Category: Analysis

US ILW prices have held steady since the beginning of the year and secondary cat bond yields finished the quarter at a similar level to 12 months earlier. But talk of the bottom of the market may be wishful thinking as capital continues...

AXA recently bought 46% of microinsurance intermediary MicroEnsure. In this interview, MicroEnsure's CEO explains how a radical simplification of insurance products combined with new, innovative distribution channels are helping insurers...

Year-end earnings calls were full of a new piece of jargon over the last few weeks. "InsurTech" describes a rapidly evolving group of technology startups that are trying (and succeeding) to disrupt various parts of...

Eugene Gurenko is a Lead Insurance Specialist at the joint World Bank/IFC Finance and Markets Global Practice. He has worked at the World Bank Group since 1998 where he has helped to develop catastrophe risk management solutions for the...

Responsible investment strategies have experienced rapid growth in recent years. One report estimates that $6.6 trillion (18%) of US domiciled assets are engaged in responsible investment practices. Robert Howie and Alex Bernhardt...

At last month’s World Economic Forum in Davos, many of the world’s most influential people (and Bono) spent the week discussing humanity’s most significant challenges. Delegates found that this year's biggest challenges were very...

Data from brokers shows that property reinsurance rates have continued to fall in 2016 but more slowly than in previous years. At the key January renewal season reinsurance, retrocession and industry loss warranties experienced...

Last month, billionaire investor, Carl Icahn, noted that "unfortunately... the meltdown in high yield is just beginning". While junk bond yields have soared, reinsurance rates have continued to decline. These two opposing forces could...

A seasonal round-up of the big stories of 2015. Happy holidays. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me... Twelve tropical depressions As predicted by Tim Hall and others, Atlantic storm...

When the National Hurricane Center publishes its 2015 end of season report, the contents will be more than academic for ILS investors. The $100m MultiCat Mexico C could face a total default based on the published central pressure measurements...

The glut of reinsurance capital has disrupted parts of the industry, but the insurance industry as a whole continues to post strong results. Nick Martin takes a look at third quarter earnings. Nick Martin is the Co-Manager of the...

"...usually, over time, consolidation results in opportunities for more-nimble participants to capitalise on the missteps of a big organisation." In the first part of his interview, Dirk Lohmann, discusses retail investors,...

The first part of the interview is available here. Do you see the ILS sector branching out into new non-catastrophe risk areas? I wrote an article about seven years ago on this, saying that you could use insurance...

In 2017, Bermuda will host the 35th America's cup. The build up to the oldest trophy in international sport is well underway and attracting a new kind of visitor to the island. Jimmy Spithill is a remarkable athlete - he skippered his...

Guy Carpenter is a leading reinsurance broker with over 50 offices around the world. As Vice Chairman, David Priebe is responsible for advising some the world's largest insurance companies on their reinsurance strategies. He is also responsible...

In the second part of his interview, David Priebe discusses the how the reinsurance business is being affected by the rise of 'alternative' reinsurers and the recent wave of M&A. Part one can be found here. How is consolidation...

Few reinsurance deals are negotiated in the third quarter, so pricing data is sparse. However, the data from the cat bond and ILW markets indicates little change over the last 12 months. June and July saw some resistance to further...

Auto premiums account for close to half of global non-life insurance - but cars are about to get much, much safer. Electric cars will be safer than gasoline ones and driverless cars are likely to be safer still. At a time of excess capital...

This week, Monte Carlo isn’t filled with film stars or Formula One drivers but with reinsurance executives from around the world who have congregated for their annual rendez-vous. If you didn’t manage to catch a private jet (or easyJet)...

It’s a business whose prospects have turned for the worse and there is not much we can do about it - Warren Buffett (May 2015) In the run up to the annual reinsurance conference in Monte Carlo, many of the industry's most...

The flurry of M&A activity in the insurance/reinsurance markets has created a windfall for savvy equity investors as acquirers pay control premiums for their targets. Nick Martin discusses some recent deals and the prospect for more...

As the likelihood of Atlantic hurricanes builds to a peak on September 10, forecasts for the remainder of the year become increasingly skilful. InsuranceLinked's resident meteorologist has used the latest observations to calculate that 2015...

Computer hackers leak confidential information; destroy reputations and steal corporate secrets. But cyber attacks are increasingly able to interact with the real world and cause physical harm to people and infrastructure. In July, Chrysler...

Cyber cover is one of the few parts of the insurance market where demand often exceeds supply. As the insurance industry searches for ways to grow, cyber could represent a significant opportunity for both traditional and alternative insurers...

The global insurance industry is not fulfilling its potential - many companies and individuals are underinsured for key risks. In less developed countries, losses from natural catastrophes can be almost totally uninsured. Last month,...