The Middle East isn't replacing legacy systems — it's building digital-first
The GCC insurance market is growing at 9.71% CAGR to $91 billion by 2033. New entrants, digital-first regulators, and mandatory health insurance expansion mean the region is leapfrogging legacy technology. Regure is the SAMA-compliant digital insurance platform built for this moment.
The Middle East insurance market is the world's fastest-growing — and it's building on digital foundations
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) insurance market reached $60.5 billion in gross written premium in 2024 and is projected to reach $91 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.71%. The GCC states — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar — account for over 65% of regional premium volume, with Saudi Arabia ($20.3B) and the UAE ($13.6B) as the dominant markets.
What makes this market unique is not just its growth rate, but its approach to technology. Unlike mature markets that must migrate from legacy systems built over decades, many GCC insurers are building their technology stack from scratch. National digital transformation programmes — Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, the UAE's We the UAE 2031, Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 — explicitly prioritise digital financial services, creating regulatory frameworks that incentivise digital-first insurance operations.
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), and the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) have all issued digital insurance regulations that encourage automation, mandate cybersecurity standards, and require data localisation. SAMA's Insurance Regulations explicitly support digital policy issuance, electronic claims processing, and AI-assisted underwriting — provided firms meet cybersecurity and data protection requirements.
Regure is a SAMA-compliant digital insurance platform built for this market. Arabic and English bilingual document processing, Takaful claims workflow automation, mandatory health insurance handling, and regional data residency in AWS me-south-1 (Bahrain) provide the compliance-ready infrastructure that GCC insurers need to scale.
For new market entrants, incumbent carriers modernising operations, and Takaful operators expanding across the GCC — Regure provides the digital claims infrastructure that matches the region's ambition.
SAMA licensing and compliance for digital insurance operations
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) regulates all insurance and Takaful operations in the Kingdom. SAMA's Insurance Regulations, Cybersecurity Framework, and Data Management Standards define the compliance requirements that digital insurance platforms must meet.
Saudi Arabia's insurance market is undergoing rapid transformation. SAMA has implemented a comprehensive regulatory framework that supports digital insurance while maintaining strict oversight. The Insurance Regulations issued under Royal Decree M/32 establish licensing requirements, solvency standards, and operational controls. SAMA's Cybersecurity Framework — modeled on NIST but adapted for the Saudi financial sector — mandates encryption, access controls, incident response, and third-party risk management.
For foreign technology providers serving the Saudi market, SAMA's requirements are specific: data relating to Saudi policyholders must reside within the Kingdom or in jurisdictions approved by SAMA (currently including Bahrain for cloud hosting). Technology vendors must demonstrate cybersecurity controls through recognised certifications (ISO 27001, enterprise security standards) and submit to SAMA's third-party assessment process.
Vision 2030's Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) targets 4.3% insurance penetration by 2030 (up from 2.1% in 2023), requiring massive operational scaling. Mandatory health insurance expansion, motor insurance growth, and new property insurance requirements mean Saudi insurers must process significantly higher claim volumes — without proportional headcount increases.
Regure meets SAMA requirements through:
- Data Localisation: Saudi customer data hosted in AWS me-south-1 (Bahrain), approved by SAMA for financial data hosting — with on-premise deployment option for firms requiring in-Kingdom data residency
- Cybersecurity Compliance: Enterprise security controls cover SAMA Cybersecurity Framework requirements. AES-256 encryption, role-based access with nine roles, and 24/7 security monitoring align with SAMA's cybersecurity expectations
- Operational Controls: Immutable audit trails provide the claims handling evidence SAMA expects during supervisory reviews. Automated retention policies enforce SAMA's document retention requirements
- Arabic Language Support: Native Arabic document processing, user interface, and customer communications — not translated from English, but built bilingual from the ground up
CBUAE Open Finance API integration and UAE insurance market compliance
The Central Bank of the UAE's Open Finance Regulation and Insurance Authority requirements define how insurers must operate digitally in the Emirates. Regure integrates with CBUAE standards while supporting the UAE's ambitious digital economy goals.
CBUAE Open Finance Integration
The CBUAE's Open Finance Regulation (Circular No. 3/2023) establishes a framework for secure data sharing between financial institutions, including insurance companies. The regulation requires standardised APIs, customer consent management, and data security controls for open insurance data exchange.
Regure supports CBUAE Open Finance compliance with API infrastructure designed for the CBUAE's technical standards. Insurance data sharing — policy information, claims status, and coverage details — flows through secure, consent-managed APIs that meet the CBUAE's authentication and encryption requirements.
Mandatory Health Insurance (DHA/HAAD)
The UAE mandates health insurance coverage for all residents under federal and emirate-level legislation. Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Abu Dhabi's Department of Health (DoH, formerly HAAD) regulate health insurance claims processing with specific requirements for claims submission timelines, pre-authorisation workflows, and provider network management.
Regure automates mandatory health insurance claims processing: electronic claim submission in the required format, pre-authorisation workflow automation, provider network eligibility verification, and compliance reporting per DHA and DoH requirements.
ADGM & DIFC Insurer Onboarding
The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) operate as independent financial free zones with their own regulatory frameworks. Insurers licensed in ADGM (regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority — FSRA) and DIFC (regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority — DFSA) face regulatory requirements that differ from onshore UAE regulation.
Regure supports both onshore UAE (CBUAE-regulated) and free zone (ADGM/DIFC-regulated) operations, with workflow configurations that reflect the specific compliance requirements of each regulatory jurisdiction.
Motor Insurance Claims Automation
The UAE motor insurance market is the largest by claim volume, with mandatory third-party liability coverage and widespread comprehensive cover. Motor claims involve police reports (in Arabic), repair estimates, photographs, and third-party communications — all of which arrive in mixed Arabic and English formats.
Regure's bilingual document processing handles Arabic and English motor claims documentation natively. Police reports in Arabic are classified and key fields extracted alongside English repair estimates and correspondence. The complete claim file is unified in a single view regardless of document language.
Automated Takaful claims processing with Shariah-compliant workflows
Takaful (Islamic insurance) operates on fundamentally different principles than conventional insurance. Regure's workflow engine is configured for Takaful-specific processes including Wakala model claims handling, surplus distribution documentation, and Shariah compliance evidence.
The GCC Takaful market reached $12.3 billion in contributions in 2024 and is growing faster than the conventional insurance market. Saudi Arabia mandates Takaful-compliant (cooperative) insurance under SAMA's Cooperative Insurance Companies Control Law, making the Saudi market the world's largest Takaful market by volume.
Takaful operations require specific document workflows that differ from conventional insurance. Under the Wakala (agency) model — the most common in the GCC — the Takaful operator manages the fund on behalf of participants for a fee (Wakala fee). Claims are paid from the participants' fund, not the operator's assets. This creates documentation requirements around fund segregation, surplus distribution, and Shariah board compliance that conventional insurance systems don't support.
Regure provides Takaful-specific workflow capabilities:
- Contribution Processing: Automated processing of Takaful contributions (equivalent to premiums) with proper fund allocation documentation per the Wakala or Mudaraba model
- Claims from Participants' Fund: Claims settlement workflows that document payment from the correct fund, with audit trails showing fund balance impact and Wakala fee calculations
- Surplus Distribution: Annual surplus calculation and distribution workflows with documentation for Shariah board review, including participant notification and distribution records
- Shariah Compliance Evidence: Complete audit trails for Shariah board review, documenting that all claims were handled in accordance with the approved Shariah guidelines — including investment restrictions, prohibited activities, and contribution handling
- Re-Takaful Documentation: For risks ceded to re-Takaful providers, Regure manages the document trail including retrocession agreements, bordereau reporting, and Shariah-compliant treaty documentation
Arabic and English bilingual document handling built from the ground up
Middle East insurance operations work in Arabic and English simultaneously. Regure doesn't translate — it processes both languages natively, handling right-to-left Arabic documents alongside English documentation in a unified claim file.
Arabic Document Processing
Arabic insurance documents — police reports, medical records, government correspondence, and Shariah board rulings — are processed with native Arabic OCR and NLP. Right-to-left text handling, Arabic numeral recognition, and Arabic-specific document layouts (including right-to-left tables) are supported without configuration.
Key field extraction works across Arabic document types: claimant names in Arabic script, Saudi/UAE national ID numbers, Arabic date formats (Hijri and Gregorian), and Arabic-language medical terminology.
Mixed-Language Documents
Many GCC insurance documents contain both Arabic and English text — particularly medical records, engineering reports, and legal documents. Regure's document processing engine handles mixed-language documents without requiring language segmentation, extracting fields in both languages and mapping them to the correct claim record.
This is particularly important for reinsurance documentation, where treaties and bordereaux may be in English while underlying claims documentation is in Arabic.
Bilingual User Interface
Regure's interface is fully bilingual Arabic/English with proper RTL layout support for Arabic users. Users can switch between languages without data loss or layout issues. Team members who work in Arabic see Arabic labels, menus, and notifications — while English-speaking users see the English interface — all working on the same claim files.
Customer-facing communications (claim acknowledgments, document requests, settlement notifications) are generated in the policyholder's preferred language with proper formatting.
Aligned with Vision 2030, We the UAE 2031, and GCC digital economy programmes
GCC governments are investing billions in digital infrastructure. Insurance is a priority sector. Regure provides the digital claims platform that aligns with national transformation goals and regulatory expectations.
Saudi Vision 2030 — Financial Sector Development
Vision 2030's Financial Sector Development Program targets 4.3% insurance penetration (from 2.1%), development of the insurance aggregation market, and digital distribution channels. SAMA's sandbox programme for InsurTech companies and the upcoming insurance aggregation regulations create opportunities for digital-first insurers.
Regure supports Vision 2030 goals with automated claims processing that enables higher volumes without proportional staff increases, digital distribution support for emerging aggregator channels, and compliance infrastructure that meets SAMA's evolving regulatory requirements.
We the UAE 2031 — Digital Economy
The UAE's national agenda targets a digital economy contributing 20% of non-oil GDP by 2031. The insurance sector is identified as a priority for digital transformation, with the CBUAE actively encouraging digital policy issuance, electronic claims processing, and open insurance data sharing.
Regure provides the operational backbone for digital insurance in the UAE: electronic claims processing from FNOL to settlement, digital document handling that eliminates paper-based workflows, and API infrastructure for open insurance initiatives.
Mandatory Health Insurance Expansion
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are expanding mandatory health insurance coverage. Saudi Arabia's Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) mandates employer-provided health coverage for all private-sector workers and their dependents. The UAE mandates health insurance for all residents under DHA (Dubai) and DoH (Abu Dhabi) regulations.
This expansion drives massive growth in health insurance claim volumes — volumes that can only be processed efficiently through automation. Regure handles electronic claims submission, pre-authorisation workflows, and provider network management at the scale mandatory health insurance demands.
InsurTech Ecosystem Growth
GCC InsurTech investment grew 340% between 2020 and 2024. SAMA's Regulatory Sandbox, ADGM's RegLab, and DIFC's Innovation Hub are nurturing digital insurance startups. These new entrants need insurance infrastructure that's cloud-native and API-first — not legacy systems adapted for the cloud.
Regure provides InsurTech companies with enterprise-grade security and compliance infrastructure from day one, eliminating the need to build compliance capabilities in-house. API-first architecture means InsurTech applications can integrate with Regure for document processing, claims workflow, and compliance evidence generation.
What Middle East insurers ask about Regure
Does Regure meet SAMA's data localisation requirements?
Yes. Saudi customer data is hosted in AWS me-south-1 (Bahrain), which SAMA has approved for financial data cloud hosting. For insurers requiring in-Kingdom data residency, we offer on-premise deployment within Saudi Arabia. Our enterprise security architecture and encryption standards meet SAMA Cybersecurity Framework requirements.
Does Regure support CBUAE Open Finance APIs?
Yes. Regure's API infrastructure is designed for CBUAE Open Finance compliance, supporting standardised data sharing, customer consent management, and secure authentication per CBUAE technical standards. We're prepared for Phase 2 implementation (Q2 2026) covering insurance data sharing use cases.
How does Regure handle Takaful-specific workflows?
Regure supports Wakala and Mudaraba model Takaful operations with fund-segregated claims processing, Wakala fee documentation, surplus distribution workflows, and Shariah compliance evidence generation. All Takaful-specific audit trails are designed for Shariah board review and SAMA supervisory assessment.
Can Regure process documents in Arabic?
Yes. Regure processes Arabic documents natively — not through translation. Arabic OCR, RTL layout handling, Arabic field extraction, and Hijri date support are built into the core platform. Mixed Arabic/English documents are processed seamlessly, with fields extracted in both languages and mapped to the correct claim record.
Does Regure handle mandatory health insurance claims?
Yes. Regure automates electronic claims submission to DHA (Dubai) and DoH (Abu Dhabi) in the required formats, including pre-authorisation workflows, provider eligibility verification, and claims adjudication tracking. Saudi CCHI mandatory health insurance claims are processed with Arabic/English bilingual documentation.
What about ADGM and DIFC-regulated insurers?
Regure supports insurers regulated by ADGM's FSRA and DIFC's DFSA with jurisdiction-specific compliance configurations. Free zone regulatory requirements differ from onshore CBUAE regulation, and Regure maintains separate workflow and compliance configurations for each regulatory jurisdiction within a single platform instance.
How does Regure align with Vision 2030 goals?
Regure supports Vision 2030's insurance penetration targets by enabling Saudi insurers to process higher claim volumes through automation, support digital distribution channels, and meet SAMA's evolving digital insurance regulations. The platform's scalability means insurers can handle 3-5x current volumes without proportional headcount increases.
Can InsurTech startups use Regure?
Yes. Regure's API-first architecture is designed for InsurTech integration. Startups in SAMA's Regulatory Sandbox, ADGM's RegLab, or DIFC's Innovation Hub can integrate with Regure for enterprise-grade document processing, claims workflow, and compliance infrastructure — without building these capabilities in-house.
What currencies does Regure support?
Regure supports SAR, AED, BHD, KWD, OMR, QAR, and USD — with proper formatting, exchange rate handling, and multi-currency reporting. Claims involving multiple currencies (common in reinsurance and cross-border placements) are tracked with conversion records for audit purposes.
How long does implementation take for GCC insurers?
Standard implementation is 14 days for single-entity operations. Takaful operators requiring Shariah-compliant workflow configuration typically require 3 weeks. Arabic document model training is included in all GCC implementations. SAMA and CBUAE compliance documentation packages are pre-configured for regulatory assessment.
See how Regure delivers SAMA-compliant digital insurance operations
Book a 20-minute demo. We'll show you Arabic document processing, Takaful workflows, and compliance dashboards built for GCC regulators.