Catastrophe Risks

Catastrophe bond and related insurance-linked securities (ILS) issuance reached a record at $16.4 billion in 2020, according to the "Q4 2020 Catastrophe Bond & ILS Market Report" from Artemis. The 2020 total exceeded 2018's previous record issuance by more than $2.6 billion and included $6 billion during the fourth quarter. Read More

Confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, many risk managers' immediate response was to prioritize their organizations' people, while business continuity plans that were developed as part of enterprise risk management efforts helped address pandemic-related disruptions, according to a recent survey. The Federation of European Risk Management Associations survey underscored risk management tools' importance. Read More

January 1 reinsurance renewals and related negotiations will likely be lengthier and more complex than in prior years, according to a new report from Guy Carpenter. The intermediary cites several factors that will contribute to the complexities around coming renewals, including slow and uncertain COVID-19 loss development. Read More

Alphabet, Inc., is reportedly in the process of sponsoring a $237.5 million captive-sponsored catastrophe bond to cover its California earthquake exposure. A story on the Artemis.bm website explains that Alphabet will use its Hawaii-domiciled captive insurance company, Imi Assurance, Inc., to act as fronting insurer for the risk. Read More

As the world grapples with new spikes of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to consider the disruptions such global crises can cause to organizations' supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic created severe disruptions for many organizations' supply chains, and it's likely that a similarly disruptive event will occur in the future. Read More