Latest Europe Headlines

All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

AXA Profit Rises 10% in 2013 on Life, Property and Casualty

Feb 21 2014 // AXA SA, Europe’s second-largest insurer, posted a 10 percent increase in 2013 profit on higher earnings at its life and savings and property and casualty divisions. Net income rose to €4.48 billion ($6.15 billion)...

EU’s Justice Chief Reding Warns UK Exit Would Isolate City of London

Feb 19 2014 // London’s financial services center would lose access to the wider European Union should Britain quit the bloc, the EU’s justice chief said on Monday, warning that such a move would reduce its status to that of...

Global 2013 Cat Losses at $40 Billion Were ‘Below Average’ – Guy Carpenter

Feb 13 2014 // Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global risk and reinsurance specialist and member of Marsh & McLennan Companies, 2013 Catastrophe Review concludes that “natural catastrophes and man-made disasters...

Europe Warns Swiss of Consequences after Immigration Vote

Feb 11 2014 // Switzerland could lose its privileged access to the European single market, European officials said on Monday, after Swiss voters narrowly backed proposals to curtail immigration from the EU in a referendum that has...

Worldwide Broker Network Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Feb 10 2014 // The Worldwide Broker Network, the network of independent property/casualty brokers and employee benefits consultants, has begun a year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary. More than 90 executives from 27 different...

EU Parliament Calls for Three Binding Climate Targets for 2030

Feb 6 2014 // Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of three climate and energy targets for 2030, rebuffing a Commission plan for just one fully binding goal. The vote at the European Parliament in Strasbourg,...

A.M. Best Europe Obtains ECAI Status under New EU Regulations

Feb 6 2014 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited (AMBERS) has confirmed that it has obtained External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAI) status under new European Union (EU) regulations, which came into force in January...

European Banks have $3.4 Trillion of Exposures to Emerging Markets

Feb 5 2014 // European banks have loaned in excess of $3 trillion to emerging markets, more than four times U.S. lenders and putting them at greater risk if financial market turmoil in countries such as Turkey, Brazil, India and South...

Corruption Costs European Economy $162 Billion a Year

Feb 4 2014 //

Best Affirms Swiss Re, Europe Affiliates ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable

Jan 31 2014 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd, European...

Iran Oil-Shipping Insurance Seen Unusable on Lack of Clarity

Jan 29 2014 // Insurance for tankers to export Iranian crude may be unusable even after the U.S. and the European Union eased sanctions against the Persian Gulf state, a group covering vessel owners said. Ship owners hauling Iran’s...

Beazley, Hiscox Form D&O Consortium with Capacity up to $50 Million

Jan 28 2014 // Lloyd’s of London insurers Beazley and Hiscox have partnered to offer brokers and clients a D&O consortium through which the syndicates will provide materially higher limits and offer additional options to...

Part II – Reinsurance: Emerging Markets and Risks – the Road Ahead

Jan 27 2014 // As detailed in Part I, the reinsurance industry faces the task of partially reinventing itself to expand in those sectors where it can achieve growth. Property catastrophe coverage isn’t off the table, but it’s...

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013

Jan 27 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...

Aon Benfield Securities Completes Europe Windstorm Cat Bond Windmill I Re

Jan 23 2014 // Aon Benfield Securities, the investment banking division of global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor Aon Benfield, announced the successful completion of the first European Windstorm indemnity catastrophe bond...

Japan Oil Buyers to Return to Private Insurance for Iran Imports

Jan 17 2014 // Japanese crude buyers are set to switch back to private insurance providers for transportation of Iranian oil, after relief from some EU sanctions goes into effect next week, industry and government sources said. Under the...

Europe to Relax Reinsurance Ban on Iranian Oil Exports Next Week

Jan 16 2014 // Europe is days from suspending a ban on reinsuring tankers hauling Iranian oil, a measure that helped cut the nation’s crude exports by more than 50 percent when it was implemented. The six-month relaxation starts...

Europe to Experience More Droughts Due to Climate Change

Jan 15 2014 // Europe is poised to suffer more droughts as the 21st century progresses because of climate change, according to a study by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre and Germany’s University of Kassel. Many...

Chubb Europe Launches Updated ‘MasterPackage’ for Technology Companies

Jan 15 2014 // Chubb Insurance Company of Europe SE announced the launch of the new edition of its MasterPackage for Technology Companies policy. It described the product as a “comprehensive first and third party policy to cater...

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013: Impact Forecasting

Jan 13 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...