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HAYAH Insurance Company
HAYAH Insurance Company operates as a publicly listed composite insurer on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ticker HAYAH), with major institutional backing...
HAYAH Insurance Company
HAYAH Insurance Company operates as a publicly listed composite insurer on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ticker HAYAH), with major institutional backing from the Kanoo Group (roughly 28 percent) and Al Ramz Corporation (roughly 19 percent). Chairperson Salama Amer Omar Saleh made history as the first woman to chair a UAE insurance company, while board member Tariq Bin Hendi — former CIO of G42 and Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office — connects the insurer directly to the emirate's technology and sovereign investment networks. The general-account portfolio is deployed across financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and through other comprehensive income, reflecting a conventional UAE insurer's split between actively traded positions and longer-duration hold-to-collect securities. In the pension space, HAYAH has partnered with Milan-listed Azimut to distribute pension management and investment solutions in the UAE, and separately with fintech platform Peko to digitize end-of-service benefit compliance — a mandatory employer obligation across the Gulf. The insurer participates in regional industry dialogue through the General Arab Insurance Federation, indicating a posture beyond purely domestic underwriting. Headquartered on Abu Dhabi's Corniche Road with a branch in Dubai, HAYAH anchors its operations in the two largest UAE commercial hubs. A corporate sustainability initiative operates alongside the core insurance business, though no dedicated foundation entity has been incorporated. The presence of Bin Hendi on the board following his tenure directing Abu Dhabi's investment promotion agency suggests an institutional interest in bridging insurance, pensions, and the technology-forward mandate the UAE government has pursued through vehicles like G42. Structurally, HAYAH functions as a regulated insurance carrier rather than a family office or discretionary allocator — its investment decisions are governed by UAE Insurance Authority solvency rules and the preferences of a concentrated but public shareholder register. That regulated constraint, combined with the Azimut and Peko partnerships, positions the firm as an embedded distribution channel for third-party asset managers seeking onshore UAE pension flows.
General information
Firm type
Insurance
Year founded
2008
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Middle East
Country
United Arab Emirates
City
Abu Dhabi
Corporate office
Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Building, Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Additional offices
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Principals
Salama Amer Omar Saleh
Chairperson
Tariq Bin Hendi
Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at HAYAH Insurance?
As a regulated UAE insurance company, investment decisions are ultimately overseen by the board of directors, which includes Chairperson Salama Amer Omar Saleh and board member Tariq Bin Hendi. Day-to-day portfolio management is handled internally under the chief investment officer or equivalent function, though the firm has not publicly named a dedicated CIO. Bin Hendi's background as former CIO of G42 and Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office gives the board significant institutional investment expertise.
Is HAYAH structured as a single family office or an operating insurance company?
HAYAH is an operating composite insurance company regulated by the UAE Insurance Authority and listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. It is not a family office. The Kanoo Group holds approximately 28 percent and Al Ramz Corporation holds approximately 19 percent, but neither represents a single-family control structure — the firm operates as a publicly listed insurer with a diverse shareholder base.
How is HAYAH related to the Kanoo Group and Al Ramz Corporation?
The Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group (Kanoo Group) is HAYAH's largest single shareholder at roughly 28 percent, and Al Ramz Corporation Investment and Development holds roughly 19 percent. Both are strategic institutional shareholders rather than founders or operators of the day-to-day insurance business. The Kanoo Group is one of the region's oldest diversified family trading houses, while Al Ramz is a UAE-listed financial services firm.
What investment vehicles does HAYAH use to deploy its insurance float?
HAYAH classifies its investments into two broad categories on its balance sheet: financial assets at fair value through profit or loss — typically actively traded securities whose gains and losses hit the income statement — and financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income, generally longer-duration holdings where unrealized gains bypass the income statement. Specific asset-class weights or fund commitments have not been publicly disclosed.
How does Tariq Bin Hendi's background influence HAYAH's strategy?
Tariq Bin Hendi joined the HAYAH board following a career that includes serving as Chief Investment Officer of G42 — the Abu Dhabi artificial-intelligence and cloud-computing holding — and Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, which leads the emirate's foreign direct investment attraction. His presence creates a direct link between a regulated insurance balance sheet and the technology and sovereign-investment circles driving Abu Dhabi's economic diversification. How this translates into direct investment strategy remains internal to the board.
What is HAYAH's partnership with Azimut and why does it matter?
HAYAH has partnered with Azimut, the Italian-listed asset manager with a substantial Middle East presence, to distribute pension management and investment solutions in the UAE. This matters because end-of-service benefits — lump-sum payments employers owe departing expatriate workers — represent a large, largely un-pooled savings pool across the Gulf. The partnership positions HAYAH as a local conduit for Azimut's managed solutions.
Does HAYAH maintain any philanthropic or sustainability-focused structures?
HAYAH operates a corporate sustainability initiative but has not incorporated a separate philanthropic foundation. The initiative's specific programs or grant-making volumes have not been publicly detailed. For institutional allocators, this means no distinct foundation vehicle exists that would co-invest or serve as a parallel pool.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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