Top-10 for 2010

The end of the year is approaching fast, key newsmakers are leaving for their winter vacations (BTW, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!), so nothing meaninful is likely to happen in the CEE/CIS insurance markets until 2011. The timing is perfect to think about key CEE/CIS insurance events of 2010.

Here they are, randomly listed:

1. MetLife purchases CEE life operations of AIG and becomes one of the largest regional players
2. PZU resolves its decade-long conflict with Dutch Eureko and goes public
3. Hungary introduces harsh fiscal measures for its financial market
4. The red slugde spill at the MAL aluminium plant demonstrates weakness of the ELD
5. The three-pillar pension reform in CEE states proves harmful – at least when it comes to calculating the countries’ public debt figures
6. Summer draught in Russia nearly collapses the world’s grain market and draws the government’s attention to inadequacy of the local crop insurance system
7. Return of unit-linked: the life product regains popularity among CEE clients
8. Lloyd’s decides on establishing the Moscow office
9. The Ukrainian market revolts against its newly-appointed insurance regulator

And finally – the much expected event that never happened –

10.  The Belarusian life market remains closed to foreign investors.

It would be fun to know which of the events our (re)insurance community considers most meaningful. So I have put together a small poll. Please take a second to make your own choice - and don't limit yourself, multiple answers are possible. The poll closes on December 31.

Oh, and if you disagree with the list, suggest your own top event in the comments below!

Photo courtesy of Ksenia Smirnova

UPD (Dec 24): Thanks to Guy Carpenter's hint, I am adding Number 11, "May-June floods swamp Central Europe"