Archive

The slippery skill of liquidity management

Liquidity management is an ever-growing focus for insurers since the financial crisis. But how well do insurers understand it? Sarfraz Thind reports

Senior secured loans present opportunity as insurers slide down credit spectrum

SSLs offer low volatility, have little interest rate risk and make no difference in the capital treatment under the Solvency II standard formula for equivalent rating and duration

European insurers raise allocations to factor strategies

Invesco launches European hotel fund amid insurer interest

Initial €200m seed portfolio targeting a gross income return of 6%-7%

Solvency II filings reveal extent of life insurers' illiquid investments

Insurance Risk Data, the data service offered by the publishers of IAR, examined the QRTs of Europe's largest life companies that together run €1trn of investments and found they had allocated €375.7bn to five illiquid asset classes. David Walker reports

Political risk stifles infrastructure investment

Insurers remain wary of policymakers changing the goalposts, while building in-house origination capabilities can help capture the illiquidity premium, practitioners say

Axa IMRA expands North America team with four hires

Firm poaches investment expertise from Amazon, JP Morgan Chase and Partners Group

Capturing the illiquidity premium in the alternatives universe

Ahead of speaking at next month's Insurance Asset Risk conference in London, Invesco's head of UK insurance Ed Collinge talks to Asa Gibson about trends, changing attitudes and capturing the illiquidity premium.

Factor investing - from idea to implementation

Eager for better risk-adjusted returns and greater diversification, insurers are warming up to factor-based investment strategies. Invesco's Ed Collinge and Georg Elsaesser explain why the approach is proving popular with the industry.

Diversified Growth Funds - manna or mania?

Diversified growth funds promise equity-like returns with fixed income-type capital charges. It certainly looks an interesting proposition for insurers in the current low yield world. But how well do the promises stack up? Sarfraz Thind reports