Life insurance companies operate in a unique way compared to other financial institutions. Their business revolves around long-term commitments, policyholder premiums, and future liabilities. To truly understand their financial health, traditional accounting measures like profit and loss statements or balance sheets don’t always give the complete picture. That’s where Embedded Value (EV) reports come in.
Embedded Value has become one of the most important tools for measuring the real worth of a life insurance company. It gives investors, regulators, and management a clear view of the company’s long-term profitability and the value created from its existing business. In simple terms, it helps answer the question what is the company really worth today based on its current policies and future profits?
What Is Embedded Value?
Embedded Value represents the present value of future profits from existing life insurance policies, plus the net worth of the company. It gives a more realistic measure of the insurer’s true economic value.
Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
EV = Net Worth + Value of In-Force Business (VIF)
- Net Worth includes the shareholders’ funds or free surplus available with the company.
- Value of In-Force Business refers to the present value of future profits expected from existing insurance contracts.
By combining these two components, the Embedded Value provides a balanced view of both current and future financial strength.
Why Embedded Value Is Important
Unlike general insurance, where policies are short-term, life insurance policies often extend for decades. Profits don’t appear immediately — they are earned gradually over the life of the policy. Therefore, accounting profits in a given year might not reflect the true performance of the company.
Embedded Value helps bridge this gap by taking into account:
- Long-term profitability: It captures profits expected in the future from current policies.
- Sustainability: It shows how strong the company’s existing book of business is.
- Transparency: Investors and analysts can use EV to compare different companies more accurately.
- Management insight: It helps management understand which products or business lines contribute most to long-term value.
In many countries, regulators and stock exchanges require life insurance companies to publish their EV reports regularly to ensure greater transparency and investor confidence.
Components of an Embedded Value Report
An Embedded Value Report typically includes several sections that help stakeholders understand the assumptions, results, and drivers of change. The main components include:
- Net Worth or Shareholders’ Funds:
This is the capital available to shareholders, after accounting for liabilities. It includes both the required capital (the amount needed to meet regulatory solvency requirements) and the free surplus (available funds that can be distributed as dividends or reinvested). - Value of In-Force Business (VIF):
This is the present value of expected future profits from policies already sold. It is calculated after deducting expenses, taxes, and the cost of holding capital. - Cost of Capital:
Life insurers must hold a certain level of capital to cover potential risks. The cost associated with maintaining this capital is subtracted from the future profits. - New Business Value (NBV):
This measures the value created during a specific period (usually a year) from new policies sold. NBV is important because it reflects how effectively the company is growing. - Assumptions:
EV reports are built on several assumptions — such as mortality rates, lapse rates, investment returns, and discount rates. These assumptions must be realistic and consistent to ensure reliability.
Understanding Movement in Embedded Value
The change in EV from one period to another tells an important story. It explains how the company’s value is growing or declining over time. The key drivers of change include:
- New Business Profits: Additional value created from new policies sold.
- Unwinding of Discount: As time passes, the present value of future profits increases naturally.
- Experience Variances: Differences between expected and actual experience — for example, if fewer policyholders surrender their policies than expected, it increases value.
- Economic Factors: Changes in interest rates, inflation, or market conditions can impact the value of future profits.
- Assumption Changes: If the company updates its assumptions (like higher expected returns or lower mortality rates), EV can change accordingly.
These movements are explained in detail in the EV report, often through a “movement analysis” table, which helps stakeholders understand what is driving the company’s growth.
Global and Indian Context
In global markets, particularly in Europe, the Market Consistent Embedded Value (MCEV) approach is widely used. This version aligns EV calculations with market conditions and risk-free rates, providing a more realistic valuation under uncertain economic scenarios.
In India, life insurance companies regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) are required to disclose their EV annually. For listed insurers, EV reporting helps investors gauge performance beyond accounting profits. Companies like LIC, HDFC Life, and ICICI Prudential regularly publish detailed EV reports that show not only their total EV but also New Business Value, growth drivers, and sensitivity analysis.
Interpreting EV Reports as an Investor
For investors, EV reports are valuable tools to assess the long-term potential of life insurance companies. Here’s how you can interpret them:
- EV Growth: Consistent EV growth over the years indicates strong performance and value creation.
- EV per Share: This metric helps compare the EV with the company’s share price to see if the stock is undervalued or overvalued.
- New Business Margin (NBM): The ratio of New Business Value to annualized premium shows profitability of new sales.
- Assumptions Check: Realistic assumptions reflect management’s prudence; overly aggressive ones may inflate the EV.
Final Thoughts
Embedded Value reporting has become a key pillar of financial transparency in the life insurance industry. It provides far more than just financial figures — offering a complete view of an insurer’s profitability, sustainability, and long-term financial health.
For management teams, it serves as a strategic compass, helping them identify which products, distribution channels, and customer segments deliver the highest value. For investors, it offers a clearer and more realistic measure of the company’s intrinsic worth and future growth potential.
In a business built on long-term trust, Embedded Value reporting supports the credibility of both policyholder and shareholder commitments. When combined with robust life insurance planning solutions, it strengthens financial decision-making, ensures transparency, and builds confidence that the company can uphold its promises not only today, but for many years to come.
