Abstract
The insurance market in Poland is developing dynamically. Insurance companies offer customers various products, including a unit-linked insurance plan/product (ULIP), which combines protection and investment functions. Customers’ insurance premiums are invested in these funds, and their assets are divided into units. There are risks for consumers in the ULIP market: a need for financial literacy (regarding products and choosing the right product for the financial situation and knowledge of the risk) and market imperfections (product design, sales practices, investment practices). Given the above rationales for tighter regulation, the regulations for these products have been amended with the objective of increasing consumer protection. The paper presents a descriptive analysis of the market and a comprehensive discussion of the regulatory changes in consumer protection for unit-linked insurance products in Poland in 2014-2021. The study consists of two parts. The first part presents the characteristics of unit-linked insurance products and their popularity in the European and Polish markets. The second part describes regulatory changes in the Polish market regarding protecting consumers purchasing ULIP products. The last part of the article concludes the conducted study.