Insurance Linked Investments

In recent years, the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market has expanded from a niche property catastrophe tool into a broader and more complex asset class, and with that evolution, valuation has also moved from a reporting exercise into a core determinant of market credibility, according to Andy Smyth of Nascent Group.

Gálapagos Capital Sociedade Seguradora de Propósito Específico S.A., the Brazil based SSPE or special purpose reinsurance vehicle that can issue Letra de Risco de Seguro (Insurance Risk Letters) and is owned by global investment company Galapagos Capital, has completed issuance of the largest transaction under Brazil’s insurance-linked securities regime so far.

Lumen Re, the main Bermuda-domiciled rated reinsurance underwriting vehicle of specialist insurance-linked securities manager LGT ILS Partners, continued to exhibit a lower loss ratio last year according to AM Best, while its latest financial report shows the gross premiums underwritten rose 23% in 2024 to approaching $207 million.

Tradecraft ILS Advisors has been launched as a new independent consulting and advisory firm focused on the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market by well-known industry executive and former AXIS ILS leader Kyle Freeman.

When deciding whether to access insurance-linked securities (ILS) and non-traditional sources of reinsurance capital, the question is no longer whether to engage. Rather it has shifted to identifying how to bring it into your capital model effectively and meet medium to long-term strategic goals, Jason Bolding, CEO of Gallagher Securities has said.

A survey of institutional investors recently undertaken by Gallagher Securities found that 60% are intending to increase their allocations to insurance-linked investments, with catastrophe bonds and similar insurance-linked securities (ILS) seen as the main type of assets in focus.

Northern Re, the collateralized reinsurance company that provides investors with access to the returns of its long-tail casualty underwriting business, has announced the hiring of Tarek Frahi as Head of Data Science, a move designed to help the company enhance its modelling and analytical capabilities.

Ariel Sociedade Seguradora de Propósito Específico S.A. (Ariel SSPE) will be the third insurance-linked securities (ILS) structure in Brazil, harnessing the country’s regulations to become an independent issuer of Letra de Risco de Seguro (Insurance Risk Letters), Brazil’s own brand of ILS instrument.

Lockton Re, the reinsurance arm of the independent broking group, has announced the full deployment of its advisory and structuring capabilities dedicated to Brazil’s Letra de Risco de Seguro (LRS /Insurance Risk Letters) market, utilising locally licensed Special Purpose Securitisation Entities (SSPE).

Listings of catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities (ILS) soared in the first-quarter of 2026 for the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) and it further grew its market share, as total cat bond and ILS listings on the BSX reached over $68.5 billion.