Best of Artemis, week ending 2nd August 2015

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 2nd August 2015, 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.

Top ten most viewed articles on Artemis.bm, week ending 2nd August 2015:

1. Cyber catastrophe bonds & a public-private sector solution
   The rising threat of cyber attacks to economies and businesses across the globe can be mitigated through public and private sector relationships, utilising the benefits of alternative risk transfer solutions such as catastrophe bonds, according to Z/Yen Group Limited.

2. Nephila Capital uses Lloyd’s syndicate for ARC reinsurance renewal
   Nephila Capital has participated as a reinsurance capacity provider for the African Risk Capacity (ARC), underwriting its first parametric weather risk transfer contract to cover African drought risks through its Lloyd’s of London Syndicate 2357.

3. Don’t lose sight of the many opportunities in reinsurance: Swiss Re CEO
   One of the most encouraging things to come out of the second-quarter results round so far, is the emergence of some clear messaging from reinsurance industry senior executives that opportunities for growth are available, should you be willing to identify and embrace them.

4. ABIR responds to proposed IRS hedge fund reinsurer tax rules (PFIC)
   The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) has submitted comments in response to the U.S. Treasury Internal Revenue Service’s proposed rules targeting the perceived tax issue associated with hedge fund reinsurance strategies.

5. Sterling Capital adds insurance-linked securities to mutual fund
   Further evidence of the continued appreciation of insurance-linked securities (ILS) such as catastrophe bonds, and reinsurance linked strategies in general today, as Sterling Capital Management announced that it’s added ILS to one of its mutual funds.

6. White Mountains sells Sirius to China Minsheng Investment Corp.
   Another day another reinsurance M&A transaction is announced. White Mountains has announced the sale of its Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd. unit, which underwrites P&C re/insurance, to Chinese investment group China Minsheng Investment Corp., Ltd.

7. PartnerRe said to contact EXOR, as it seeks to salvage a deal
   Reinsurance firm PartnerRe is reported to have reached out directly to Italian investment holding group EXOR S.p.A. and is said to now be willing to negotiate directly with the Agnelli controlled group for the first time.

8. Ridiculous to blame reinsurance market conditions on ILS: Lancashire CEO
   It is “completely ridiculous” to blame the current soft state of the global reinsurance market solely on the entry of third-party capital investors and the growth of insurance-linked securities, according to Lancashire CEO Alex Maloney.

9. Florida takeout insurers remain untested, warns A.M. Best
   The new generation of Florida property insurers have benefited from access to risk through Florida Citizens depopulation program and increasingly more attractive reinsurance pricing and terms, but they remain largely untested, warns A.M. Best.

10. More data needed to help alternative capital into new risks: Inga Beale
    Intangible, complex risks to economies, insurers and reinsurers around the world are on the rise, owing to globalisation and heightened interconnectedness, signalling a need for greater data on emerging risks, says Lloyd’s of London Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Inga Beale.

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 32 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.

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Artemis’ Q2 2015 Catastrophe Bond & ILS Market Report – Keeping up with demand

We’ve now published our Q2 2015 catastrophe bond & ILS market report.

This report reviews the catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) market at the end of the second-quarter of 2015, looking at the $3.162 billion of new risk capital issued and the composition of the cat bond & ILS transactions completed during Q2 2015.

Download your copy here.