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US ORSA comes to life
19 June 2015Before the end of the year, large US insurers will submit an ORSA report to supervisors. This represents a step change for the industry, but is likely to be just the beginning of a broader process of transformation, Hugo Coelho reports
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NAIC's Urias: "ICS should not be tied to one valuation methodology, not at this stage"
14 May 2015The attempt to create global convergence on insurance supervision is proving to be a bumpy ride. Christina Urias, the NAIC's director for international regulatory affairs, explains to Hugo Coelho how the states view the reinsurance collateral agreement with the EU and the global capital standard.
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A sea-change in the perception of ERM
28 April 2015Towers Watson's eighth biennial survey of insurers' attitudes towards enterprise risk management (ERM) has revealed that most now see it adding value to the business. Christopher Cundy reports
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Low rates usher an era of 'new traditional' products
24 February 2015Austrian insurer Uniqa has replaced its traditional guaranteed product with a 'new traditional' product that comes with a 0% guarantee and bonus at maturity. It is just the latest insurer to adjust its product portfolio in response to the twin threats of low rates and Solvency II. Hugo Coelho reports
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Tough battle ahead for global capital standards
19 February 2015The response of US state insurance regulators to the IAIS consultation on the insurance capital standard sheds light over hurdles on the way of a global compromise. Hugo Coelho reports
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Hong Kong: on the road to RBC
12 February 2015It is early days for the development of Hong Kong's risk-based capital regime, but insurers already fear it will bring substantial changes to their businesses. Hugo Coelho reports
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The threat from cyber: Are insurers heading for a meltdown?
05 January 2015The recent establishment of a dedicated cyber insurance agency in London by former US homeland security secretary Tom Ridge demonstrates its growing popularity. But as the prevalence of recent high-profile hacking incidents demonstrates, this is not a class without its dangers, as Marcus Alcock investigates
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Mitigating the cycle
11 December 2014While there have been significant advances in quantifying the uncertainty pertaining to 'dark matter' risks such as casualty catastrophe or cyber, says Victoria Jenkins, it is worth considering how they may manifest themselves in the future and what can be done about them now
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Portuguese insurers under pressure to sell bank debt
09 December 2014The Portuguese insurance supervisor has found that one in five insurers fall short of capital under Solvency II, even after taking into account the benefit of the volatility adjustment. What's more, concentrated exposures to the financial sector are sending capital requirements through the roof, as Hugo Coelho explores
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John Huff: Capital cannot be the only answer to systemic risk
30 October 2014While in Amsterdam for the conference of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, Hugo Coelho caught up with Missouri insurance commissioner John Huff. Here he elaborates on his criticism of global standards, and discusses key aspects in the tug of war between the US and Europe on the convergence of insurance regulation