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

Hosted by Artemis.bm

Business News EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

209

Latest episode

Apr 2026

Language

About the show

Artemis Live - Discussions with leaders in the catastrophe bond (cat bond), insurance-linked securities (ILS), reinsurance, insurance risk transfer and investments space, as well as updates on the cat bond and ILS industry, explainers and how-to's. Artemis.bm was formally launched in early 1999. Its founders held a belief that the capital markets was the deepest, most liquid and efficient source of risk and reinsurance capital available to facilitate the transfer of disaster and other exposures to investors, and that capital market structures such as cat bonds would be the most effective tools for the structuring and transfer of peak catastrophe risks. Today, Artemis is the longest running news, analysis and data media service devoted to the alternative risk transfer, catastrophe bond & insurance linked security (ILS), non-traditional reinsurance, insurance linked investments and associated risk transfer markets, with more than 60,000 readers every single month. With a wealth of news, cat bond data, analysis and market information, Artemis.bm is the best place to source information related to cat bonds, insurance linked securities and collateralised reinsurance capacity and investing.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

April 27, 2026Episode 20958 min

209: Expanding the ILS perimeter - New risks, new markets, new capital: ILS NYC 2026

This podcast episode features another panel discussion that was held at the Artemis ILS NYC 2026 event, our tenth catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the ILS NYC series, held on February 6th 2026 in New York.This panel was focused on the expansion of the ILS asset class in terms of its product offerings, titled "Expanding the ILS perimeter: New risks, new markets, new capital."This expansion of the ILS asset class focused panel discussion was kindly moderated by Kathleen Faries, CEO, Artex Capital Solutions.She was joined on stage by: Joanna Syroka, Director of New Markets, Fermat Capital Management, LLC; Chris McKeown, Chief Executive, Reinsurance, ILS & Innovation, Vantage Risk; Danny Arnett, Managing Director, Insurance Linked Securities, Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers; and Bob Forness, CEO, MultiStrat Group.Our panellists discussed the evolution and future prospects of the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market, highlighting its expansion from property catastrophe into casualty, specialty, and cyber lines.The discussion placed great emphasis on the importance of underwriting discipline, capital management, and alignment with investors, particularly in new market opportunities that are expected to grow, such as risk transfer for data centre projects and cyber insurance.The panellists also discussed the need for efficient operational infrastructure and the potential for ILS to become an increasingly tradable asset class.The fact protection gaps are much more prevalent than just in natural catastrophe risks was also pointed out, with opportunities emerging across many lines of insurance and reinsurance given the need for capital and capacity to support the traditional industries growth. While opportunities like the AI data centre build-out may present completely net-new chances for the ILS market to deploy its capital in time.On the casualty ILS side, speakers explained the need for transparency, alignment, and patience in managing longer-term risks.Listen to this podcast episode from our Artemis ILS NYC 2026 conference to learn more about the growing range of opportunities for investors, as the insurance-linked securities (ILS) asset class expands.

April 9, 2026Episode 2081 hr 3 min

208: Catastrophe bonds - Maintaining an equilibrium in value, for sponsors & investors: ILS NYC 2026

This episode features another of our panel discussions at Artemis ILS NYC 2026, our tenth catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the ILS NYC series, held on February 6th 2026 in New York.This panel was focused on the catastrophe bond market segment and titled "Cat bonds: Maintaining an equilibrium in value, for both sponsors and investors."This cat bond focused panel discussion was kindly moderated by Philipp Kusche, Chairman HCMA Europe, Global Co-Head ILS, Howden Capital Markets & Advisory.He was joined on stage by: Stephan Ruoff, Co-Head of Private Debt & Credit Alternatives, Chairman ILS, Schroders Capital; Michael Bennett, Global Head Market Solutions & Structured Finance, World Bank; Niklaus Hilti, Chief Investment Officer, Euler ILS Partners; and Paul VanderMarck, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, SageSure.Our panellists explored the current state of the catastrophe bond market and the need to balance investor and sponsor demands, highlighting a record-fast spread tightening in recent months and still-increasing interest from an increasingly broad range of investors.Key points included the impact of investor interest on the cat bond asset class from both traditional allocators, as well as newer types of quantitative investors and wealth platforms. The discussion covered the importance of capacity and pricing, the need for continued evolution in parametric cat bond triggers, and the challenges of managing liquidity in the market.Panellists suggested that future growth predictions for the cat bond market ranged from 5-10% annually, sometimes higher, with a goal of reaching an asset class sized at around $100 billion in outstanding cat bonds by 2030.They also discussed the importance of managing capacity against demand and how this could become a challenge as the cat bond market grows, as well as the need to keep improving secondary market liquidity and functionality.Listen to the full audio of this panel discussion from our Artemis ILS NYC 2026 conference to learn more about conditions in the catastrophe bond marketplace, from the perspective of both investors and sponsors.

March 5, 2026Episode 2071 hr 4 min

207: Private ILS - Achieving portfolio discipline and resilience through the cycle: ILS NYC 2026

This episode features audio from the first panel discussion of the day at Artemis ILS NYC 2026, our tenth catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the ILS NYC series, held on February 6th 2026 in New York.The panel was focused on the private insurance-linked securities market segment and titled Private ILS: Achieving portfolio discipline and resilience through the cycle.This private insurance-linked securities panel discussion was kindly moderated by Lorenzo Volpi, Deputy CEO and Managing Partner, Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP.He was joined on stage by: Jessica Laird, CEO, Nephila Capital; Michael Stahel, Partner/Portfolio Manager, LGT ILS Partners Ltd.; Eveline Takken-Somers, Head of Insurance Linked Investments, PGGM; and Dr. Raffaele Dell’Amore, Investment Managing Director, Global Head ILS Research, Cambridge Associates.Our panellists explored the track-record of private placements in ILS, which has been particularly impressive in recent years. They noted the still healthy premium environment, despite recent softening in reinsurance markets, believing strong performance can continue as long as portfolio discipline is maintained. The discussion also covered the attractiveness of private insurance linked securities placements versus catastrophe bonds, the importance of transparency and trust, as well as in educating new investors, or those looking to move on from cat bond strategies.Speakers also noted that the capital raising environment remains more challenged in private ILS and blended strategies, than for pure cat bond funds. But there was a general belief that conditions continue to improve and the track-record of private ILS fund strategies is now attracting increasing attention from institutional investors.Listen to the full podcast episode from our Artemis ILS NYC 2026 conference to learn more about conditions in the private insurance-linked securities (ILS) marketplace and investors attraction to private reinsurance investment opportunities.

February 12, 2026Episode 20623 min

206: Artemis ILS NYC 2026 conference review

On February 6th 2026, Artemis held its tenth conference in the NYC series in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With over 450 registered attendees, it was the largest catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities market conference hosted by Artemis to-date.Using the power of AI, you can now listen to a review of the conference that provides insights into the main themes of discussion during the panel sessions at the event.Please note, being AI generated this is embellished somewhat, but it does provide an accurate representation of discussions that took place, key themes that emerged and how the conference went on the day.It’s clear from the discussions had at the conference that the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market is in good health, but still has a lot more it can do to meet its potential.Opportunities abound, but the need to meet them with discipline remains critical, to ensure the resilience and sustainability of the ILS product offering for both protection buyers and investors.At the same time, the industry has a clear need to continue its process of educating customers on both sides of the trade, while also explaining the beneficial way capital markets can play a growing role in global insurance, reinsurance and risk transfer.While the ILS market is in good health and considerably more mature in 2026, it still has the potential to grow and evolve much further, to play an increasingly important role by embedding itself ever more deeply into global risk and reinsurance capital provision.

January 28, 2026Episode 20512 min

205: Plenty of opportunity for profitable growth in reinsurance: David Flandro, Howden Re

Our sister publication Reinsurance News spoke with David Flandro, Managing Director, Head of Industry Analysis and Strategic Advisory at Howden Re, just weeks after the reinsurance broker released its comprehensive January 1st, 2026, renewal report. During the interview, Flandro discussed the opportunities and risks that could emerge from what Howden Re describes as a period of re-balancing, highlighting the important focus on geopolitics and macroeconomics as these trends are a big part of what's happening in the commercial insurance and reinsurance market. As geopolitical and macroeconomic trends reshape an increasingly risky world, and reinsurance pricing comes off of its peak in numerous lines of business, there's a clear need for rationality, with plenty of opportunity for underwriters to continue to achieve profitable growth, according to Flandro. Listen to this full interview with Flandro of Howden Re, as he discusses reinsurance market conditions in 2026 and how use of capital within reinsurance has changed.

January 19, 2026Episode 2048 min

204: The catastrophe bond market records broken in 2025

The catastrophe bond market broke numerous records in 2025, as issuance soared to new heights. Insurance and reinsurance sponsors of cat bonds came to market in their droves, lifting the number of new catastrophe bond deals tracked by Artemis.bm to a new record in 2025, cementing the instruments role as both reinsurance and investment strategy.

December 3, 2025Episode 2031 hr 5 min

203: Modernisation, liquidity needs of growing insurance linked securities market: Artemis London 2025

This podcast episode the fourth panel discussion of the day at Artemis London 2025, a session focused on the modernisation and liquidity needs of the ILS market as it grows, from our fourth cat bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the City of London, UK, held on September 2nd 2025.The panel, titled "Modernisation and liquidity needs of a growing ILS market", was moderated by Jack Stone, Chief Executive Officer, Caterina Technologies, Inc..He was joined by: Florian Steiger, CEO, Icosa Investments AG; Martin Dietz, Head of Diversified Strategies, Legal & General Investment Management; Simon Harris, Managing Director, Moody’s Corporation; and Sina Thieme, Senior Director, Insurance Consulting and Technology, WTW.With the discussion focused on the modernisation and liquidity needs of the growing ILS market, our expert panellists called for more standardised data and the use of technology to automate manual processes and improve investment decisions. The challenge of integrating ILS investments into standard fixed income investment processes was also highlighted, due to the differences seen between most asset classes and in cat bond and other ILS processes and structures. The importance of transparency and robust exposure information for better secondary market trading decisions, as well as the availability of granular information was also discussed and highlighted as important. The panel also debated the potential benefits of artificial intelligence in improving market processes, as well as the role of ratings in attracting broader investor bases. The consensus was that standardisation and transparency are crucial for continued and perhaps accelerating cat bond and ILS market growth and efficiency.Listen to the full podcast episode from our Artemis London 2025 conference to learn more about the modernisation and technology needs of the catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities marketplace as it grows.

November 20, 2025Episode 20259 min

202: Broadening the non-cat ILS landscape: Artemis London 2025

This podcast episode features the third panel discussion of the day at Artemis London 2025, a session focused on the non-catastrophe opportunities in ILS, from our fourth cat bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the City of London, UK, held on September 2nd 2025.The panel, titled "Broadening the non-cat ILS landscape", was moderated by Des Potter, Special Advisor, Lloyd’s (INED – Howden Capital Markets & Advisory).He was joined by: Jonathan Gray, Chief Underwriting Officer, Pool Re; Sébastien Bamsey, Managing Director, Howden Capital Markets & Advisory; Callum O’Rourke, Vice President, Neuberger Berman; and Fergus Reynolds, Head of ILS, Cedar Trace.Our expert speakers discussed the non-catastrophe insurance-linked securities market, highlighting its still relatively small but now growing size.Key areas of focus included terrorism, cyber, and quota share structures to access broader types of risk, as well as innovations around stop-loss notes and the potential for investors to access new classes of risk via Lloyd’s. The panel emphasised the need for transparency, modelling accuracy, and building investor comfort, particularly in non-property risks. They also discussed the role of London Bridge in facilitating ILS transactions at Lloyd’s and the importance of continued regulatory responsiveness and cost-efficiency. The conversation underscored the potential for growth in non-cat ILS, driven by demand for flexible capital and diversification benefits, but also noted that communicating the opportunity is key with both cedents and investors.Listen to this full podcast episode from our Artemis London 2025 conference to learn more about insurance-linked investment opportunities outside of catastrophe risks.

November 3, 2025Episode 20112 min

201: Stability, consistency key for Swiss Re ahead of January renewals: Nikhil da Victoria Lobo

Our sister publication Reinsurance News spoke with Nikhil da Victoria Lobo, Head of P&C Reinsurance for Western & Southern Europe and Middle East & Africa at industry giant Swiss Re in the run up to the annual Baden-Baden reinsurance event about market dynamics across his regions.Swiss Re will have a key focus on stability and consistency during its negotiations with clients at the 2025 Baden-Baden Reinsurance Meeting, as the market navigates underlying strengths and challenges ahead of the key January 1st renewal season, da Victoria Lobo explained.The discussion covered supply demand dynamics, the outlook for the 1.1 renewals, rising secondary perils and frequency covers, emerging technologies such as AI, as well as the role of innovative structures like parametric risk transfer, and more.Listen to this podcast episode for a Reinsurance News conversation with da Victoria Lobo of Swiss Re to hear more on the January reinsurance renewals, the impacts of secondary perils and whether this signals a return to frequency covers, what reinsurers need to do to ensure they keep meeting their cost of capital in the softening environment, and also the role of emerging technology and some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for P&C reinsurance heading into 2026.

October 23, 2025Episode 20058 min

200: Catastrophe bonds - Sustaining momentum as relevance grows: Artemis London 2025

This episode features the second panel discussion of the day at Artemis London 2025, a session focused on the catastrophe bond market segment, from our fourth cat bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the City of London, UK, held on September 2nd 2025.The panel, titled Catastrophe bonds: Sustaining momentum as relevance grows, was moderated by Tanja Wrosch, Executive Director, Cat Bond Portfolio Manager, Twelve Securis.She was joined by: Joe Tolen, Senior Investment Director, Credit Investment Group, Cambridge Associates; Gina Hardy, CEO, North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA), North Carolina Joint Underwriting Association (NCJUA); Andre Rzym, Partner and Portfolio Manager, Man AHL; and Andy Palmer, Head ILS Structuring EMEA & APAC, Swiss Re Capital Markets.Our expert speakers discussed the growth of the market as well as potential challenges in sustaining that through different and increasingly competitive reinsurance market conditions.The need for efficient market processes was highlighted, as well as a desire to continue attracting and supporting new cat bond sponsors, including corporates and governments. The panellists also recognised that cat bonds and other ILS can still be a difficult sell to investors, with education and transparency remaining critical, while communication with sponsors was also highlighted. The discussion also covered the impact of ESMA’s recommendations on UCITS asset eligibility and how this might affect the cat bond market over-time, as well as the potential for product innovations in the catastrophe bond space.Listen to this full podcast episode from our Artemis London 2025 conference to learn more about the state of play in the catastrophe bond marketplace.