Media release
St.Gallen, 14 May 2024
 

smile.dog is the second product launched in Spain by the leading Swiss online insurance company Smile. The new product has been developed as dog owners in Spain will likely be required to take out liability insurance for their pets in the coming months. 

The launch in Spain of smile.mobility at the end of 2023 is now being followed by dog liability insurance with smile.dog. This second product fully embodies what Smile stands for: hassle-free, 100% online insurance that offers comprehensive benefits at a fair price. 

smile.dog offers cover for personal injury and property damage to third parties, plus associated legal costs up to a limit of EUR400.000. In Spain, legislation is expected to be introduced in the coming months that will make it compulsory for all dog owners to take out dog liability insurance. Smile's new product therefore comes at the right time. It will be available for all dog breeds and can be taken out with coverage for Spain or the whole of Europe. 

"Following the launch of Smile in Spain at the end of last year, we are taking the next step in this market by launching smile.dog. For me, the new offer perfectly demonstrates how Smile is not just able to fulfil customer needs but also anticipate and react in an agile way to changes in the market", says Joséphine Chamoulaud, CEO of Smile. 

Close collaboration within the Helvetia Group
Smile pursues a business model that complements Helvetia and meets the growing demand for digital insurance solutions among customers. As part of the helvetia20.25 strategy, this business model is gradually being scaled up in Austria and Spain. In Spain, the product range is being expanded in close collaboration with Caser and Helvetia Seguros. Both have many years of experience and expertise in the development of innovative products. 

About the Helvetia Group
Helvetia Group, with its headquarters in St. Gallen, has grown since 1858 to become a successful insurance group with over 13,800 employees and more than 7,2 million customers. It has been enabling its customers to seize opportunities and minimise risks for all that time – Helvetia is there for them when it matters. Helvetia is the best partner and is present everywhere that protection needs arise, with insurance, pension and investment solutions from a single source as well as simple products and processes. The insurance group knows the business, from mobile phone insurance and insurance cover for the Gotthard Base Tunnel to the long-term investment of customer assets. Helvetia develops and opens up new business models with enthusiasm and drives forward its own business in a powerful and future-oriented manner. It acts with foresight and responsibility in everything it does: for the benefit of its shareholders, customers and employees as well as its partners, society and the environment.
Helvetia is the leading all-lines insurer in Switzerland. In the Europe segment comprising Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain, the company has firmly rooted market positions for generating above-average growth. In the Specialty Markets segment, Helvetia offers tailored special insurance and reinsurance cover worldwide. With a business volume of CHF 11.3 billion, Helvetia generated underlying earnings of CHF 372.5 million and an IFRS net income of CHF 301.3 million in the 2023 financial year. The shares of Helvetia Holding AG are traded on SIX Swiss Exchange.

Cautionary note
This document was prepared by Helvetia Group and may not be copied, altered, offered, sold or otherwise distributed to any other person by any recipient without the consent of Helvetia Group. The German version of this document is decisive and binding. Versions of the document in other languages are made available purely for information purposes. Although all reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the facts stated herein are correct and the opinions contained herein are fair and reasonable, where any information and statistics are quoted from any external source such information or statistics should not be interpreted as having been adopted or endorsed as accurate by Helvetia Group. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees and advisors nor any other person shall have any liability whatsoever for loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this information. The facts and information contained in this document are as up to date as is reasonably possible but may be subject to revision in the future. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees or advisors nor any other person makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this document.
This document may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Helvetia Group which by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there is a risk that predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes described or implied in forward-looking statements will not be achieved. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include: (1) changes in general economic conditions, in particular in the markets in which we operate; (2) the performance of financial markets; (3) changes in interest rates; (4) changes in currency exchange rates; (5) changes in laws and regulations, including accounting policies or practices; (6) risks associated with implementing our business strategies; (7) the frequency, magnitude and general development of insured events; (8) mortality and morbidity rates; (9) policy renewal and lapse rates as well as (10), the realisation of economies of scale as well as synergies. We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive; when evaluating forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Helvetia Group on the date of its publication and Helvetia Group assumes no obligation to update such statements unless otherwise required by applicable law.