Archive

Hungary: The regulator’s angle

Hungary has been focused on growing its life market – and according to Koppány Nagy, the National Bank of Hungary’s (MNB) director for Insurance, Pension Funds and Intermediaries Supervision, there is an upward trend being observed.

Poland: Mass lapse potential

Poland is exploring the use of new techniques for its life insurance markets. But the make-up of the country’s life products means it will not be pushing into reinsurance anytime soon, the financial regulator, the KNF, says.

Italy: Private equity can be a force for good

Italy has experienced one of the more negative episodes in the private equity-insurance saga in recent times. Despite this, PE can play a constructive role in the market, says Rita Laura D’Ecclesia, Member of the Board of Directors at the country’s regulator, IVASS.

Portugal: All about risk

Joao Santos, Managing Director of Risk at Fidelidade, offers a risk and capital perspective on Portugal’s life insurance market.

Switzerland: Exploring reinsurance

Switzerland has been at the vanguard of Europe’s asset intensive investigations. Daniel Weijand, Supervisory Policy & Legal Expertise at the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, FINMA, gives his take on where the market might be headed next.

Netherlands: A longevity model

The 2023 Netherlands Future of Pensions Act, which required all Dutch defined benefit pensions schemes to move to a defined contribution model by 1 January 2028, has been a major catalyst for what is now one of the biggest longevity risk transfer markets in Europe.

Most Read

Sompo’s AIR innovation
Japanese insurer Sompo launched a life reinsurer in Bermuda last month. It is an innovative step in the company’s growth and attests to the importance of asset intensive reinsurance for Japan’s insurers.
The Cayman Question
In August, the NAIC came out with surprise news that it was considering a capital charge for the life reinsurance market. It has participants concerned. Central to the story is the Cayman Islands.
The Value of Curiosity
Liane Hirner, CFRO of VIG, has a strong belief in the merits of listening. It is a trait that has helped her navigate the shifts seen in life insurance in recent years, including macro volatility and the advent of trends like PE and asset intensive reinsurance.
Alexandra Jour-Schroeder: a new dawn for EU insurance investment
Europe has an €800bn economic investment gap. Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General of DG FISMA, European Commission, says European insurers are going to get more opportunities to bridge this.
Japan’s AIR makeover
The Japanese FSA’s nuanced overhaul of its asset intensive reinsurance rules has been welcomed by participants as keeping a key capital-management tool intact for the country's life insurers. So what do the new rules say?

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