ABSTRACT

Insurance is one of the cornerstones of modern day financial services sector. In addition to its traditional role of managing risk, insurance market activity, both as intermediary and as provider of risk transfer and indemnification, may promote growth by allowing different risks to be managed more efficiently, promoting long term savings and encouraging the accumulation of capital. The main objectives of this work it to examine the impact of insurance market activities on financial sector development in the Nigeria economy. Secondary data were applied in carrying out this research work, ordinary least squares and unit test was used to analyse it. The results showed and unit root test was used to analyse it. The results showed a positive and significant impact. This is to say that the magnitude of the estimated co-efficient reveals that insurance market operation significantly contributes to the financial sector development in Nigeria.We recommend therefore that government through the monetary authourities should sustain the efforts geared towards deepening the financial sector as this will greatly improve the performances of the insurance market activities.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Insurance is one of the cornerstones of modern day financial services sector. In addition to its traditional role of managing risk, insurance market activity, both as intermediary and as provider of risk transfer and indemnification, may promote growth by allowing different risks to be managed more efficiently, promoting long term savings and encouraging the accumulation of capital, serving as a conduit pipe to channel funds from policy holders to investment opportunities, thereby mobilizing domestic savings into productive investment (Skipper, 1997 and Arena, 1998). According to Vayanos and Hammound (2006) a thriving insurance sector is not only evidence of an efficient financial service sector, but it is also a key barometer for measuring a healthy economy. During the last decades, there have been faster growth in insurance market activity in both developing and transition economies given the process of financial liberalisation and financial integration (Brainard, 2008), which raises questions about its impact on economic growth.