Originally published by ICMIF.
18 September 2025
The United Nations Development Programme’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (UNDP IRFF) brought together insurance regulators from the Philippines and across Asia Pacific for a three-day peer-to-peer exchange on expanding inclusive insurance through mutual microinsurance earlier this year. Held from 28–30 July 2025 in Manila and San Pablo, the event highlighted the Philippines’ successful experience, particularly CARD Mutual Benefit Association (CARD MBA), in using the mutual model to expand access to microinsurance.
The ICMIF Foundation facilitated the connection between UNDP IRFF and CARD MBA, starting with a meeting in Nepal in October 2024 during the International Conference on Inclusive Insurance. The Foundation’s initiatives draw on the expertise of leading mutuals from developing markets—such as CARD MBA in the Philippines—to share practical guidance and build sustainable, community-led insurance solutions. During the recent exchange, regulators from Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam learned from the Philippines’ supportive policies, regulatory innovations, and community-based models, while also noting that insurance coverage remains very low such as in Bangladesh (below 0.5%) and Vietnam (2.3–2.8%), with microinsurance still limited and underfunded.
Despite these challenges, initial regulatory initiatives—such as national microinsurance strategies and clearer product and distribution rules—are already shaping market growth and provide valuable lessons for scaling inclusive insurance and narrowing the protection gap.
As part of the programme, participants visited the CARD MBA main office in San Pablo City, Laguna. They met with members, partners, and beneficiaries to see firsthand how community-based insurance models build trust, affordability, and resilience, while highlighting the importance of member ownership and participation.
Key lessons from the Philippines’ mutual microinsurance experience:
- Strong member ownership and leadership: MBAs are owned by their members, with governance that ensures accountability and highlights women’s leadership. CARD MBA, for example, is fully member-owned, with a majority of trustees elected from its women-led membership.
- Integration with microfinance and partner networks: Tying microinsurance to microfinance institutions and partner organisations has expanded outreach, built trust, and provided financial protection at scale.
- Fast and empathetic claims settlement: The Philippines has pioneered rapid claims processing, with CARD MBA’s 8–24 (hour) claims settlement strategy serving as a benchmark by combining digital systems with human validation to ensure both speed and empathy.
- Empowered local champions: Volunteer coordinators act as trusted links, raising awareness, supporting claims, and ensuring timely benefit delivery.
- Accessible and decentralised services: A strong provincial presence and digital channels ensure access even in rural areas, with convenient benefit disbursement through remittance and mobile platforms.
- Focus on women and families: Women play a central role in governance, education campaigns, and community organisation, sustaining outreach and ensuring products meet household needs