insured catastrophe losses

Last week’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck near Kumamoto City on Japan’s Kyushu Island on July 28th is estimated likely to cause insurance industry losses of between US $1.4 billion to US $2.1 billion by data and analytics specialist Verisk.

Industry losses from the recent magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture are expected to be relatively lower than the devastating 2016 Kumamoto quakes, which caused US $53 billion in economic and $7.7 billion in insured losses, according to broking group Aon.

Reinsurance firm Munich Re has estimated that global insured losses from natural catastrophe events reached US $44 billion in the first-half of 2026, below long-term averages, and a notable decline from last year’s $80 billion. 

Twelve Securis has reported that it does not expect any significant loss impact to the cat bond market from yesterday’s Kumamoto, Japan earthquake, while an assessment of its private ILS positions also does not suggest any material impact.

After yesterday’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake in the Kumamoto prefecture of Japan a number of specialist insurance-linked securities investment managers have commented, with all analysis seen so far indicating this is currently viewed as unlikely to be a loss event of particular note for the catastrophe bond and ILS market.

Severe convective storm (SCS) insured losses in the United States are projected to be below average in 2026 based on recorded losses seen in the first half of the year, according to catastrophe risk modeler Karen Clark & Company (KCC).

CatIQ, Canada’s insured loss and exposure indices provider, has published a final insurance industry loss estimate of CAD $1.30 billion from the wildfires that impacted the Municipality of Jasper and Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada between July 22nd and August 17th, 2024.

Insured losses from catastrophe events across the globe in the first half of 2026 are estimated to have reached $47 billion, significantly down on last year’s $100 billion, with severe convective storms (SCS) including hail, damaging straight-line winds and tornadoes, remaining the costliest insured peril on a global basis, according to broker Aon.

While the re/insurance market continues to soften and both aggregate and multi-peril structures return to many catastrophe bonds, Harry White of Property Claim Services (PCS), a unit of Verisk, notes that severe thunderstorm losses remain a critical factor.

CatIQ, Canada’s insured loss and exposure index provider, has published its initial industry loss estimates for two severe weather events that impacted the Prairies and Montreal in Canada in June 2026, while also confirming its final loss estimate for the flooding that affected Toronto and surrounding areas in mid-July 2024.