Catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities news

Catastrophe bond market yields rose again through the month of April 2026, as seasonal spread widening effects lifted total returns to almost 9.3%, reducing the year-on year decline in cat bond market coupon to 11% by May 1st, the latest data from Plenum Investments shows.

Insurance-linked securities investment strategies across catastrophe bonds and private ILS clearly demonstrated the valuable diversification the asset class can deliver in March 2026, with the ILS Advisers Fund Index rising 0.67% for the month.

USAA, the military mutual insurer, has now successfully priced its largest catastrophe bond sponsorship ever at attractive spreads, with the Residential Reinsurance 2026 Limited (Series 2026-1) cat bond now set to provide the company a meaningful $825 million in additional catastrophe reinsurance limit, Artemis can report.

Mapfre Re, the Spanish global reinsurance company, has now successfully secured $200 million of US named storm protection from the capital markets through its Recoletos Re DAC (Series 2026-1) catastrophe bond issuance, pricing the notes at the lowest end of initial guidance, Artemis can report.

SCOR, the France-headquartered global reinsurance company, is back in the catastrophe bond market initially targeting $75 million of multi-peril fully-collateralized retrocession through sponsorship of an Atlas Capital DAC (Series 2026-1) issuance, Artemis has learned.

Following the successful issuance of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) first catastrophe bond offerings, Roberta Casali, Vice-President for Finance and Risk Management at the ADB has explained how the cat bonds will provide committed financing for disasters and said she hopes the first ADB cat bonds will “pave the way for future issuances.”

Slide Insurance Company expects to have around $3.5 billion of catastrophe reinsurance limit in-force for a first event in 2026, an increase of roughly $1 billion and CEO Bruce Lucas has said that risk-adjusted rate decreases for its renewal are “substantial” so far.

Palomar Insurance Holdings has now successfully priced its seventh catastrophe bond sponsorship, securing $410 million of capital markets backed California earthquake and Hawaii named storm reinsurance from its new Torrey Pines Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) issuance, Artemis can report.

Convex Group, the expansive global specialty insurance and reinsurance underwriter, has now successfully secured $175 million of multi-peril retrocessional protection from its new and fourth Hypatia Ltd. (Series 2026-1) catastrophe bond sponsorship, pricing the coverage at the mid-point of guidance, Artemis understands.

Mapfre Re, the Spanish global reinsurance company, is now aiming for reduced pricing for its latest catastrophe bond sponsorship, with the still $200 million Recoletos Re DAC (Series 2026-1) US named storm issuance cat bond transaction now seeing its price target reduced to the low-end of guidance, Artemis can report.