Sanlam’s financial and risk solutions support wealth creation and protection for individuals and organisational clients. The benefits of these solutions often has a positive impact beyond the client, as it supports systemic resilience for businesses, families and communities, such as in the case of death, disability or fires and floods.
Risk solutions provide monetary benefits to compensate for the financial impact of unexpected events such as death, disability, trauma and retrenchment.
Investment solutions facilitate wealth accumulation and provide for income at retirement through a full range of investment options that offer varying levels of investment guarantees.
Insurance solutions provide monetary benefit to compensate for the loss of physical property, loss of trading income or liability incurred. It includes motor, property, aviation, crop, engineering, guarantee, liability, accident, transportation and alternative risk transfer insurance.
Retail client solutions offer savings options that create wealth through a range of collective investment schemes and wealth management solutions.
Institutional client solutions offer wealth creation through traditional and specialist asset management in South Africa and abroad.
Retail client solutions offer access to personal loans on both a secured and unsecured basis to create long-term financial prosperity.
Institutional client solutions provide asset-based financing, debt origination and structuring, asset-liability management, equity and interest rate derivatives, and collateralised lending in support of business activity and economic growth.
Long-term financial resilience and prosperity is created through individual and organisational financial needs analysis and advice (including estate planning, trusts, wills), health management and retirement fund administration
We follow an omni-channel distribution approach to ensure that clients are reached and serviced through their preferred channel. The distribution model is continuously adapted to changing client preferences, with increased focus being placed on developing Sanlam’s digital capability. Sanlam’s current distribution channels are classified into four categories:
Advisers service our retail clients via two categories: those who are only accredited to sell Sanlam products, and those accredited to sell a wider product range. Where an adviser is accredited to sell a wider product range, limits apply to the proportion of business that can be placed at competitors.
Adviser channels are managed according to market segment (entry-level, middle income, affluent and professional/small business). This ensures appropriate focus on the needs of the various segments in line with our client-centric business philosophy.
Brokers service retail and institutional clients across market segments and are supported by dedicated broker support units. In the South African affluent market the majority of new business is written through brokers. In the Rest of Africa most institutional general insurance business is placed by brokers. Given their independence to distribute all competitor products, establishing and maintaining superior support and relationships with this channel is a key focus area of the broker support units.
Direct units distribute Sanlam products directly to retail and institutional clients using technology-based channels such as outbound call centres, online platforms and mobile communication. Direct distribution contributes a major portion of Santam’s general insurance premiums through MiWay, but the contribution to life and investment business volumes is still relatively small. However, this is expected to change over time as the use of technology to buy financial services becomes more prevalent. The development of our digital capability as part of the omni-channel approach is therefore receiving particular emphasis.
Affinity groups focus on distribution through groupings of retail clients such as employer and church groups. The affinity group partner is responsible for administration at an individual member level, and Sanlam provides the products.
Sanlam has relationships with a number of banks, telecommunications companies and other distribution partners across Africa through which we distribute insurance and investment products to their client bases.
These distribution partnerships provide access to large client bases through single entry points. This is a benefit for start-up operations to gain economies of scale faster than through traditional retail intermediaries. It also forms a critical part of our omni-channel distribution approach and promotes financial access in emerging market segments due to the lower distribution cost.