“We know what we want, where we are going and what risks we want to be in,” he says. Zanoni Selignpresident of Worldwide Groupa Dominican insurance company that also operates in Panama.
In the interview “Business Speaks” in the HOY newspaper, Selign, together with Thomas Kessler, vice president of the Board of Directors of Worldwide Group, highlighted that the company is cautiously climbing towards regional leadership.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the solidity of WorldWide Group, and subsidiary WorldWide Seguros, cannot be analyzed without considering its ownership structure and the support of its international partners. Among them, the participation of the DEG (Deutsche Investitionsund Entwicklungsgesellschaft)a subsidiary of the German bank KfW Group, after securing this alliance, provides a level of security and solvency that is difficult to match in the local market. KfW is considered one of the largest and most secure development banks in the world. At the end of 2024, it recorded assets of 560.7 billion euros and consolidated profits of 1.6 billion euros.
He maintained that this entity’s shareholding in WorldWide Group guarantees that the insurer operates under the highest international standards of compliance, transparency and capital management.
He said that this support allows WorldWide to access reinsurance contracts with top-level companies, ensuring that in the event of large-scale events, the company has the financial capacity to respond without delay.
He recalled that the first partner the company had was BHD Bankwhich he defined as a strategic ally in the Dominican Republic.
Indicó has managed to position itself as a leader in the personal insurance segment.
While group life insurance continues to be the most contracted in absolute terms. In the individual life segment, it is the one that shows the most accelerated growth, increasing by a 60.4% in the last audited period. In this specific niche, WorldWide Seguros holds the first position in the ranking of net premiums collected.
In the healthcare sector, WorldWide has consolidated its position by offering access to a global network of prestigious medical centers.
Portfolio retention, above 90%, is a key indicator of customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of the supplier network.
The company has been able to maintain this market share by introducing products such as “Income Protection”, designed to protect family financial stability in the event of unforeseen medical events.
In 2025, the company has maintained or improved its risk ratings, a significant achievement considering inflationary pressures on global medical costs. Fitch Ratings raised WorldWide Medical Assurance’s financial strength rating to AA-(pan) from a previous position of A+.
Premiums
Worldwide Group manages a premium portfolio of US$180 million, of which approximately US$130 million corresponds to health insurance and US$50 million to life insurance. The number of insured amounts to 40,000.
Growth
The improvement in credit ratings by Fitch Ratings and the reaffirmation of strength by AM Best provide the necessary basis to continue its regional growth in markets such as Guatemala, Paraguay and Bolivia.
