CHAPTER V

INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS RULES

Product oversight and governance requirements
Article 25
1
Insurance undertakings, as well as intermediaries which manufacture any insurance product for sale to customers, shall maintain, operate and review a process for the approval of each insurance product, or significant adaptations of an existing insurance product, before it is marketed or distributed to customers.
The product approval process shall be proportionate and appropriate to the nature of the insurance product.
The product approval process shall specify an identified target market for each product, ensure that all relevant risks to such identified target market are assessed and that the intended distribution strategy is consistent with the identified target market, and take reasonable steps to ensure that the insurance product is distributed to the identified target market.
The insurance undertaking shall understand and regularly review the insurance products it offers or markets, taking into account any event that could materially affect the potential risk to the identified target market, to assess at least whether the product remains consistent with the needs of the identified target market and whether the intended distribution strategy remains appropriate.
Insurance undertakings, as well as intermediaries which manufacture insurance products, shall make available to distributors all appropriate information on the insurance product and the product approval process, including the identified target market of the insurance product.
Where an insurance distributor advises on, or proposes, insurance products which it does not manufacture, it shall have in place adequate arrangements to obtain the information referred to in the fifth subparagraph and to understand the characteristics and identified target market of each insurance product.
2
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 38 to further specify the principles set out in this Article, taking into account in a proportionate way the activities performed, the nature of the insurance products sold and the nature of the distributor.
3
The policies, processes and arrangements referred to in this Article shall be without prejudice to all other requirements under this Directive including those relating to disclosure, suitability or appropriateness, identification and management of conflicts of interest, and inducements.
4
This Article shall not apply to insurance products which consist of the insurance of large risks.