Archive

  • Brexit will see rates cut to zero but recession inevitable, says Nomura

    24 June 2016

    Could see negative yields in UK next year

  • European insurers eye sticky private credit market

    15 June 2016

    European Insurers have been building up their investment in the private credit market these past three years. Although there is room for growth in this asset class, there are currently some serious caveats which need to be borne in mind. Sarfraz Thind reports

  • Solvency II equity dampener hits the floor

    10 March 2016

    Back to level recorded at the height of the Eurozone crisis

  • Infrastructure charges still too high, industry says

    01 October 2015

    Insurance Europe says barriers to investment remain

  • German insurers are big winners from infra charges cut

    14 July 2015

    German firms are likely to benefit most from Eiopa's tentative proposals to reduce the Solvency II capital charges on infrastructure investment, which fell short of the hopes of the industry overall. The changes in the standard formula calibrations may also have implications for users of internal models, as Hugo Coelho reports

  • The challenge of hedging under the volatility adjustment

    29 April 2015

    The multiple factors used to calculate the Solvency II risk-free rate when using the volatility adjustment (VA) render it almost impossible to hedge perfectly while maintaining capital efficiency, but that in turn creates an opportunity for value-added asset-liability management, says Paul Fulcher

  • Matching adjustment details challenge UK insurers

    22 April 2015

    The matching adjustment is currently the biggest issue for UK insurer asset portfolios before Solvency II comes into force next year. Among the key issues are equity release, FX hedges and collateral. Sarfraz Thind reports

  • PRA unimpressed by insurers' arguments on matching adjustment

    16 October 2014

    Regulator says "no" to equity-release mortgages and limits benefits for other asset classes

  • Matching adjustment rules force rethink on mortgages and property

    06 August 2014

    Insurers are facing challenges in recognising which assets qualify for the matching adjustment

  • UK insurers seek greater clarity on scope of SII rules for assets

    30 July 2014

    The PRA provided an update to a confidential paper from the ABI outlining a number of contentious areas