International & Reinsurance News

Canada Insurers, Banks Can Resume Dividend Hikes as Regulator Lifts COVID-Era Curbs

TORONTO – Canadian banks and insurers can resume dividend increases and share buybacks and raise executive compensation, the country’s financial regulator said on Thursday, lifting a moratorium it imposed in March 2020 and possibly paving the way for a boost …

Arch Rebrands Watford Re as Somers Re, as It Ushers in New Reinsurance Strategy

Arch Capital Group Ltd., alongside private equity partners Warburg Pincus and Kelso & Co., announced that Watford Holdings Ltd. and Watford Re Ltd. have been renamed Somers Group Holdings Ltd. and Somers Re Ltd., respectively. Headquartered in Bermuda, the name …

EU Regulator Says Insurers Could Face Climate Stress Tests as Soon as 2023

LONDON – Insurers could face European climate stress tests as soon as 2023, the head of the EU’s insurance regulator said at the Reuters Future of Insurance Europe conference on Thursday. The insurance industry faces exposure to climate change risk …

Insurtech Startup With Claims Monitoring Platform Raises $30M

Insurtech startup owl.co Labs Inc. raised $30 million in new venture capital. Many plans are in play to spend the cash infusion, including hiring, and accelerated growth plans for the company’s machine learning-focused insurance claims monitoring platform. “By leveraging machine …

Howden Broking Launches New Zealand Operations

Howden, the international insurance broker, announces the launch of operations in New Zealand with Howden Broking and Howden Care — its local workplace claims management, rehabilitation and wellness business. The launch reinforces Howden’s ambitious growth plans in the region since …

Climate-Fueled Disasters Spur UN Plan to Fund Weather Forecasting in Vulnerable Nations

GLASGOW – As climate change triggers deadly heatwaves, droughts and floods, three U.N. agencies on Wednesday rolled out funding plans to improve weather forecasting in vulnerable countries. The initiative, announced at the U.N. climate summit, aims to plug gaps in …

Coal in Crosshairs as UN Climate Summit Brings Raft of Clean Energy Pledges

GLASGOW – Government representatives at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Thursday will turn their focus to tackling the global economy’s addiction to fossil fuels with a raft of new pledges aimed at curbing production and use of oil, …

Canada Employers Shed Unvaccinated Workers With Legal Challenges Expected

OTTAWA – Canadian employers are firing or putting on unpaid leave thousands of workers who refused to get COVID-19 shots, squeezing an already tight labor market and raising prospects of potentially disruptive legal challenges. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised vaccine …

Hong Kong Insurer FWD Adds Warnings About China Risks in SEC Filings for IPO

Hong Kong-based insurer FWD Group has told U.S. regulators it cannot guarantee that Beijing would not seek to “intervene or influence” its operations, adding to its list of risk factors as it tries to push ahead with a New York …

Finnish Insurer Sampo Sees 30% Jump in Profit During Q3

HELSINKI – Finnish insurer Sampo on Wednesday beat expectations with a 30% jump in quarterly core earnings, aided by a strong performance from its main subsidiary If and gains from selling a stake in Finnish Nordea bank . The group’s …

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