Casualty ILS news

Artex Capital Solutions, the insurance-linked securities market service provider and insurance management specialist has partnered with legacy and run-off reinsurance specialist Enstar to introduce structured exit options embedded within Artex’s ILS vehicles.

In its recently published whitepaper, Cohen & Company Asset Management, the fixed income financial services investment specialist, explained that due to advances within structuring, analytics, and governance, combined with growing investor familiarity, the firm believes that casualty represents “the next evolution of ILS exposure.”

The outstanding market for collateralized reinsurance sidecar structures has expanded rapidly, with estimates from rating agency AM Best valuing the space between $16 billion and $18 billion, which marks an 183% increase over the mid-point of the $5 billion to $7 billion range estimated by the agency in 2023.

The reinsurance sidecar market witnessed rapid growth throughout 2025, particularly in Bermuda, where a number of major re/insurers launched casualty reinsurance sidecars during the year, which demonstrates how investors have a growing interest in longer-duration casualty risk exposure that offers high yields and diversification from property catastrophe risk, says Fitch Ratings.

Northern Re’s recent $150 million capital raise marks a significant step in the expansion of its technology-enabled platform. According to the firm’s founding brothers, Anthony and Peter McKelvy, Northern Re is navigating a shift in the reinsurance landscape where investors are increasingly prioritising operational transparency over purely financial objectives.

Northern Re, the collateralized reinsurance company that provides investors with access to the returns of its long-tail casualty underwriting business, has announced raising an additional $150 million in committed capital from existing and new institutional investors, which now brings the company’s total platform capacity to $325 million.

QBE, the global re/insurer, sees alternative reinsurance capital as an important lever to allow the company to deliver sustainable returns in the mid-teens, according to its CEO Andrew Horton and CFO Chris Killourhy, with recent catastrophe bond and casualty sidecar initiatives seen as early deals to help in building a profile within ILS markets.

AXIS Capital, the global specialty insurance and reinsurance underwriter, has put a new reporting line in place for its insurance-linked securities (ILS) division AXIS ILS, with Group Chief Underwriting Officer Dan Draper adding that to his responsibilities.

AXIS Capital continues to leverage alternative capital and partner with insurance-linked securities (ILS) investors, with these activities generating attractive fee income in 2025. While a new structure established for 2026 shows that its casualty sidecar Monarch Point Re remains a core focus for the company.

In a year where Price Forbes Capital Markets saw strong activity and involvement in deals, it was casualty insurance-linked securities (ILS) that were the standout area of traction and CEO of the unit Adam Champion noted that the Bermuda market’s strength is compelling and easy to showcase to investors.