Record $15bn+ cat bond issuance in 2023 helps stabilise reinsurance: Swiss Re

With 2023 on-track to set a new record high for catastrophe bond issuance of over $15 billion, global reinsurer Swiss Re has explained how investor appetite is driving this trend and that the capital flows are helping to stabilise the reinsurance market. However, Swiss Re also believes that the rotation in insurance-linked securities (ILS) will […]

Hong Kong government pushes for more ILS and cat bond activity

At a recent event held in the city, speakers representing the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HK SAR) of the People’s Republic of China were keen to promote the development of its insurance-linked securities (ILS) market offering and to attract more catastrophe bond business. With its ILS regulatory regime and ILS grant […]

CEA reinsurance program grows, cat bonds now 25%. Targets $2.2bn Jan renewal

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) increased the size of its overall risk transfer and reinsurance program up to November 1st, hitting that date with $9.26 billion in-force, as part of which the CEA’s catastrophe bonds had increased their share. Of the $9.26 billion of reinsurance and risk transfer in-force at November 1st 2023, the CEA’s […]

LGT ILS Partners confident pricing will remain at attractive levels into 2024

LGT ILS Partners, the specialist dedicated insurance-linked securities (ILS) investment unit of the private bank and asset manager LGT Capital Partners, is confident that market conditions are going to remain attractive into 2024, even expecting some marginal price increases in certain areas of the reinsurance renewals. LGT ILS Partners has experienced “robust performance” across its […]

ADB moots issuing cat bonds, as it proposes CAREC disaster insurance facility

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has drawn up a plan for implementation of a disaster risk insurance facility for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) countries, for which insurance-linked securities (ILS) would be seen as an important source of reinsurance capacity and it has even mooted issuing them itself. The member countries to the […]

Growing protection gap in insurance threatens Australians’ financial security: Andrew Hall

In a recent speech at the National Press Club, Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) CEO Andrew Hall warned of a widening “protection gap” in the insurance market, posing a significant threat to Australians’ financial security. Hall highlighted the challenges posed by increasing natural disasters, urbanisation, and global megatrends that are reshaping risk landscapes. The protection […]

CEA grows risk transfer program to $8.86bn, cat bonds still 24%

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) increased its overall risk transfer and reinsurance protection through the middle of the year, lifting the program to almost $8.86 billion in size, with its catastrophe bonds making up a steady 24% of the total. Through the four months to end of August 2023, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) added […]

CCRIF makes parametric rainfall insurance payouts after tropical storm Philippe

The CCRIF SPC (formerly known as the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility), has made two payouts for Caribbean countries parametric excess rainfall insurance policies, after tropical storm Philippe in early October. Tropical storm Philippe made landfall on Antigua and Barbuda on October 2nd and then came close to the British Virgin Islands on October 4th, […]

Conditions primed for increased use of alternative reinsurance capital: GC’s Rousseau

Reinsurance market conditions are primed for an increasing turn towards alternatives, in sourcing capital and risk transfer solutions, according to Laurent Rousseau of Guy Carpenter. Speaking at an event in Baden-Baden yesterday, Rousseau, the CEO of Europe, Middle East & Africa and Global Capital Solutions at the reinsurance broker, explained that demand for alternative capital […]

Parametric sovereign risk pools to explore joint reinsurance facility, capital markets access

In what could turn out to be a ground-breaking development, parametric disaster insurance risk pools African Risk Capacity Limited (ARC), Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC), the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC), and the Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility (SEADRIF), have signed an MOU and will explore a joint reinsurance facility to […]