ZIMRE Holdings’ expansion across African markets is beginning to deliver stronger returns, with the insurance group recording a 15 percent increase in profit after tax to US$10,74 million in the six months to June 2026.
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Read E-PaperThe group’s latest performance reflects the growing role of its operations outside Zimbabwe, which now account for nearly half of insurance contract revenue.
Zimre said regional operations contributed 49 percent of insurance contract revenue during the period, up from 46 percent in the comparative six months to June 2025.
The increase comes as the group presses ahead with its Great Africa Trek strategy, which targets growth in selected African markets through expanded insurance and reinsurance operations, new products and organic growth.
Zimre chairman Desmond Matete said the group’s insurance businesses had continued to benefit from its expansion in both domestic and external markets.
Insurance contract revenue rose 13 percent to US$445,60 million from US$440,31 million in the prior comparative period.
Matete attributed the increase to market expansion, product innovation and growth across the group’s insurance, reinsurance, life and pensions businesses.
Reinsurance continued to account for the largest share of Zimre’s insurance contract revenue, contributing 77 percent compared with 73 percent in the previous period.
Zimbabwe and Malawi were the leading markets within the reinsurance cluster, contributing 27 percent and 15 percent respectively. Malawi’s contribution increased from 11 percent in the prior period, highlighting the growing importance of regional operations to the group’s overall performance.
The stronger regional contribution is significant for Zimbabwe’s financial services sector, as companies seek to build foreign-market income and reduce dependence on a single domestic market.
For Zimre, the expansion is also intended to broaden its underwriting capacity and strengthen its position in the African insurance and reinsurance industry.
The three-percentage-point rise in the regional contribution indicates that the Great Africa Trek strategy is gradually reshaping the group’s revenue base.
Zimre’s half-year results show that its external-market operations are no longer a supplementary part of the business, but an increasingly important source of growth.
The group’s focus on selected markets allows it to pursue expansion while concentrating resources where it sees potential for sustainable insurance, reinsurance, life and pensions growth.
Zimre said the results were supported by a combination of regional expansion, new products and organic growth across its operating segments.
The performance places continued execution of the regional strategy at the centre of the group’s next phase, with the company expected to build on the contribution from markets such as Malawi while retaining its domestic base in Zimbabwe.
