Thought Leadership

The powerful earthquake that rocked Myanmar on Friday, has undoubtedly brought tragedy, with lost lives, homes, and livelihoods. Fresh from a country visit in early March Axco's 'man-on-the-ground' examines how prepared is the local insurance market to address this crisis.

by Martin Tomlinson

Kenya’s life insurance sector has demonstrated consistent double-digit growth, more than tripling its written premiums between 2013 and 2022. A recent market entrant has captured 8.7% of market share in two years.

by Natasha Keats

The catastrophe bonds (cat bonds) market, the vast majority of the insurance-linked securities (ILS), has experienced substantial growth in recent decades, driven by increased (re)insurer demand for alternative risk transfer solutions and investor appetite to diversify their investment portfolios. According to market statistics, cat bonds issuance increased more than sevenfold between 2003 and 2023. There is not just an increase in the number of cat bonds issued; coverage has also expanded from natural catastrophes to human-made disasters such as terrorism and cybersecurity events.

by Chris Ip & Serena Coid

Are you looking to expand your operations or international client base? If so, we may have some good news for you. Argentina has eliminated its PAIS tax, a 25% tax on the purchase of goods or services in a foreign currency.

by Axco Insurance Information

Work as an Axco consultant takes you far and wide, and 2024 was no different for me. Bookended by visits to two neighbouring African nations - Angola in January, and recently Zambia as a pre-Christmas trip.

by Martin Tomlinson

Every year, Axco’s Global Risk team looks at developing trends across the globe, which we believe will have a significant impact on our clients. This process brings together all of our risk analysts and incorporates feedback from other insurance specialists inside Axco.

by Axco Insurance Information

Two years ago, the Axco Global Insurance Conference opened its doors for the first time. This was our first step into the world of events and, admittedly, a slightly nerve-wracking one. However, we felt confident that, with our privileged position of providing international insurance information up and down the value chain, we were perfectly suited to bring the global insurance community together.

by Axco Insurance Information

Parametric insurance, also known as index-based insurance, pays out claims based on predefined parameters. Common examples include rainfall levels, peak windspeeds and soil moisture. This type of insurance could be used to help close protection gaps across the world – with regulators playing an important role in its growth.

by Ali Smedley

For the most part, rates and conditions were hardening in the Brazilian market throughout 2021 to 2023, especially within property and engineering. However, rates have been flat and softer in the 2024 renewals, but after the flood losses in Rio Grande do Sul, key market sources do not expect further softening to continue throughout the 2024 renewals.

by Axco

State involvement in the reinsurance sector is far from unprecedented. However, a growing trend in the face of Western sanctions is that the state is more than a backstop; it is the entire reinsurance industry. In 2016, in response to Western sanctions following the 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in the Donbas, the state-owned Russian National Reinsurance Company (RNRC) was formed.

by Patrick Grady

Every year, Axco’s Global Risk team looks at developing trends across the globe, which we believe will have a significant impact on our clients. At the half-way point of 2024, amid the volatile political and economic landscape they reflect on on their 2023 Annual Forecast in a Mid-Year Review.

by Axco Information

When designing policies that address traditional challenges such as poverty, unemployment, or inequality, populations usually expect tangible outcomes in months or years. However, governments face two key issues when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Firstly, the environmental consequences of greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction are felt over a much larger time span. Secondly, global cooperation is necessary to tackle this issue, as the emissions of one nation affect every nation.

by George Smith

In the ten years since the declaration of its caliphate in 2014, Islamic State (IS) has lost the bulk of its territory, once spanning an area half the size of Great Britain, and seen its ability to mount sophisticated attacks on Western countries sharply diminished. Despite these setbacks, it has remained the world’s deadliest militant organisation, expanding into new countries and broadening its recruitment base, particularly in Africa, Central Asia and South Asia. The first six months of 2024 have been marked by a dramatic increase in both attempted and successful attacks by the group, alongside a renewed focus on targeting Europe.

by Huw Bufton