Typhoon Nangka continues on its forecast path towards Japan’s southern coastline, with the now weakening storm still threatening damaging winds, torrential rainfall and a storm surge which could inundate some coastal areas.

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s gave an update on how it views global reinsurance sector trends at an event in London recently, highlighting the continued growth of capital, ongoing price pressure and saying that M&A won’t reverse these trends.

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management has updated on the launch of its insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund management unit, which began operating earlier this year with seed money from alternative investment manager Tages Capital.

Willis Capital Markets & Advisory, the investment banking and insurance-linked securities (ILS) facilitating arm of global insurance and reinsurance broker Willis Group, has hired Brian Shea from SCOR to the role of Head of Europe.

Multi-year traditional and fully-collateralized protection has grown as a percentage of the reinsurance program of U.S. specialty insurance group Assurant, as the insurer seeks to reduce its financial exposure to catastrophic losses caused by severe weather events.

The main concern cited by reinsurance industry participants in response to a recent survey is current market conditions. The concern centres on soft reinsurance market conditions, created by excess capacity and the influx of ‘new capital’.

International insurance and reinsurance markets, including alternative risk transfer instruments and insurance-linked securities (ILS), have a vital role to play in ensuring basic human rights for people against the world’s catastrophe risks, according to a recent study.

Sophisticated buyers of collateralized reinsurance protection, from insurance-linked securities (ILS) managers, funds, sidecars and other structures, are becoming increasingly discerning, as the product matures and buyers examine ILS offerings more closely, according to Willis Re.