Development of insurance regulation in Ireland
Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance
ISSN: 1358-1988
Article publication date: 20 July 2012
Issue publication date: 20 July 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to chart the chronology of insurance regulation in Ireland and evaluate the integration within European Union directives.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach used was to chart the development of insurance regulation in Ireland and establish the stakeholders in the insurance industry that are affected by regulation. The various aspects of the EU involvement in regulation were also listed.
Findings
Ireland is one of the few countries that has a single financial regulator that is the Central (Reserve) Bank. The Central Bank is recognised as the Irish national regulator for all insurance activities in the EU and with that carries responsibility for implementing EU directives. In comparing other regulatory systems, there is a mixture of direct government involvement, sector specific regulation, financial services regulation and Central Bank acting as regulator.
Research limitations/implications
Research is based on literature review and data obtained from the EU regarding national regulators. It does not set a standard of regulation or compare different regulators but establishes the different forms of regulation in Ireland and the EU.
Practical implications
The paper establishes Ireland's insurance regulatory environment amongst its European peers. It also charts the development of insurance regulation from solvency to the current model of solvency and consumer protection with the other offices of Financial Services Ombudsman.
Originality/value
The paper is based on research based on literature review and data obtained from the EU regarding national regulators.
Keywords
Citation
Brophy, R. (2012), "Development of insurance regulation in Ireland", Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 248-263. https://doi.org/10.1108/13581981211237954
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited