Pragmatic Solutions for Solvency Capital Requirements at Life Insurance Companies: The Case of Spain

Abstract

Determining optimal capital at insurance companies is a constant requirement in all countries. In Europe this process is guided by the Solvency II Directive. There are local regulations for determining this capital, but this Directive provides a new way of integrating them. The aim of this paper is to analyse the different solutions that have been used in Spain to adapt solvency capital requirements to this compulsory Directive, in order for companies to guarantee the commitments of policyholders.We analyse how the way in which solvency capital is calculated has changed over the past thirty years, emphasising the shift from a static approach to a dynamic one. This has meant that several modifications have had to be made in the organisational structure of organizations and in their management.