Women represent high growth potential for sector. Women customers represent the largest growth potential in the world for the insurance sector, according to a study jointly carried out by AXA, IFC and Accenture. This growth potential has been estimated to be worth thousands of billions of dollars. This report was published on 16 September and is the first of its kind to examine the women's insurance market in the emerging economies of Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Thailand and Turkey. The She for Shield: Insure Women to Better Protect All report analyses the business opportunity the women's market represents for insurers, identifying growth drivers and highlighting women's evolving and growing protection needs in order to ensure the industry develops the most relevant value-added propositions for this segment. It finds that the insurance industry has largely overlooked women as a key customer segment - despite significant growth potential in the market. The report estimates that women's individual spending on insurance premiums could grow to $1.7 trillion dollars, by 2030 of which almost half would come from the above-mentioned emerging economies. The report points out that this represents a “sustainable and inclusive” opportunity for growth. The volume of insurance premiums generated by women in these countries could therefore be nine times as high in 2030 (an anticipated $569 billion to $874 billion) as it was in 2013 ($98 billion). Another positive factor highlights the fact that: expected income growth for women in emerging economies is good news for the insurance sector. 65% of insurers and regulators interviewed in the report highlight a positive correlation between purchasing insurance and women's' income levels. Over a six-year period, women's' income has increased in Brazil from $6,025 (2008) to $10,820 (2014), China from $5,220 to $8,500, Indonesia from $2,410 to $5,975 and in India from $1,620 to $1,980. Insurers are also counting on significant growth in the women's' life assurance market. Although this currently accounts for just $55 billion in these 10 emerging economies, the market could reach between $298 billion and $458 billion by 2030. (Isabelle Lamberty)