7 days ago
Salama Joins Digital Push for Wider Takaful Reach
Salama has partnered with digital insurance broker Policybazaar. ae to expand access to Life Takaful coverage in the UAE, aiming to bridge protection gaps through a fully Shariah-compliant digital platform.
The move brings Salama's suite of Takaful life insurance products to Policybazaar. ae's online marketplace, a platform already known for simplifying access to financial services through regulatory-compliant digital tools. This collaboration is being positioned as a strategic leap toward broader financial inclusion and enhanced customer convenience, targeting families across the country who seek transparent and ethical insurance solutions.
The partnership reflects a growing convergence between traditional Takaful providers and the fintech-driven distribution model reshaping the insurance industry. With an increasing number of UAE residents looking to secure long-term family welfare through ethical financial instruments, demand for digital-first life coverage has grown sharply.
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Rakesh Sudhakaran, chief commercial officer of Salama, described the initiative as a defining moment in the company's vision to modernise Takaful offerings without compromising on core principles. He emphasised that the alignment with Policybazaar. ae supports the company's drive to serve a younger, tech-savvy customer base seeking purpose-driven protection.
The announcement follows a wave of reforms and digitisation drives in the insurance sector under the oversight of the Central Bank of the UAE, which now regulates the industry. The regulator has encouraged the adoption of InsurTech to improve operational efficiency, enhance consumer access, and uphold prudential norms. In this context, Salama's collaboration with a digital-first platform like Policybazaar. ae fits within the broader policy direction to scale up inclusive and digital insurance solutions.
Policybazaar. ae, a UAE-regulated platform licensed by the Insurance Authority and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, has become a prominent digital aggregator, catering to customers seeking transparent comparisons and paperless policy issuance. Its tie-up with Salama brings Life Takaful products — designed with ethical investing principles and community-based risk sharing — into sharper focus within an evolving insurance landscape.
The UAE has witnessed strong momentum in the Takaful segment, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove greater awareness about the need for robust family protection instruments. Salama, established in 1979 and recognised as one of the longest-operating Takaful providers globally, is leveraging its legacy to tap into shifting consumer preferences that now favour digital accessibility alongside traditional values.
The Life Takaful market in the UAE remains significantly underpenetrated compared to general insurance. Industry observers note that one of the primary barriers has been the absence of easily accessible, tailored plans that reflect customers' religious and ethical beliefs while meeting modern expectations for convenience. This gap has prompted providers like Salama to seek partnerships with digitally native brokers to enhance market coverage.
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The partnership also highlights a key trend in the insurance sector: the migration of conventional insurers and Takaful operators toward digital transformation strategies. Platforms like Policybazaar. ae enable insurers to reach a wider demographic without the constraints of legacy distribution networks, offering scalability and faster turnaround times.
As the UAE pushes toward becoming a digitally enabled economy, insurance players are recalibrating their models to align with national objectives. Salama's focus on embedding Life Takaful within digital ecosystems is aligned with this strategic orientation. Through a structured and compliant digital platform, customers will be able to access various Takaful solutions, submit applications online, and receive policy documents digitally, reducing administrative burdens and improving customer experience.
Although Policybazaar. ae has collaborated with multiple insurers, this partnership with Salama marks a significant step in expanding Shariah-compliant offerings. The two entities plan to jointly develop awareness campaigns and financial literacy initiatives aimed at increasing consumer understanding of Life Takaful benefits and addressing prevailing misconceptions that have historically limited adoption.
Salama's approach combines community-based protection principles with a firm commitment to innovation, reflecting its adaptability to changing market dynamics. The company continues to refine its offerings, with an emphasis on transparency, competitive pricing, and customer empowerment. By embedding these principles into a digital distribution framework, the firm is actively positioning itself as a modern Takaful leader.
The UAE's demographic profile, comprising a young, digitally oriented population, further strengthens the rationale behind the digital push. As financial services become more integrated with mobile-first platforms and on-demand services, customer expectations have shifted decisively toward seamless digital onboarding, policy management, and claims processing — all areas that the Salama-Policybazaar. ae partnership aims to address.
