EDITOR’S LETTER

Looking towards Asia

“Attention has turned to the next big event in the industry’s calendar: SIRC 2020.”

As the industry heads towards the end of the year and the 1/1 renewals, re/insurance leaders gathered as usual for the annual APCIA and Baden-Baden events. Physical gatherings are still off the menu so many in the industry seamlessly continued their discussions in the virtual world.

For both events, Intelligent Insurer caught up with senior executives to gauge what was happening in the market as COVID-19 continues to bring uncertainty, economic turbulence, and more than a few opportunities as the market hardens.

In this issue we speak to the newly appointed chief executive officer of NewRe, Thomas Braune, to find out about his plans for “evolution not revolution” at the well-established reinsurer, and catch up with Aon’s Eric Andersen, president and member of the global executive committee, to get the inside track on the merger everyone is still talking about.

With more on SCOR’s strategic changes, Munich Re flagging up the rise in risk awareness and its impact on renewal rates, and Beazley’s view that the “fear factor” will drive significant rate hikes, the last month has been anything but dull.

Now that APCIA and Baden-Baden are over, attention has turned to the next big event in the industry’s calendar: SIRC 2020. This year the organisers decided to go fully virtual and the agenda is no less packed than previous years’.

The mood in Asia is much more optimistic than it is in Europe or the US, so watch out for our coverage of this important growth region’s major event.

Claire Churchard is deputy editor of the Newton Media Insurance Group

Image: shutterstock.com / Viacheslav Lopatin