Dubai, UAE | Despite economic headwinds and lower oil prices, insurance markets in the Middle East have remained resilient due to two of the region’s largest markets, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), having an excess of US$10b each in gross written premiums — underlining the region’s increasing significance to global insurance markets. As the Middle Eastern markets continue to mature in increasingly competitive environments with price and margin pressures, the relatively low levels of penetration present both a challenge and an opportunity. The regional penetration rates remain lower than in most of the world’s emerging markets despite showing an impressive double digit growth rate in the last five years. Despite these conditions, the insurance industry is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the economy. In keeping with the robust growth pace of this sector in the region, The Insurance Distribution Forum Middle East 2017 (10 – 11 October 2017, Dubai -UAE) will define the key issues that are driving the region's insurance penetration rates along with highlighting the strategies for success in this sector.