Aug 14 (Reuters) - Australia's QBE Insurance posted

a 3.6% rise in its half-year profit on Friday, as premium growth

and lower-than-expected catastrophe costs offset the modest

impact from the Middle East conflict.

The insurer's adjusted net profit after income tax came in

at $1,033 million for the six months ended June 30, compared

with the $997 million reported a year earlier, and slightly

beating a VA estimate of $1.02 billion.

QBE's gross written premium grew 6% on a constant-currency

basis, underpinned by targeted growth in international markets

and North America.

Catastrophe costs remained below the firm's allowance, with

modest impacts from the conflict in the Middle East. Its net

cost of catastrophe claims fell to $445 million from $479

million a year earlier, below the first-half catastrophe

allowance of $517 million.

The insurer maintained its outlook for constant-currency

gross written premium growth at mid-single-digit percentage

range and a combined operating ratio, a key measure of

underwriting profitability, of about 92.5% for 2026.

The Sydney-based insurer also declared an interim dividend

of 33 Australian cents per share, compared with 31 Australian

cents apiece announced a year earlier.

(Reporting by Rajasik Mukherjee & Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru;

Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)