Deregulation, Insurance Supervision and Guaranty Funds*

The objective of this article is twofold: first, to present a holistic approach to insurance regulation and, second, to put forward the proposition that the establishment of guaranty funds will facilitate the effectiveness of the supervisory authorities in the European insurance markets, which will go through the consolidation process. Consolidation will materialise by means of mergers and acquisitions, exits and bankruptcies. It is argued that consumer expectations, intensified competition and the convergence of financial and insurance markets require the establishment of guaranty funds in all Member States of the European Union, in order to deal with the expected increased rate of insurer insolvencies. Such an evolution will provide supervisory authorities with more degrees of freedom in removing earlier impaired insurers from the market, instead of waiting and exacerbating the eventual insolvency deficits. The argument is that, in addition to protecting the victims of insolvencies, such an arrangement is optimal as an insurance device, which will increase consumer confidence and market stability.