Combating Multiple and Overlapping Vulnerabilities: Microinsurance for the Poor in Sri Lanka (On-going)

Microinsurance has been recognized as an important mechanism to help the poor to cope with various risks and vulnerabilities they are faced with. In recent years, many MFIs in Sri Lanka have expanded their services to provide microinsurance along with other credit and savings facilities. Moreover, there are a number of government and private organizations involved in the provision of microinsurance facilities to the poor. Nevertheless, the type of services/insurance facilities provided by these players varies to a great extent. Moreover, the extent to which these services match the needs of the poor and help them to mitigate their risks is not clear. In this context, this study attempts to evaluate the current status of the microinsurance sector particularly looking at the supply of and demand for these services to identify the gaps/constraints in the sector. The study is expected to bring out important policy implications for the microinsurance sector as a whole particularly in identifying demand-driven insurance products to serve the needs of the low-income groups.

Ganga Tilakaratna, Roshini Jayaweera, and Ayodya Galappattige
British Academy, UK