of persistent low interest rates. In this context,
insurers should carefully consider the impact their solutions may have on
consumers. Consumers should be treated in a fair and equitable manner.

EIOPA in turn will coordinate an exercise to quantify the scale and scope
of the risk arising from a prolonged low interest rate environment. A
separate Appendix to the Opinion presents the list of concrete tasks to be
jointly undertaken by the NSAs and EIOPA.

The text of the Opinion can be viewed on EIOPA website (Link:
https://eiopa.europa.eu/publications/eiopa-opinions/index.html ).


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