Best of Artemis, week ending 6th May 2018

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 6th May 2018, covering catastrophe bonds, ILS, reinsurance capital and related risk transfer topics. To ensure you never miss a thing subscribe to the weekly Artemis email newsletter updates or get our email alerts for every article we publish.

Tickets are available now for our upcoming insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in Asia. ILS Asia 2018 will be held in Singapore on July 12th 2018. Tickets are selling fast, please reserve your space at early bird rates today.

Ten most viewed articles on Artemis.bm, week ending 6th May 2018:

1. Cat bond & ILS issuance passes $5.7bn in 2018, market hits $33bn in size
   The catastrophe bond and related insurance-linked securities (ILS) market has reached a new high, according to Artemis’ latest data on the market, as 2018 issuance sets a record pace in passing $5.7 billion already, while the outstanding market has hit a new record size at $33 billion.

2. Blockchain a potential game-changer, more ILS use-cases to emerge
   Blockchain is a potential game-changer for the insurance and reinsurance sector, according to Fitch Ratings, who forecast that the technology will become increasingly embedded in the fabric of the re/insurance market over the coming years and that ILS related use-cases will continue to emerge as well.

3. As SoftBank & Swiss Re talks stall, the investor could look at ILS options
   As the negotiations between reinsurance giant Swiss Re and technology and telecoms investor SoftBank are reported to have stalled, with the pair said unable to agree on the size of the stake, among other things. Perhaps SoftBank could put its innovation hat on and leverage ILS trends.

4. Beazley speeds up & simplifies parametric weather insurance policies
   London headquartered insurance and reinsurance firm Beazley has updated the technology systems and user experience of its parametric weather insurance products, in order to provide what it calls the first fully personalised insurance policy and to enable automatic payouts to claimants.

5. ILS business at Willis Towers Watson to be integrated into reinsurance unit
   Global broker and advisory Willis Towers Watson has announced that it is to integrate its insurance-linked securities (ILS) offering into its reinsurance broking division Willis Re, a step that will differentiate it from other brokers that keep ILS in their investment banking unit.

6. Aggressive capital deployment to dampen mid-year renewals: RenRe CEO O’Donnell
   The early indications on the upcoming mid-year June and July 2018 reinsurance renewals are that capital is being deployed “aggressively”, according to RenaissanceRe CEO Kevin O’Donnell, suggesting that any rate increases achieved may be dampened to a degree.

7. ILS funds fall to loss in March, large gap emerges between strategies
   The difference between the best and worst performing funds among insurance-linked securities (ILS), catastrophe bonds and collateralized reinsurance strategies tracked by the Eurekahedge ILS Advisers Index widened to 4.05%, as loss adjustments drove the Index to a negative -0.24% return for March 2018.

8. Travelers returns with $300m Long Point Re III 2018-1 cat bond
   U.S. property & casualty insurance giant Travelers is returning to the capital markets with a new $300 million Long Point Re III Ltd. (Series 2018-1) multi-peril catastrophe bond transaction, the insurers first in three years and a transaction that will renew, replace and extend the reinsurance coverage from its maturing 2015 cat bond deal.

9. Nationwide Mutual’s new Caelus 2018 cat bond grows to $450m
   U.S. primary insurance firm Nationwide Mutual’s return to the catastrophe bond market in 2018 looks set to result in a bumper issuance, as the still-being-marketed Caelus Re V Ltd. (Series 2018-1) has grown by 50% to now offer investors $450 million of U.S. catastrophe risk exposed notes.

10. Lloyd’s CFO John Parry to depart next year
    Lloyd’s of London said today that the Chief Financial Officer of the insurance and reinsurance market John Parry will be departing next year, as he steps down from a position where he has been instrumental in helping Lloyd’s open up to alternative capital and ILS.

This is by no means every article published on Artemis during the last week, just the most popular, some of which were published over a week ago. There were 27 new articles published in the last week. To ensure you always stay up to date with Artemis and never miss a story subscribe to our weekly email newsletter which is delivered every Wednesday.

Get listed in our MarketView directory of professionals.

View the current breakdown of the market in our range of charts, allowing you to analyse cat bond issuance.

Check out the assets under management of the ILS fund market with our investment manager directory.

Register now for our upcoming ILS conference, July 12th 2018, Singapore