XS Global Appoints Daniel Abramson as Head of Construction Underwriting, APAC
XS Global has expanded its Asia‑Pacific footprint with the launch of XS Global Asia Pacific Ltd (XSGAP) in Hong Kong and now appoints Daniel Abramson as Head of Construction Underwriting for the region. Abramson brings over 25 years of underwriting experience, having led AIG’s $300 million global construction portfolio and held senior roles at Aviva and Zurich across multiple continents. His expertise in both construction and energy underwriting aligns with XS Global’s strategy to capture growing infrastructure and renewable‑energy projects in APAC. The hire underscores the firm’s commitment to localized risk management and market penetration.
SEADRIF and AHA Centre Sign Agreement to Advance Disaster Risk Financing in Southeast Asia
SEADRIF Insurance Company and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) signed a Memorandum of Intent in Bali to strengthen disaster risk financing across Southeast Asia. The pact creates a framework for improved disaster impact reporting and explores...
Continued Middle East Conflict Drives ‘New Equilibrium’ in Terrorism and Political Violence Reinsurance: WTW
WTW says the prolonged Middle East conflict is establishing a new baseline for terrorism and political violence reinsurance. Insurers are now offering reduced line sizes, tighter terms, and higher rates. Capacity outside the MENA region remains near $8.5 billion, with only...
AM Best Affirms Sompo’s Ratings Following Aspen Acquisition
AM Best removed the under‑review status and affirmed an A+ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating for Sompo Japan Insurance, with a stable outlook, alongside an aa‑ Long‑Term Issuer Credit Rating carrying a positive outlook. The agency also affirmed an a‑ rating...
TMK Adds Francesca Kevill as Underwriter to Its Cyber & Enterprise Risk Team
Specialist insurer Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK) has appointed Francesca Kevill as an underwriter on its Cyber & Enterprise Risk team, reporting to Head of Delegated Cyber & IP Ellie Webb. Kevill brings extensive cyber underwriting experience from Tokio Marine Australia,...
Total Losses From March Kona Storms in Hawaii Said to Be at Least $1bn: Aon
Aon’s latest catastrophe report estimates that the back‑to‑back Kona storms that battered Hawaii in March 2024 will generate at least $1 billion in combined economic and insured losses. The two‑week deluge produced record rainfall—over 52 inches at mountain peaks—the heaviest event...
Swiss Re Appoints Teodora Aldenhoff as Chief Pricing Actuary L&H Continental Europe
Swiss Re has appointed Teodora Aldenhoff as Chief Pricing Actuary for Life & Health Continental Europe. Aldenhoff, a UK‑qualified actuary with a master’s in financial mathematics, joins the leadership team after 15 years at the firm, most recently overseeing L&H...
Matthew Kirk Takes over as AXIS Chief Financial Officer
AXIS Capital announced that Matthew Kirk will assume the chief financial officer role on March 31, 2026, succeeding Peter J. Vogt after a 16‑year tenure. Kirk, who joined AXIS as a special advisor in October 2025, brings nearly three decades...
Totalis Program Underwriters Acquires Specialist Provider ShoreOne
Totalis Program Underwriters has acquired ShoreOne Insurance Managers, a niche provider of homeowners insurance with integrated flood coverage. The deal terms were undisclosed, and ShoreOne will operate as an independent business unit under Totalis, with Cameron Rhodes taking over as...
Markel International Appoints Camilla Roughan to Senior Underwriter – Energy
Markel International has named Camilla Roughan as Senior Underwriter – Energy, effective immediately. Based in London, Roughan will lead underwriting for the firm’s upstream and midstream energy portfolio, focusing on tighter risk selection and stronger broker relationships. Her 20‑plus years...
MGA Banyan Risk Deploys Hx’s Full Agentic Underwriting Suite
hyperexponential (hx) has partnered with MGA Banyan Risk to become the first managing general agent to deploy hx’s full agentic underwriting suite across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Bermuda. The hx platform will sit at the core of...
DUAL Promotes Scott Sayce to Group Chief Commercial Officer
DUAL Group announced the promotion of Scott Sayce to Group Chief Commercial Officer, effective 1 April 2026. Sayce joins the role after two years as Group Chief Innovation Officer and brings more than 20 years of underwriting experience across cyber, financial lines,...
Agentic AI Poised to Shape Both Offensive and Defensive Cyber Measures: Munich Re
Munich Re’s 2026 cyber‑insurance report warns that agentic AI will soon automate multi‑stage attacks, generate hyper‑personalised phishing, and manipulate AI models through prompt injection and data poisoning. The technology expands the attack surface while also offering defenders autonomous tools to...
Farmers Insurance Appoints John Pham as Chief Strategy & Risk Officer
Farmers Insurance, the nation’s largest property‑casualty insurer headquartered in California, has named John Pham as its new Chief Strategy & Risk Officer. Pham will report directly to CEO Raul Vargas and is tasked with turning corporate strategy into measurable outcomes,...
New Dawn Risk and Continent 8 Partner for iGaming Cybersecurity and Insurance
New Dawn Risk, a Lloyd's specialist broker, has teamed up with Continent 8 Technologies to deliver a combined cyber‑security and insurance offering for iGaming operators. The package bundles managed SOC, MDR, DDoS mitigation, WAAP and MFA with tailored insurance coverage,...
HKIA Reforms Seen Strengthening Hong Kong’s Reinsurance Hub Status: AM Best
AM Best’s latest report says HKIA’s proposed reforms to non‑life insurers’ capital rules could boost Hong Kong’s reinsurance hub status. The changes would scale back prescribed natural catastrophe risk factors and let insurers exclude offshore reinsurance from capital calculations, improving...
Stephen Catlin Steps Down as Chairman of Convex Group Board
Stephen Catlin will step down as Chairman of Convex Group Limited but will stay on the board as a director and assume the honorary title of Founder and Life President. In his new role he will continue providing strategic counsel,...
Liberty Specialty Markets Adds Kevin Demmon as Property Divisional Director
Liberty Specialty Markets, a unit of Liberty Mutual, has created a new Property Divisional Director position and appointed Kevin Demmon, effective March 19, 2026. Based in London, Demmon will report to Chief Underwriting Officer Henry Nelson and oversee the UK...
DUAL UK Introduces Credit Risk Insurance Solution to Sustain Cross-Border Transactions
DUAL UK, the underwriting arm of Howden Group Holdings, has launched a new Credit Risk Insurance (CRI) solution to help clients manage payment and contractual risks in cross‑border trade. The product offers contract‑frustration coverage for up to 15 years and...
Berkshire (BHSI) Introduces New Executive First D&O Insurance Policies in Switzerland
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has rolled out two new Executive First Directors & Officers (D&O) liability policies in Switzerland, one aimed at commercial and industrial firms and the other at financial institutions and investment managers. The policies promise straightforward,...
Readhunt Gains Lloyd’s of London Broker Registration
Readhunt, an independent UK insurance broker, has secured Lloyd’s of London broker registration, granting it direct access to Lloyd’s syndicates. The accreditation expands the firm’s capacity to design bespoke insurance programmes for technically complex or non‑standard risks across sectors such...
Aon Names Cedillo Mejía CEO, Commercial Risk & Human Capital, Mexico, Caribbean & Central America
Aon announced that Julio Adolfo Cedillo Mejía will become CEO of Commercial Risk and Human Capital for Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, effective May 1, 2026. The veteran has spent 22 years at Aon, most recently leading reinsurance operations...
Ki Adds Helen Rios as Active Underwriter for Syndicate 1618
Ki, the algorithmic Lloyd’s digital platform, has appointed Helen Rios as an Active Underwriter for Syndicate 1618, effective March 2026 pending regulatory approval. Rios, who has served as Underwriting Director for Ki’s Casualty Division since the firm’s 2020 launch, will...
Canada Life Finalises £30m Buy-In with Phoenix Medical Supplies Pension Scheme
Canada Life has completed a £30 million (≈ $37.5 million) full‑scheme buy‑in for the Phoenix Medical Supplies Pension Scheme, securing the future benefits of more than 145 pensioners and 80 deferred members. Barnett Waddingham served as lead broker, adviser and administrator, while Gateley...
Insurance Sector Needs Hybrid Talent Amid Rapid Automation: Aon’s Blain
Aon’s Louisa Blain reports that 97% of insurers are accelerating automation, with 43% of tasks expected to be automated by 2030. The industry faces a widening capability gap that recruitment alone cannot close, prompting a shift toward hybrid talent that...
Chubb Appoints New Heads of Property and Casualty in Overseas General Division
Chubb has appointed Ben McGregor and Alex Forman as senior vice presidents to lead its Commercial Insurance Property and Casualty businesses within the Overseas General (COG) division. Both executives assume their roles immediately and will report to EVP John DePeters,...
Starr Completes IQUW Deal, Strengthens Specialty Re/Insurance Presence
Starr has finalized its acquisition of IQUW Group, creating a larger specialty re/insurance platform that now ranks as the ninth‑largest managing agency at Lloyd’s. The deal integrates IQUW’s London syndicates and Bermuda reinsurance operations under the new Starr Re brand,...
Scott Kreuzer Joins PartnerRe as CEO P&C Americas
PartnerRe, the Bermuda‑based reinsurer, appointed Scott Kreuzer as CEO of its Property & Casualty Americas division. Kreuzer joins from Aspen Insurance Group after six years leading its Americas business and brings nearly 30 years of experience across AXIS, ACE Tempest...
Everest to Sell Canadian Retail Insurance Operations to Wawanesa
Everest Group has agreed to sell its Canadian Retail Insurance business, Everest Canada, to mutual insurer Wawanesa, with the transaction slated to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approval. The deal will transfer an estimated CAD305 million (about...
Intelligent AI Partners with Guidewire to Integrate High-Resolution Property Risk and Rebuilt Data
Intelligent AI has teamed up with Guidewire to embed its high‑resolution property risk and COPE (Construction, Occupancy, Protection, Exposure) rebuild cost data directly into the Guidewire InsuranceSuite platform. The integration delivers precise replacement‑cost estimates, enriched property attributes and peril‑specific risk...
Chubb Reveals Structure of DFC’s $20bn Gulf Maritime Insurance Facility
U.S. insurer Chubb has been confirmed as the lead underwriter for the International Development Finance Corporation’s $20 billion Gulf Maritime Insurance Facility. The program will provide war‑related hull, protection‑and‑indemnity and cargo coverage for vessels that meet U.S. eligibility criteria, primarily those...
Balavant Launches Hudson Backed Sentric Specialty
Balavant Insurance Group has launched Sentric Specialty, a new program manager built on its next‑generation MGA platform to deliver specialty insurance for manufacturing, crisis management and professional liability risks. Backed by Hudson Insurance Group, an A+‑rated carrier, Sentric’s inaugural product...
Reinsurance Pools, Retro Underpin Terrorism Risk Resilience in a Complex Threat Landscape: Guy Carpenter’s Gallagher
Guy Carpenter’s Asia‑Pacific CEO Tony Gallagher warned that terrorism risk is evolving toward smaller, more frequent attacks that blend physical, cyber and state‑linked threats. He highlighted the critical role of reinsurance pools and retrocession in providing market capacity far beyond...
Marsh Reports Reversal in Transactional Risk Insurance Pricing Amid Surge in Global M&A Activity
Marsh reports that primary representations and warranties (R&W) insurance premiums rebounded in 2025, ending a three‑year decline. North America saw the steepest increase, with rates up 16% year‑over‑year, while Asia’s premiums rose 8%. The price surge coincides with a near‑$5 trillion...
MS Amlin Syndicate Underwriting Profits up 50.2% with Improved CoR in FY’25
MS Amlin Syndicate 2001 posted a 50.2% jump in underwriting profit to $350 million for FY 2025, up from $233 million in 2024. Gross written premiums rose 9.6% to $2.88 billion while net earned premiums increased 18.5% to $2.39 billion. The combined ratio improved to...
Atrium Strengthens Property Business Group with Key Appointments
Atrium, a Lloyd’s‑based specialty insurer, announced senior appointments to boost its Property Business Group. Natalie Dubois and Thomas Hobbs were promoted to joint Head of US & Canada Property Binders, while Emily Lambert joined as an underwriter on the Property...
Aon Appoints Fabio Martinez as Head of Health & Talent, Brazil
Aon has appointed Fabio Martinez as Head of Health & Talent for Brazil. Martinez brings over 25 years of insurance and health sector experience, including a decade at Aon where he served as Client Management Director and Chief Broking Officer....
AM Best Upgrades Long-Term ICR of Hanoi Re
AM Best upgraded Hanoi Reinsurance Joint Stock Corporation’s Long‑Term Issuer Credit Rating to bbb+ (Good) from bbb, while moving the outlook from positive to stable. The agency also affirmed the company’s Financial Strength Rating at B++ and its Vietnam National...
QBE and Aurora Launch Fully Automated Underwriting for Complex Marine Risks
QBE, in partnership with Aurora, has launched a fully automated, algorithmic underwriting platform for complex marine specialty risks, marking the first time a major insurer embeds end‑to‑end lead underwriting within its own governance framework. The solution is live for QBE’s...
Commercial P&C Pricing Environment Textured and Nuanced, Says Chubb CEO
Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg told shareholders that the commercial property‑and‑casualty pricing environment is softening, but the shift is "textured and nuanced" rather than binary. He emphasized that underwriting discipline remains the cornerstone of Chubb’s ability to navigate both hard and...
Verisk Forms New General Insurance UK & Ireland Business Unit Led by Chris Sawford
Verisk announced the formation of Verisk General Insurance UK & Ireland, a consolidated business unit that brings together its International Underwriting, Property and Risk, Claims UK, and Ignite platforms. Chris Sawford, a veteran of Verisk’s claims division and co‑founder of...
Rising Legal Exposure for Ultra-Processed Food Manufacturers Amid New Government-Led Lawsuits: Swiss Re
Swiss Re's sigma insights report warns that ultra‑processed food (UPF) makers face growing legal exposure after the first government‑initiated lawsuit was filed in December 2025. Plaintiffs are expanding tactics from individual injury claims to public‑cost recovery actions that sidestep strict...
Guy Carpenter Names FloodFlash Co-Founder Ian Bartholomew as Global Head of Parametric Advisory
Guy Carpenter has appointed Dr. Ian Bartholomew, co‑founder of parametric flood insurer FloodFlash, as Global Head of Parametric Advisory effective June 1, 2026. Based in London and reporting to Managing Director David Lightfoot, Bartholomew will lead the firm’s push into...
Kestrel Sees Net Income Hit $46.7m in 2025 Amid Premium Growth
Kestrel reported a net income of $46.7 million for 2025, driven by a surge in premium volume and a $68.3 million bargain‑purchase gain. Total revenue climbed to $34 million, while gross premiums written reached $6.1 billion and fee income more than doubled to $6.1 million....
Mapfre Raises ROE Target to Above 13% and Sets Improved CoR for 2026
Mapfre announced an upgraded Strategic Plan for 2026, raising its return on equity target to above 13% and aiming for a combined ratio between 93% and 94%. The insurer posted a record 2025 year, with net earnings surpassing €1 billion and...
AI-Related Risks Rank Highest for Long-Term Emerging Risks Among C-Suite
A joint survey by the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries of 350 senior executives reveals that 60% of C‑suite leaders view technological risks, especially AI adverse outcomes, as the most consequential over the next three years. Economic...
European Insurance M&A Activity Rises 14% in 2025: FTI Consulting
European insurance M&A activity climbed 14% in 2025, reaching 789 announced transactions across brokers, MGAs, service providers and carriers. The United Kingdom and Ireland saw a 23% year‑on‑year decline, yet remained the region with the most deals at 219. Continental...
Insured Losses From March 10-12 US SCS Outbreak to Land in the Billions of Dollars: Gallagher Re
Reinsurance broker Gallagher Re estimates that the March 10‑12 severe convective storm (SCS) outbreak in the United States will generate insured losses in the low‑to‑mid single‑digit billions of dollars, with total economic damage projected to be 20‑25% higher. The event,...
Ascot Appoints Shanelle Burke as US Chief Financial Officer
Ascot announced Shanelle Burke as its U.S. Chief Financial Officer, elevating her from the controller role she has held since 2020. Burke brings more than two decades of insurance finance experience, including senior positions at Markel, Alterra USA, and KPMG....
DUAL North America and AXIS Increase Surety Programme Capacity
DUAL North America, the Howden Group’s specialist underwriting arm, and AXIS Capital have raised the capacity of their joint surety programme after a strong inaugural year. Single‑bond limits have been lifted from $100 million to $150 million, while aggregate per‑principal limits rose...
