Hot stories in cat bonds, ILS & reinsurance, week ending 14th August 2016

As many in the market take their holidays the news flow continues,  with 24 articles published on Artemis over the last week. Thoughts soon turn to the conference season, with the Rendez-vous in Monte Carlo the first major event in September.

Artemis will be in attendance, so if you'd like to arrange a catch-up please let me know.

These are the ten stories that our audience viewed the most last week:

1. Some 2016 hurricane season forecasts drop slightly on weaker La Niña, while some increase on expectation of more storms
   Differing opinions on the prospects for the remainder of the 2016 hurricane season this week, with some forecast updates calling for slightly less activity, but the NOAA calling for slightly more.

2. Blockchain cat bond could add additional profit: Allianz CFO
   Insurance technology, or insurtech, initiatives are being discussed at the highest levels of the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance firms, as they attempt to get to grips with what the disruptive efficiency of technology will mean for their businesses.

3. Jubilee oil field FPSO loss & Euro floods hit private ILS funds in June
   Insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance linked investment funds saw a below-average return of 0.25% in June 2016, as some ILS funds that invest in private and collateralized reinsurance deals were hit by losses from European flooding and the Jubilee oil field FPSO loss.

4. Straight in at number 1, catastrophe bonds top the charts
   Catastrophe bonds may not be for everyone. They’re sophisticated assets and lower returns have reduced their attractiveness for some, of late. But the ability of the ILS asset class to deliver consistent, relatively stable returns with low-correlation over the longer-term, remains a key driver of interest.

5. On spending your way out of a soft re/insurance market
   The results of many of the insurance and reinsurance industries leading players, over the first-half of 2016, show that one response to a challenging, competitive and softening market, is to try to spend your way out of it.

6. Cat bond & ILS market conditions favourable for an active H2: Swiss Re
   After a reduction of new issuance in the global catastrophe bond market in the first-half of 2016, and with just $1.38 billion of maturities to come before the end of the year, reinsurance firm Swiss Re feels conditions are favourable for outright growth through Q2.

7. RFIB hires ILS specialist broker Glenn Jackson in the U.S.
   RFIB Group Limited, the international and Lloyd’s specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has made an important hire in the U.S., adding insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance capital markets specialist Glenn Jackson as Managing Director of RFIB Americas.

8. RMS highlights huge catastrophe insured loss potential for global ports
   Catastrophe risk modelling firm RMS has highlighted the growing catastrophe exposures faced by ports around the world. Analysis from the firm reveals that a combination of cargo type and the type of natural disaster risk are significant drivers of potential losses, and not just the size of container hubs.

9. State National the “natural conduit between risk & capital,” says CEO
   Terry Ledbetter, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of State National Companies has described the firm as the “natural conduit between risk and capital,” highlighting its commitment and ability in providing fronting services for companies like Nephila Capital.

10. Exchange Re authorised as RSPV SCC in Malta, ready for ILS business
    Exchange Re, a platform for collateralised reinsurance or cell-based ILS transactions and the first to be launched in Malta, has now received official approval to begin business by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).

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