Pre-arranged disaster finance hits record high, Centre for Disaster Protection finds
The Centre for Disaster Protection, an independent organisation working to strengthen the way the global system finances responses to climate and disaster shocks, has published new analysis showing that pre-arranged disaster risk finance has expanded rapidly worldwide, while the poorest and most fragile countries continue to receive only a small fraction of the total. In […]
Cat bonds, physical risk insurance a top climate adaptation investment theme: Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley recently surveyed over 900 institutional investors to understand their current thoughts on sustainable investments. With climate adaptation and resilience growing in prominence as themes, investors cited catastrophe bonds and physical risk insurance contracts among their top picks. Most institutional investors maintain a positive outlook for sustainable investments, with 84% of those surveyed saying […]
IA’s Stephen Yiu hails ILS a ‘blue ocean’ opportunity for Hong Kong’s insurance brokers
As insurance-linked securities (ILS) continues to gain momentum in Hong Kong, Stephen Yiu, JP Chairman of the Hong Kong Insurance Authority (IA) believes that the market is a “blue ocean” for Hong Kong’s insurance brokers, and an opportunity not to be missed. Yiu, speaking at the CIB Annual Conference, explained that increasingly frequent and severe […]
Germany’s insurers pitch Elementar Re catastrophe reinsurance risk pool
Germany’s insurance industry has introduced a proposed natural catastrophe reinsurance vehicle called Elementar Re, intended to serve as a backdrop for primary insurers facing increasing losses associated with climate risk. The concept, which was released by the German Insurance Association (GDV), centers around pooling high-risk residential properties, and adding a state-supported layer of protection for […]
Parametric insurance enters the mainstream as climate risks surge
Once seen as a niche tool for specialized risks, parametric insurance is accelerating into the mainstream insurance market, driven by rising climate volatility, better data, and a growing appetite for clear, fast-payout protection. That was the consensus among senior underwriting and technology leaders speaking at the Insurance Innovators Summit 2025 in London this week. During a panel […]
Red Cross pilots parametric flood insurance in Malawi with ARC and JBA support
The Danish Red Cross is piloting a parametric flood insurance program in Malawi with the support of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) as it looks to develop a sustainable solution to make humanitarian funding faster when disaster strikes. The Danish Red Cross has been working with parametric risk transfer and other innovative financing structures for […]
WFP calls for disaster risk financing expansion amid cat-driven food insecurity
At COP30, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that a 1°C rise in global temperatures could thrust an additional 70 million people into food insecurity across the 45 countries where it operates, highlighting the urgent need to expand disaster risk financing. The programme continued, “Extreme weather is exacerbating a global hunger crisis, as […]
Rwanda explores layered disaster risk transfer, with cat bonds on the table
In what could mark a significant step for sovereign risk management in East Africa, Rwanda is weighing the use of catastrophe bonds within a new disaster risk finance (DRF) strategy according to the World Bank Group. Over 100 government officials, development partners and financial experts reportedly met in Kigali in October for a workshop to […]
Jamaica’s $150 million payout rekindles parametric concerns, but ILS market holds firm
Swiss Re head says investors have taken the Melissa redemption in stride Jamaica’s full US$150 million catastrophe bond payout after Hurricane Melissa, one of the largest sovereign cat-bond redemptions in recent years, is reverberating through the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market. The World Bank confirmed on Nov. 7, 2025 that Jamaica’s 2024 catastrophe bond, issued through its International […]
Jamaica’s PM credits disaster risk financing with reducing debt burden after Hurricane Melissa
Reflecting on the impacts of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has stressed the importance and effectiveness of responsive disaster risk financing instruments in reducing the country’s debt burden in the aftermath of the hurricane. According to estimates from the World Bank Group, in coordination with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the physical […]