Insurance-linked investments

William Spiegel, Executive Group Chairman of Randall & Quilter (R&Q) Investment Holdings, said this morning that insurance-linked securities (ILS) markets are a target for the firms growing program management business.

Farmers Insurance Group is now targeting up to $160 million of collateralized reinsurance protection from its first catastrophe bond, as the Topanga Re Ltd. (Series 2021-1) issuance grew during marketing, while its pricing was fixed at the upper-end of guidance.

For the fourth year in a row, Zurich based specialist catastrophe bond and ILS investment manager Plenum Investments has been accredited with the sustainability FNG Label by the German “Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen e.V.” (FNG) for its cat bond focused strategy.

Bermuda headquartered ILS fund and reinsurance linked investment manager ILS Capital Management has further increased its stake in Helios Underwriting, the Lloyd’s of London focused investment and underwriting vehicle, with an additional share purchase.

Insurance-linked securities (ILS) funds reported a wide range of performance in October 2021, as despite a quiet month for catastrophe losses, previous cat events drove loss reserve adjustments across the market.

Global insurance and reinsurance giant Allianz has freed up roughly $4.1 billion in value after entering into a reinsurance arrangement to transfer $35 billion of fixed index annuity liabilities to entities of Sixth Street and Clive Cowdery’s Resolution Life.

Investor and private equity specialist Apollo Global Management and its life and retirement reinsurance company Athene expect the Athene Co-Invest Reinsurance Affiliate (ACRA) third-party capitalised sidecar vehicle could drive around $60 billion of premium float, from its initial capital pool of $3.2 billion.

Despite the fact insurance-linked securities (ILS) themselves have the tail-risk of major global natural catastrophe events firmly embedded in the asset class, as part of a broader alternatives allocation ILS are “particularly suitable for reducing tail risks” in investor portfolios, according to the BAI.

Vida Capital, Inc., the alternative investment manager with a life settlement and insurance-linked securities (ILS) focus, has announced the hiring of Zachary Ainsberg, who joins the firm as Managing Director, Chief of Staff.

Climate change and providing risk transfer products to protect against its effects and to aid the world’s climate transition, is the biggest single environmental, social and governance (ESG) related attribute and opportunity for the worlds non-life insurance and reinsurance industry, according to analysts at investment bank Jefferies.