Analysis

  • European insurers' foray into Asian real estate

    17 December 2019

    David Walker explores the opportunities and challenges for insurers investing in real estate in the Far East.

  • Hong Kong's Insurance Authority "no longer a start-up"

    12 December 2019

    Opening the second Asian Insurance Forum, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority chairman Moses Cheng rejoiced at the organisation's new status as a fully-fledged independent regulator and highlighted the work ahead. Vincent Huck reports

  • New investment risks or new assessment of risk?

    10 December 2019

    Panellists at Insurance Asset Risk's sister publication InsuranceERM's conference discuss the new types of risks they are exposed to and whether they understand those risks well. Highlights compiled by Stephanie Harris

  • Sustainability: to regulate or not regulate?

    05 December 2019

    Financial regulation has a role to play in tackling climate change, but it cannot be a silver bullet. So the time has come for policymakers to step up their game, delegates at the Insurance and Climate Risk conference heard. Vincent Huck reports

  • Widening spreads on Italian govvies – curse or opportunity?

    28 November 2019

    Volatilità was one of the hot topics of 2018, and while widening Italian government bond spreads stressed insurers solvency ratios, was there an investment opportunity to be made? Vincent Huck reports

  • Rating the agencies

    26 November 2019

    A report by the alternative credit council calls out insurer use of ratings agencies for private credit. Given their failings in the financial crisis are the criticisms justified? Sarfraz Thind reports

  • Finding the holy grail

    21 November 2019

    With low interest rates impacting solvency ratios, insurers are looking for the holy grail of high yielding assets which do not require higher capital charges. Vincent Huck reports

  • Is winter coming? Allianz's US CIO ponders the market

    19 November 2019

    Allianz's US CIO Todd Hedtke has three main economic concerns right now—low rates, volatility and credit. He talks about the macro environment and how he is navigating the insurer's path through potentially inclement weather. Interview by Sarfraz Thind

  • How low and how long?

    14 November 2019

    Low interest rates are here to stay, might be the only consensus in the insurance investment market right now. But how low and how long will they stay remains an unanswered question. A panel of two economists and a consultant tried to provide some answers. Vincent Huck reports

  • Comment: Cover this govvy which I may not behold

    12 November 2019

    The momentum around responsible investing will achieve nothing if insurers don’t address the bulk of their investment holdings namely government bonds, Vincent Huck writes. The 17th century French playwriter Molière has his say, too.