Foreign exchange market intervention and capital controls, followed by the special reserve requirement on capital inflows into the bond market and high-yielding deposits, insulated the exchange rate from the effects of volatile capital movements, allowing it to develop relatively unhindered and in line with underlying economic conditions. The advantages of a flexible exchange rate therefore prevailed, while the disadvantages were mitigated. This did not make for an uneventful journey, however, because even though the equilibrium exchange rate had clearly risen, it is always subject to considerable uncertainty at any given time, and the risk of overshooting was genuine. This risk may have materialised to some degree, but had the above-mentioned policy instruments not been applied, it would have materialised much more strongly,  1  with the associated risk of an abrupt correction later on, which could have had adverse consequences for economic and financial stability. This economic turning point stems from a turnaround in some of the factors that contributed to the upswing. The global economic situation is not as favourable to us. Terms of trade are deteriorating and not improving. The rise in tourist visits to Iceland has slowed markedly. Therefore, as compared with the last three years, growth in export revenues will ease considerably this year and in the years to come. GDP growth will be lower, as will the rise in our real income as a nation, no matter what we may decide about nominal pay increases in wage negotiations or about how we distribute such increases.

Of significance is that the global insurance industry on the whole has remained resilient throughout the current financial crisis. The overall aggregate financial position of insurers in the crisis affected countries have continued to be strong, and generally not severely affected by liquidity pressures or exposures in the credit derivatives markets. Earlier losses by insurers in financial market activities had resulted in a shift to "back-to-basics" models, focusing on core underwriting business instead of heavily relying on investments as the main source of earnings. The industry had also benefited from the subsequent upturn in the pricing cycle which has fortified the capital position of insurers and provided the support to maintaining sound underwriting standards. These conditions have placed the industry on a much stronger position to withstand the challenges emanating from this global financial turmoil. BIS Review 131/2009  1  Domestic and external conditions are however expected to remain volatile for some time. Significant uncertainties will persist in the international financial markets and the broader global economic conditions. These conditions will continue to pose significant challenges to the insurance industry. In this environment, maintaining strong capital buffers and sound risk management is even more imperative to ensuring the continued resilience of the insurance industry. With the adoption of Solvency II in Europe and its influence on solvency regimes in other jurisdictions, more countries, including Malaysia, have now moved to adopt more riskaligned capital regimes.