Maama, HarunaMvunabandi, Jean DamasceneZungu, Siphesihle Charles2025-06-242025-06-242024https://hdl.handle.net/10321/6045A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Accounting: Financial Accounting, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.The study aimed to investigate how the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected insurance companies' financial and sustainability performance in South Africa. This comes from the fact that with the occurrence of COVID-19, insurance companies had to do two things at the same time, which were adaptability and resilience. For the insurance industry it is very essential to show resilience in the face of uncertainty, which became even more important since the COVID-19 pandemic. The other thing is growing pressure to follow modern sustainability standards. In a business world that is always shifting and full of risks and problems, it is important for insurance companies to have solid strategies that not only help them deal with problems as they come up but also help the industry grow in the long-term. The COVID-19 pandemic made resilience even more important by forcing businesses around the world to quickly adjust to new situations, like changes in customer needs, economic downturns, and government reactions. To accomplish the research objective, the study used a secondary data. The study used a quantitative method that was in line with the positivist research philosophy. The sample used for the study was made up of 37 insurance companies that were registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa. To get the environmental and social performance from the integrated annual reports of registered insurance businesses from 2017 to 2022, a quantitative content analysis was used. These reports were obtained from the websites of the respective companies. Regression analysis is used in this research to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability and financial performance of the firms. The research found a statistically significant and positive association between Return on Assets (ROA) and COVID-19 among South African insurance companies. The link was shown by a positive coefficient of 2.642 and a p-value of 0.000. This shows that insurance companies effectively responded to pandemic-related disruptions. However, a significant adverse link was found between the COVID-19 and return on equity (ROE). This highlights a potential roadblock to insurance firms' financial success, as it was evidenced by negative coefficient of -0.15 and a p-value of 0.008. Furthermore, the negative correlation between Tobin's Q and COVID-19, demonstrated by a coefficient of -2.55 and a p-value of 0.793, reveals the industry's complicated dynamics, although being statistically insignificant. Likewise, a positive and statistically significant relationship was found between COVID-19 and both social responsibility and environmental sustainability performances, with coefficients of 2.548 and a p value of 0.000, and 0.782 and a p value of 0.000 respectively. This research advances the understanding of industry stakeholders, governments, and academics by providing insights into strategic decision-making and encouraging flexibility in the face of future uncertainty. Aside from its immediate focus, this study has significant implications for South Africa's economic climate, giving a nuanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities inherent in the insurance market. Therefore, it increases the country's overall resilience and fosters growth144 penCOVID-19Financial performanceSustainability performanceInsurance companiesSouth AfricaCOVID-19 (Disease)--Economic aspectsCOVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023--South AfricaInsurance companiesFinancial institutionsSocial responsibility of businessThesishttps://doi.org/10.51415/10321/6045