Artemis Live - Insurance-linked securities (ILS), catastrophe bonds (cat bonds), reinsurance

This was the opening keynote of the day at Artemis London 2025, our fourth catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the City of London, UK held on September 2nd 2025. We began the day with a keynote speech by Nylesh Shah, Head of Insurance Supervision, London Market, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) at the Bank of England. Speaking on the topic of “A vision for the future of UK ILS”, Shah emphasised the role of the regulator in maintaining financial stability and fostering a competitive marketplace for ILS within the UK.  Recent reforms have streamlined requirements, simplified approval processes, and allow for faster contract renewals.  He explained that the PRA aims to balance innovation with credibility and will ultimately look to upgrade PCC rules to allow them to handle multiple contracts, which has been a key ask from the industry. Shah also said that the PRA aims to be a nimble regulator supporting ILS market growth, with a focus on quick authorisations and engagement with participants, and he was the first to highlight the importance of transparency and communication.  He also noted that success will be measured by an increase in the number of ILS transactions and a stated desire to contribute to reducing under-insurance around the world. Watch the full video to learn more about the Bank of England PRA's vision for insurance-linked securities (ILS) in the United Kingdom.

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending September 14th 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: Swiss Re's moves to consolidate its ILS management platform while its executives explained that alternative reinsurance capital can only become more important; major reinsurers Everest Re, Liberty Mutual Reinsurance, and Mapfre Re all signal stability for attachments and terms is desired; Gallagher Re says property aggregate limit is becoming more available; the Florida Retirement System Pension Plan has specialty and quota share ILS opportunities in its pipeline; Lorenzo Volpi, Deputy CEO of Leadenhall Capital Partners explains that manager selection needs to consider more than just performance; our roundtable in Monaco saw executives with a positive outlook; Aon calls on the re/insurance market to optimise its capital stack and align it with strategy; and more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending September 14th 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: a divergence of opinions on third-party capital and ILS among major reinsurers in Monte Carlo; discussions on a measured softening ahead; the use of liquidity solutions to provide exits and finality for ILS investors; a new Lloyd's syndicate backed by ILS manager Nephila Capital; the ILS recruitment marketplace; legacy market roles for ILS players; the retrocession market and anticipated demand; as well as casualty ILS and much more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending August 31st 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: a new CEO for Nephila Capital; Sompo acquiring Aspen Insurance Group; Enstar Group launches its first sidecar; Munich Re exec cautions on staying power of ILS capital; PartnerRe Capital Management hires Benjamin Baltesar; Aon says alternative capital hits $121bn record high; Twelve Securis appoints Paul Larrett as Head of Private ILS; AM Best on expectations for the cat bond market to continue growing and reinsurance efficiency; and Howden Re's David Flandro on the reinsurance cycle. 

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending August 24th 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: Hannover Re launching a new Bermuda ILS platform; Swiss Re taking over from Munich Re at the top of AM Best’s ranking of the world’s largest reinsurers for companies that report under IFRS 17; JP Morgan saying cat bonds are not the main source of price pressure; AM Best on the soft but still profitable reinsurance market; how cat bonds are assuming more wildfire risk; VP Bank saying ILS remains one of the best diversifying asset classes; Antares CEO commenting on the property retro space; Howden Re on property cat pricing; life and annuity sidecar expansion; and more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending August 17th 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: industry CEO's comments on the soft market and the state of returns in natural catastrophe reinsurance; catastrophe bond fund performance year to date; growth in capital under management at RenaissanceRe and the latest projection for ILS capital in reinsurance from AM Best and Guy Carpenter; strong continued traction in Bermuda as more new ILS structures are registered in the first-half of the year; and more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending August 10th 2025. Listen to a recap of Artemis' most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: Munich Re's CEO commenting on price pressure from ILS being non-existent; Progressive adding parametric aggregate convective storm reinsurance; the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) discusses early redemptions for cat bonds as its funding needs change; Blackstone backs an F&G life sidecar with $1bn; Fermat Capital Management closes the long-standing GAM FCM Cat Bond Fund and replaces it with its own-brand offshore cat bond strategy; Berenberg analysts say reinsurance attachments are worth a 20-30% pricing benefit; Swiss Re highlights the significant catastrophe loss burden from the first-half; cat bond returns boosted by the return of seasonality in July; and more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending August 3rd 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: Nephila Capital's catastrophe premium growth; new hires in the industry; Aon's CEO commenting that his firm is unlocking new capacity for clients with parametrics and ILS; SageSure's CEO on his firms first reinsurance sidecar deal Seawall Re; Ascot on its debut casualty sidecar Wayfare Re; Swiss Re Capital Markets on catastrophe bond market momentum; Allstate buying a new homeowners aggregate reinsurance arrangement; The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power returning for its third wildfire catastrophe bond; Japan Post Insurance making a significant investment alongside Global Atlantic; and more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of top catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending July 27th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: the expansion of the catastrophe bond sponsor base and the fact more cat bond sponsors are returning to layer on more deals; commentary from RenaissanceRe's CEO that investors are disciplined and return-focused; news of new ILS investments being made from Eaton Vance's mutual fund line-up; the continued expansion of the UCITS catastrophe bond fund sector; Munich Re signalling that loss activity was lower in Q2 and what that means for results; plus more on RenRe's results and growing ILS fee income haul.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending July 20th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. We hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered: an exclusive interview with Nephila Capital leaders discussing the business now six year's after the acquisition by Markel Group; the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association may buy less reinsurance and cat bonds next year; the cat bond market sees a $23bn 12-month run of issuance; Arch Capital Group Ltd.'s Claveau Re cat bond faces total loss; the UK Government launches new ILS consultation; Aon estimates H1 2025 global insured catastrophe losses at over $100bn; Augment Risk's Jag Jass discusses the need for casualty ILS to consider built-in legacy exit strategies; who can you meet at our upcoming Artemis London conference; MLC Asset Management's Gareth Abley and Jehan Sukhla on ILS as essential social infrastructure; and HSBC Bank USA hires Michael Commisso to enhance cat bond and ILS trust capabilities.

This is a recording of our "Catastrophe Bond and ILS Market Conditions at Mid-Year 2025" live webinar that was held on June 17th 2025 and featured catastrophe bond and insurance-linked security (ILS) industry experts that joined us to discuss the state of the market around the middle of the year. While our expert speakers explored the fact the ILS market has become a foundational component for many reinsurance and retrocession buyers, occupying an increasingly large share of some towers, they also highlighted an expectation that growth of the asset class continues. This Artemis Live webinar was moderated by Steve Evans and featured participants: Paul Schultz, Vice Chairman, Aon Reinsurance Solutions; Jennifer Montero, Chief Financial Officer, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation; Stephen Velotti, CEO and CIO, Pillar Capital Management; and Michael Alfano, Vice President, Business Development Officer, Computershare Corporate Trust. Our speakers discussed the state of the market around the mid-year renewals, how investors have responded to the robust levels of catastrophe bond issuance activity in 2025, the ability of the market to continue meeting sponsor needs, as well as the outlook for the rest of the year. Listen to the full podcast episode to gain insights into what matters at the mid-year point of 2025 for the catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance capital market.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending July 13th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered a full-year record for the catastrophe bond market which fell by the first week of July in 2025, the latest data on property catastrophe reinsurance rates-on-line, Florida market dynamics, retrocession buyers being more commercial on trapped collateral, catastrophe exposure growth, the latest hurricane forecasts, cat bond market yields and pricing, plus aggregate reinsurance demand being increasingly met.

By Artemis.bm's figures, annual catastrophe bond issuance across all the types of deals we track has now shattered the previous full-year record in just over six months in 2025. At over $17.8 billion, new issues of Rule 144A catastrophe bonds and private cat bonds have broken the record set in full-year 2024. The outstanding cat bond market has grown by roughly 15% since the end of last year and average cat bond deal sizes are up notably as well. Listen to this podcast episode for more insights into the record year of catastrophe bond issuance in 2025, according to Artemis.bm's data.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending July 6th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered the fact the record set in the cat bond market for the first-half of the year, commentary on the reinsurance renewals and the fact capital outstripped demand, a number of people moves in the ILS fund sector, new initiatives and innovation, as well as news on the sidecar sector and other areas of insurance-linked securities.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending June 22nd 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered the fact the cat bond market is nearing the annual issuance record already in 2025, AIG's expectations for meaningful fee income from its sidecar syndicate at Lloyd's, Vermont Mutual's largest cat bond yet, Everest lifting its target to $1 billion for its new cat bonds, investor sentiment for ILS and the fact ILS is increasingly an ESG diversifier, as well as much more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending June 15th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we covered more news related to the Vesttoo fraud, catastrophe bond issuance news, some analysis on the reinsurance renewals, people moves, rebranding of an ILS manager, and much more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending June 8th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we cover the continuing record pace of catastrophe bond issuance, the influence on cat bonds on the June renewals, MGA's use of ILS capital, key hires for the week and the recent launch of criminal proceedings in a Hong Kong court related to the Vesttoo fraud saga, and much more.

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending June 1st 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. This week we cover the June reinsurance renewals, reinsurance capital trends, cat bond market records, and much more. Featuring news about the catastrophe bond market and record issuance levels tracked by Artemis, new ILS focused launches, and much more.

As Artemis.bm continues to track catastrophe bond market activity through this very busy year of 2025, total settled issuance analysed by Artemis has already surpassed $15 billion, while the outstanding cat bond market has grown by 15.5% since the end of 2024. Catastrophe bond issuance is breaking all records so far in 2025, with now $15.025 billion of offerings settled across Rule 144A cat bonds and the few privately placed deals Artemis has tracked. Impressively, the level of issuance now settled in 2025 has already broken the record for first-eleven month issuance. Meaning, in every previous year the catastrophe bond market has existed, Artemis hadn’t ever seen that volume of deals settle between January and the end of November. Given we are still at the end of May, with a whole month to run until the middle of 2025, it’s clear the first-half cat bond issuance record is being broken by a particularly significant margin. The previous record for first-half cat bond issuance came in 2024, when just over $12.6 billion of deals were tracked by Artemis. Remember you can use all the interactive charts and visualisations over at www.artemis.bm to analyse catastrophe bond issuance, the outstanding market and view leaderboards of the top cat bond sponsors and service providers. Cat bond issuance settled in the month of May has reached a significant record high of almost $5.9 billion in 2025. Which beats the previous record for the month by approaching $2 billion. It also makes May 2025 the biggest single month of catastrophe bond issuance in the market’s history, another very notable record that has been soundly broken this year. The rapid rate of catastrophe bond market activity seen in 2025 has also helped to propel the size of the market considerably higher already. Recall that 2025 has seen the highest level of cat bond maturities ever for the first-half, but the market has outpaced that with new issuance, to grow by around 15.5% since the end of 2024. Artemis’ measure for the outstanding cat bond market, which does include some private deals and also may not factor in all principal reductions, or extensions of maturity, as we don’t always receive that data, has now reached just over $57.12 billion. Which, as Artemis said, represents 15.5% growth in the outstanding catastrophe bond market since December 31st 2024, when the total stood at just under $49.48 billion. Artemis has seen more first-time cat bond sponsors come to market in H1 2025 than any other half-year so far, which has helped to propel this market expansion and growth. Alongside that, repeat sponsors have been issuing larger deals and growing cat bond’s share of their reinsurance towers, in some cases, while other sponsors have seen an increased need for reinsurance and grown their cat bond coverage proportionally with that. The catastrophe bond market is well on-course to break the annual issuance record in 2025, as a reminder that stood at almost $17.7 billion by Artemis' numbers for 2024. Whether it is broken will depend on loss activity through the wind season, any other particularly impactful catastrophe losses, or if some kind of disruption to capital markets occurs. However, with only just under $1.6 billion of additional issuance needed to come to market, beyond what we have seen already and what is scheduled in the pipeline for June, it is now hard to think the annual record won’t be broken in 2025. Stay tuned to Artemis for critical catastrophe bond market insights as the rest of 2025 progresses!

Listen to this podcast episode for a handy recap of our most read catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities and alternative reinsurance capital news, from the week-ending May 25th 2025. Listen to a recap of our most read catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) news of the last week. As we continue to experiment with artificial intelligence tools, we hope this summary provides an easy way to listen to a recap of some of last week's top stories. Featuring news about the catastrophe bond market and record issuance levels tracked by Artemis, new ILS focused launches, and much more.