Mortality catastrophe bond news

Globally, the life insurance-linked securities (ILS) space is gaining momentum and in Asia specifically, the risk/return profile appears to be improving, according to Luca Tres, Head of Life, Securis Investment Partners.

An estimated 75% of households in the Asia Pacific region will face financial stress in the event of the death of the main breadwinner, according to research from Swiss Re.

Overall, the impacts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are expected to be positive for opportunities in the life insurance-linked securities (ILS) space, according to Luca Tres, Partner, Head of Life, Securis Investment Partners.

The first catastrophe bond rating action caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has now been resolved and reverted, as S&P Global Ratings affirmed Swiss Re’s late 2015 Vita Capital VI Limited (Series 2015-1) transaction and removed it from a negative watch.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is expected to have a limited impact on the life insurance-linked securities (ILS) sector, and despite the outlook for life insurance markets being downgraded, the future looks positive for life ILS.

The first catastrophe bond rating action due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is unsurprisingly related to one of the few mortality cat bonds left in the market, Swiss Re’s late 2015 Vita Capital VI Limited (Series 2015-1) transaction, which has been put on a negative watch by S&P Global Ratings.

Reinsurance firm Swiss Re has now successfully secured $255 million of hurricane and mortality risk retrocessional protection with its latest Matterhorn Re Ltd. (Series 2020-2) catastrophe bond transaction.

Reinsurance giant Swiss Re is back with a second catastrophe bond for 2020, seeking up to $275 million of retrocessional protection with a Matterhorn Re Ltd. (Series 2020-2) transaction that will cover it against certain losses from U.S. named storms and hurricanes, as well as extreme mortality exposures.

The ongoing transformation of the life insurance-linked securities (ILS) sector is driving a shift towards more private, highly customised deal structures designed to provide investors with a truly decorrelated, attractive investment, says Luca Tres, Head of Life at Securis Investment Partners LLP.

The Comet Pension Scheme, a closed defined benefit pension fund, is set to allocate more capital to insurance-linked securities (ILS) as part of a new discretionary alternatives mandate that includes some ILS, adding to an allocation it already had with ILS manager Leadenhall Capital Partners.