Catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities news

The catastrophe bond market continued its strong momentum in 2026 driving another record period of issuance in the first-half of the year and analysis from global reinsurance firm Swiss Re’s Capital Markets division shows that since 2021 the outstanding cat bond market has been expanding at a roughly 15.5% compound annual growth rate.

As the date of our next catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) market conference approaches, we have added four more expert speakers to the Artemis London 2026 website. Join us on September 1st for a full-day of in-depth ILS market discussion and valuable networking. Register to attend the conference here.

Playing a dual role as both the rating agency and risk modelling agency for German insurer Gothaer’s recent EUR 100 million Yardstick Re DAC (Series 2026-1) flood catastrophe bond exemplifies the One Moody’s strategy and the company sees a pipeline of opportunity in insurance-linked securities (ILS), Moody’s Corporation CEO Rob Fauber has explained.

Artex Axcell Re, the Bermuda domiciled Artex Risk Solutions operated risk transformer entity, has issued another new private catastrophe bond transaction, with $60 million of Artex Axcell Re (Series FE0004) notes coming to market.

GC Securities, the investment banking and capital markets arm of reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter, worked on 20 catastrophe bonds in the first-half of 2026, totalling $5 billion of limit, a record for the broker, according to CEO Dean Klisura.

Hannover Re’s Bermuda-domiciled transformer vehicle Kaith Re Ltd. has issued another private catastrophe bond under its Seaside Re program, with a $14.94 million Seaside Re (Series 2026-61) deal that we expect will be exposed to US property catastrophe risks and provide reinsurance or retrocession for an unknown sponsor.

Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, the hedge fund-focused arm of the global asset manager, has updated its stance on catastrophe bonds from ‘overweight’ to ‘strongly overweight’ for Q3 2026, citing the asset class’s attractiveness, while its stance on other ILS remains unchanged at ‘neutral’

The Canadian financial markets regulator, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), has now added natural catastrophe bonds to its rules on allowable forms of reinsurance that can reduce capital requirements for insurance risk.

While the re/insurance market continues to soften and both aggregate and multi-peril structures return to many catastrophe bonds, Harry White of Property Claim Services (PCS), a unit of Verisk, notes that severe thunderstorm losses remain a critical factor.

Demand for industry-loss warranty (ILW) protection saw progressive momentum throughout Q2 2026, culminating in a peak during the mid-year reinsurance renewals. At the same time, after a record opening half to the year, catastrophe bond activity is expected to be very active in Q4, a new commentary from SCOR Investment Partners has highlighted.