"Don't run the same race everyone else is running". This maxim and other principles such as always being customer-centric have underpinned a quarter century of success for AFIA Insurance Brokerage Services, the company behind one of the earliest online pioneers InsuranceMarket.ae.
Founded in 1995 by insurance industry veteran Nandu Babur and led by his son Avinash since 2010, AFIA is marking its 25th year in business this month. By 2007, it was the largest bancassurance-specialist and it has now become the largest retail insurance brokerage in the UAE, employing 400 staff. The company works across all insurance lines including life, motor, health, home and travel.
“It’s indeed a proud moment for us and our stratospheric success over the years would not be possible without the strong foundation built by my father,” AFIA chief executive Avinash Babur said.
The example set by his father, Nandu, has helped to keep AFIA a dynamic and innovative organisation throughout its “market-leading growth”.
The “key lessons that I learned from him and continue to abide by as I lead this dynamic organisation” are factors behind its longevity.
The lessons passed on from father to son include ensuring it is always doing something different compared to its competitors, never spending money before it is earned, keeping a close watch on expenses and “knowing your numbers”, as well as a focus on the critical areas of the business. Perhaps most crucially, AFIA pledges to be resolutely by the side of its customers if they have a claim, Avinash Babur said.
“When it comes to your client's claims - speak up! Even for the smallest claim, if the insurer is wrong, you must fight it out at all costs. That's our key role and we must be there for our clients when they need us most - at the time of a claim,” he said.
Avinash, who launched InsuranceMarket.ae a decade ago as one of the earliest digital-first insurance service platforms in the UAE, said that achieving the client's objectives are as important as achieving the insurance company's objectives.
“This is the only way to make a long-term partnership work - everyone must win.”
He has also followed his father's important advice to be extra attentive to the medical insurance business.
“It's the most personal type of insurance for clients and it can seriously hurt your relationships if you don't deliver,” he said.
InsuranceMarket.ae, famous for its ‘Alfred’ avatar, is one of the highest-rated insurance brokers in the UAE with more than 11,000 Google reviews and a 4.9 star rating. Started as a bootstrapped venture inside AFIA, InsuranceMarket.ae works to make the insurance process more accessible to consumers.
“We are committed to the mission of saving our customers’ time and money when buying insurance,” Avinash said.
AFIA also continues to invest in its proprietary technology, omnichannel marketing and its excellent and passionate team.
“Focus on what's important for your business - and that's not necessarily being the largest. Success and scale is a by-product of doing good work,” Avinash said. “Play the long game - if you lift heavy weights in the gym for a few days you're not going to get big muscles.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
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A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
EA Sports FC 25
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Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
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A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
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