Insurance and Assistance linked to Payment Cards and Bank Accounts in Northern and Central Europe

Abstract

Finaccord' s report titled Insurance and Assistance linked to Payment Cards and Bank Accounts in Northern and Central Europe investigates the market for insurance and assistance policies linked to banking products in Northern and Central Europe. Composed of a series of niche covers designed to enhance the revenues derived by banks from their payment card and current account operations, Finaccord' s research indicates this market in Northern and Central Europe to have been worth some € 1.19 billion in 2008. Moreover, with insurance and assistance providers showing creativity in structuring new types of policy to cater for emerging customer segments, the sector seems to be destined for continuing growth. Drawing on the results of an investigation covering some 330 banking institutions and other issuers and distributors of credit cards in ten countries in Northern and Central Europe (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland), the report analyses the provision of a variety of different types of insurance and assistance policy in the broad categories of card and cash protection, travel cover, creditor, accident and health cover, shopping cover and other miscellaneous policies. Moreover, the PartnerBASE"! database that accompanies the report details each of more than 4,250 insurance or assistance enhancements to the c. 2,300 payment cards and bank accounts analysed. Indeed, specific policy types investigated include each of the following: card and cash protection policies - card protection insurance, ATM cash theft insurance; travel policies - travel accident insurance, travel health insurance, travel assistance, travel inconvenience insurance, comprehensive travel insurance; creditor, accident and health policies - creditor insurance - life / permanent disability, creditor insurance - temporary incapacity / unemployment, personal accident insurance, accidental death insurance, health and hospital cash plans, health assistance; shopping policies - purchase protection insurance, price protection insurance, extended warranty; other policies - road assistance, home assistance, personal liability insurance, legal expenses insurance and assistance, mobile telephone insurance, identity protection insurance and assistance, car hire insurance, corporate liability waiver insurance, and miscellaneous other insurance. Hence, this report and the PartnerBASE"! that accompanies it can be used in one or more of the following ways: appreciate the magnitude of the opportunity in insurance and assistance linked to payment cards and bank accounts in Northern and Central Europe: in aggregate, this is a significant market; gain access to a single comprehensive source of information that provides both the detail and analysis surrounding over 4,250 individual insurance or assistance enhancements; identify opportunities to develop new forms of insurance or assistance linked to payment cards and bank accounts in line with the marketing strategies of banking institutions and other card issuing entities in Northern and Central Europe; understand the supply structure for insurance and assistance enhancements and how the market segments between international specialists, local providers and captive underwriters; gain insight into the international presence of leading protagonists in this sector including ACE, AIG, AXA Assistance, BNP Paribas Assurance, CPP, Europ Assistance and Genworth Financial.