A new earthquake index insurance (EQII) product has been approved by the regulator in 2016, and is ready for the retail market. The insurance payout is triggered by a pre-determined earthquake parameter (Magnitude and Intensity), which is announced by an independent and established third party like the BMKG (Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency) or the USGS (the United States Geological Survey).
The idea is for the MFIs to buy insurance to protect their loan portfolios from potential liquidity crises after earthquake events.