Insurance Linked Investments

We are delighted to reveal the final wave of speakers for our upcoming catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference. Artemis ILS NYC 2025 is being held in New York on February 7th. Tickets are still available but selling fast, so please register soon to ensure you can join us at the event.

The Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) has maintained its position as the leading exchange in the world for the listing of insurance-linked securities (ILS) instruments in 2024, with roughly 92% of outstanding catastrophe bond issuance finding a home there as of the end of the year.

Insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund managers delivered another positive month of returns to their investors in November 2024, with the average return of the Eurekahedge ILS Advisers Index reaching 1.03% on the back of positive returns for each of the 26 ILS fund strategies it tracks.

2024 was another record issuance year for the catastrophe bond market and with total alternative reinsurance capital reaching new heights, the way insurance-linked securities (ILS) managers and investors matched appropriate risk returns was a notable success, according to Bill Dubinsky, Managing Director and CEO of Gallagher Securities.

High-demand for catastrophe bond investments has compressed risk spreads somewhat, resulting in the overall yield of the catastrophe bond market falling back into single digits at 9.94% by the end of December 2024, according to the latest data from Plenum Investments.

Ark Insurance Holdings Limited, a property and casualty insurance and reinsurance subsidiary of the White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., has successfully sponsored a renewal of its collateralized reinsurance sidecar Outrigger Re Ltd. for the 2025 calendar year, but at a slightly smaller size than seen in 2024.

Despite the tightening of catastrophe bond spreads seen through the second-half of 2024 the asset class remains elevated compared to US high-yield bond offerings, with investment manager Twelve Capital estimating cat bond spreads are around 280bps higher at this time.

CCR Re, the France headquartered international reinsurance company, has announced the successful renewal and launch of a seventh sidecar in the 157 Re series of deals, which for 2025 sees the addition of a new feature to enable more efficient reuse of collateral between sidecar vintages.

We are now just one month away from our next catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference. Our Artemis ILS NYC 2025 event is being held in New York on February 7th. Tickets are still available but selling fast, so please register soon to ensure you can join us at the event.

Ryan Specialty has agreed to acquire managing general underwriter (MGU) Velocity Risk Underwriters, LLC from its current owner, funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. for $525 million, while insurer FM is set to acquire the MGU’s excess and surplus (E&S) lines carrier.