General
General insurance, insurtech and risk articles.
Energy and Chemical Reinsurance - Implications
Spreads of energy and chemical non-life Reinsurance types, as exemplified by the Energy Financial Instruments (EFIs), have come in the last few…
2019-06-17Understanding the reinsurance pricing cycle
Reinsurance prices move in cycles. After large catastrophe losses, capital is depleted and rates tend to harden; when losses are benign and…
2019-06-12Silent cyber and the reinsurance market
"Silent" or non-affirmative cyber refers to cyber-related losses that might be paid under policies not written specifically for cyber, such as property,…
2019-05-31Digital insurance for ride-hailing drivers
Ride-hailing has created a new group of drivers whose insurance needs fall between personal and commercial motor cover. Many drive only part…
2019-05-23How insurtech is changing data collection
Insurtech is an umbrella term for technologies that change how insurance is sold, underwritten and serviced, including cloud software, mobile apps, connected…
2019-05-15Insurers partner with cyber start-up accelerators
Specialty insurers and reinsurers have increasingly partnered with cyber security accelerators. These programs help early-stage security companies grow, and give insurers early…
2019-05-07UK government support for AI in insurance
The UK has funded research and innovation programs that include artificial intelligence projects developed with the insurance industry. The goal is to…
2019-02-15How to approach reinsurance
For an insurer, the first question is not which reinsurance to buy but what problem it should solve: reducing earnings volatility, protecting…
2019-02-01Growth in the pension reinsurance market
Pension risk transfer, where companies pass the obligations of defined-benefit plans to insurers, has been growing strongly in several markets. Insurers taking…
2019-01-16Is your reinsurance optimized?
After several years of rising property catastrophe pricing, many insurers are reviewing whether their reinsurance programs still deliver value. Optimizing reinsurance means…
2018-12-26Could climate change make parts of the world uninsurable?
Insurance industry leaders and regulators have warned that rising temperatures, more intense storms and sea-level rise could make some regions too risky…
2018-11-28Insurtech as the future infrastructure of insurance
Online-only insurers, particularly in Asia, have shown how technology can reach customers that traditional distribution struggles to serve. By embedding small, low-cost…
2018-11-22Probabilistic models for cyber risk
Catastrophe modeling firms have extended the probabilistic techniques used for hurricanes and earthquakes to cyber risk. Instead of relying only on past…
2018-11-15Reinsurers prepare for rapid growth in cyber demand
Large reinsurers have repeatedly identified cyber as one of the fastest-growing lines in the market. As businesses digitize, demand for protection against…
2018-11-06Venture capital and insurtech investment
Partnerships between Silicon Valley investors and the insurance sector have become common as venture funds look for industries ripe for digital change.…
2018-09-12Cyber risk rising as hackers become harder to match
Attackers adapt quickly, share tools and target the weakest links in supply chains, which makes cyber risk difficult for defenders and insurers…
2018-09-05Airlines need strong cyber security warning systems
Modern airlines depend on interconnected systems for booking, check-in, maintenance, flight planning and in-flight services. A cyber incident in any of these…
2018-07-10Re/insurers and the protection of World Heritage Sites
Many World Heritage Sites are exposed to natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes and storms, as well as to fire and other…
2018-07-04Digital claims solutions for hospitals
Hospitals handle large volumes of insurance claims with limited administrative resources. Manual paperwork, coding errors and slow approvals tie up staff and…
2018-06-25Insurers must innovate to keep pace with automated vehicles
Automated and semi-automated vehicles challenge one of the basic assumptions of motor insurance: that a human driver is responsible for most accidents.…
2018-06-20Swiss Re: new technologies and the engineering sector
Engineering and manufacturing firms face pressure from weak investment cycles, international competition and rapid technological change. Research from large reinsurers has looked…
2018-06-12Texas hailstorms and the cost of severe convective storms
Severe hailstorms are among the most frequent sources of insured property losses in Texas. A single storm crossing a large metropolitan area…
2018-04-25Reinsurers work to stay ahead of change
Reinsurers sit on something individual insurers rarely have: a very large, diversified portfolio of risks spread across countries and lines of business.…
2018-04-20Credit insurance on the upswing
Trade credit insurance protects sellers when a buyer fails to pay for goods or services delivered on credit. Demand for the product…
2018-04-03Climate disasters call for new insurance policies
As weather-related catastrophes become more frequent and more costly, insurers and reinsurers are being pushed to rethink how protection is designed. Traditional…
ArchiveRegulators and reinsurance risk
Insurance regulators monitor reinsurance arrangements closely, because an insurer that relies heavily on reinsurance depends on its reinsurers being able to pay.…
ArchiveManufacturer-branded car insurance and fronting carriers
Some car manufacturers have launched their own insurance products, using vehicle data to price cover for their customers. Because a manufacturer is…
ArchiveSpanish insurers turn to technology for growth
In mature markets where premium growth is limited, insurers look to technology to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. Spanish insurers are an…
ArchiveBlockchain insurance platforms
Several start-ups have launched platforms that use blockchain to issue policies, record transactions and automate payments. The idea is that a shared…
ArchiveInsurtech growth and loss ratios
Many insurtech start-ups have grown quickly by offering simpler digital experiences, but rapid growth does not always mean profitable underwriting. Loss ratios,…
ArchiveRising sea levels and re/insurers
Sea-level rise increases the reach and severity of coastal flooding and storm surge. Over time it can change the risk profile of…
ArchiveCatastrophe loss warranty products
An industry loss warranty (ILW) is a reinsurance or derivative contract that pays out when total industry losses from an event exceed…
ArchiveDisability and unemployment cover: understanding the risks
Income protection products, including disability and unemployment cover, are designed to replace part of a person's earnings if they cannot work. Many…
ArchiveThe biggest cyber security challenges for businesses
Insurance brokers regularly publish research on the cyber threats their clients face. Common themes include ransomware, business email compromise, supply-chain attacks and…
ArchiveWhy 2017 was a tough year for U.S. reinsurers
2017 brought a series of major natural catastrophes, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and wildfires in California. Losses from these events…
ArchiveInsurtechs and third-party data integration
Digital home insurers often integrate data from established analytics providers to speed up quoting and underwriting. Property characteristics, claims history and hazard…
ArchiveIs the reinsurance business model being challenged?
Traditional reinsurers earn returns from underwriting risk and from investing the premiums they hold until claims are paid. Low interest rates, alternative…
ArchiveReinsurers and GDPR compliance
The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in force since May 2018, applies to reinsurers as well as insurers, because reinsurance…
ArchiveTechnology and growth opportunities for large reinsurers
Global reinsurers have restructured operations and invested in technology to find new sources of growth. Digital platforms, data partnerships and automated underwriting…
ArchiveCompetition from insurtech increases
Insurtech start-ups compete with established insurers on customer experience, speed and price, especially in personal lines such as home, renters and travel…