Car insurer

Hollard Insurance

South Africa’s largest privately-owned insurer, reviewed in full, ownership, scale, and financial strength.

1980

Established

Family owned

Enthoven

AA(ZA)

GCR Rating

Underwriters

For Naked

The verdict on Naked Insurance

Hollard is South Africa’s largest privately-owned insurer, founded in Johannesburg in 1980 by Robert Enthoven and his son Patrick, and still majority-owned by the Enthoven family today. Rather than selling under one retail motor brand the way Santam or OUTsurance do, Hollard operates mainly through brokers, partner arrangements, and cell-captive structures, and is also the underwriter behind Naked Insurance and other insurtechs. Hollard’s South African short-term insurance entity carries a GCR national scale financial strength rating of AA(ZA), though the rating is currently under a procedural review tied to a new accounting standard rather than any sign of financial weakness. Because Hollard’s book is spread across so many broker and partner channels, brand-specific complaint data is less visible publicly than for a single-brand retail insurer, and one notable claims-handling case in Hollard’s Australian business is worth knowing about, even though it sits in a different market to Hollard’s South African operations.

What you will learn

Who founded Hollard, and why it’s named after a Johannesburg street
How Hollard grew from a South African start-up into a business spanning multiple continents
Why you might not “shop” Hollard directly, and what it actually underwrites
What Hollard’s GCR credit rating currently shows, including its recent review status
A specific claims-handling case worth knowing about in Hollard’s Australian business
Who Hollard suits, and who might want to compare further

Who Is Hollard?

Hollard was founded in Johannesburg in 1980 by Robert Enthoven, with his son Patrick closely involved from the outset. The name comes from Hollard Street in Johannesburg, home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, chosen, in Patrick’s own words, because it “added just a little bit of respectability” to a new insurer. Robert’s other son, Dick Enthoven, co-managed the business from 1980 and later served as chairman from 2011 until his death in December 2022; he was also known for building the Nando’s restaurant chain and Spier Wine Farm into major South African brands. Hollard operates under two separate insurance licences, short-term and life, and remains privately held. The Enthoven family retains majority ownership, locally through the Enthoven Family Trust and internationally through Capricorn Ventures International, meaning Hollard has never been JSE-listed and answers to its founding family rather than public shareholders.

Global Scale and the CommInsure Acquisition

Hollard expanded into Australia in 1999, led by Patrick’s son Richard, growing into one of the country’s larger general insurers, and later entered New Zealand in 2016. Hollard’s most significant recent move was its 2022 acquisition of CommInsure General Insurance, the general insurance arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). Agreed in June 2021 for an upfront payment of around AUD 625 million, the deal completed on 30 September 2022 and included an exclusive 15-year strategic alliance to distribute home and motor insurance to CBA’s retail customers under the CBA brand. The combined Australian business, now operating as Hollard Insurance Partners Limited, holds roughly a 4.4% share of Australia’s general insurance market, making it one of the country’s five largest general insurers, with estimated annual revenue of around AUD 2.3 billion.

Products and Distribution: Why You Might Not “Shop” Hollard Directly

Unlike Santam, Auto & General, or OUTsurance, Hollard doesn’t sell primarily under one retail-facing motor brand that consumers search for and buy from directly. Its short-term and life insurance products, spanning both personal and commercial lines, are distributed mainly through independent brokers and partner arrangements, including cell-captive structures where other businesses or brands sell Hollard-backed insurance under their own name. Hollard is also the underwriter behind Naked Insurance, providing the licensed insurance balance sheet behind Naked’s fully digital, app-based product, and has provided early backing and underwriting support to other South African insurtechs. For most consumers, Hollard is a name they may encounter behind a broker’s recommendation or a partner brand’s policy documents, rather than a company whose own website they’d visit to buy a policy directly.

Funding: Africa’s Largest Insurtech Raise

The Hollard Insurance Company Limited, Hollard’s South African short-term insurance entity, carries a GCR national scale financial strength rating of AA(ZA), first affirmed with a Stable Outlook years ago and reaffirmed as recently as March 2024. In March 2025, GCR placed the rating on a Review Extension while it worked through Hollard’s transition to the new IFRS 17 accounting standard, and in May 2025 moved it to Rating Watch Evolving specifically pending the finalisation of Hollard’s audited accounts under that new standard. This is a procedural, accounting-driven review rather than a sign of financial deterioration, and the AA(ZA) rating assigned at the last full review remains valid while GCR completes its assessment. Separately, Hollard’s Australian entity carries its own Standard & Poor’s Financial Strength Rating of A (Strong), with a Stable Outlook, effective November 2025.

AA(ZA)

GCR rating, THIC (SA)

A (Strong)

S&P rating, Hollard Australia

Since 1980

Privately held

Under review

Pending IFRS 17 Accounts

Claims Reliability: Limited Consumer-Facing Data, and a Notable Case in Australia

Because so much of Hollard’s South African book moves through brokers, partners, and cell-captive arrangements rather than a single retail brand, direct, brand-specific Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance or National Financial Ombud Scheme complaint-ratio data doesn’t feature Hollard as prominently as it does single-brand retail insurers like Santam or OUTsurance. That’s a structural feature of how Hollard distributes insurance, not necessarily evidence of better or worse claims handling.

One case worth being transparent about sits in a different market: in April 2025, Australia’s corporate regulator, ASIC, filed Federal Court proceedings against Hollard Insurance Partners, the CommInsure-merged entity, alleging serious failures in handling a home building and contents insurance claim that took nearly three and a half years to resolve after storm damage in 2021. ASIC alleges Hollard repeatedly delayed decisions, took over nine months to arrange a structural engineer’s inspection, and ultimately rejected the claim based on a non-expert opinion, before the Australian Financial Complaints Authority intervened and Hollard agreed to a cash settlement exceeding AUD 1.5 million. A Hollard spokesperson acknowledged the ASIC filing and said the company was cooperating with the regulator. This case involves Hollard’s Australian entity and Australian regulatory processes specifically, distinct from Hollard’s South African short-term insurance business, but it’s a legitimate, current claims-handling data point for the wider Hollard Group that a South African reader comparing insurers deserves to know about.

Is Hollard Right for You?

Hollard suits buyers who already work with a broker and want the backing of South Africa’s largest privately-owned insurer, or who hold a policy under a partner or cell-captive brand that happens to be Hollard-underwritten behind the scenes. Its scale, family ownership, and AA(ZA) rated balance sheet make it a financially substantial insurer even without a single retail brand most consumers would search for directly. Buyers who specifically want to compare Hollard’s own consumer-facing claims-ratio track record won’t find much brand-specific public data to work with, given how much of Hollard’s book moves through brokers and partners; those wanting a fully digital, direct experience backed by Hollard’s balance sheet may prefer Naked Insurance instead.

Is Hollard a good insurance company in South Africa?

Hollard is South Africa’s largest privately-owned insurer, with a GCR national scale financial strength rating of AA(ZA), most recently affirmed in March 2024. Brand-specific consumer complaint data is limited publicly, since Hollard distributes mainly through brokers and partners.

Who owns Hollard?

Hollard is privately owned by the Enthoven family, majority held locally through the Enthoven Family Trust and internationally through Capricorn Ventures International. Hollard has never been listed on the JSE.

Why can't I get a Hollard quote directly the way I can with Santam or OUTsurance?

Hollard distributes most of its insurance through independent brokers, partner brands, and cell-captive arrangements rather than a single retail-facing brand, and also underwrites other companies’ products, including Naked Insurance.

What is Hollard's connection to Naked Insurance?

Naked Insurance’s policies are underwritten by Hollard Specialist Insurance Limited, part of the Hollard Group.

Is Hollard financially stable?

Yes. The Hollard Insurance Company Limited carries a GCR national scale financial strength rating of AA(ZA), most recently confirmed in March 2024. As of 2025 the rating is on a procedural review pending the finalisation of accounts under the new IFRS 17 accounting standard.

Has Hollard had any notable claims-handling issues?

In April 2025, Australia’s ASIC filed Federal Court proceedings against Hollard’s Australian entity, Hollard Insurance Partners, over a home insurance claim that took nearly three and a half years to resolve. This involves Hollard’s Australian business specifically, separate from its South African operations.

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