Explore every episode of the podcast InsuranceERM Podcasts

Fresh from Monte Carlo, Martin Assmann gives us the inside track from RVS 2026, from softening reinsurance rates and growing competition to alternative capital, data centres and the risks everyone was talking about behind closed doors.

Plus, Ronan McCaughey looks at what Lloyd’s top executives are saying about geopolitical risk and why insurers may still be underestimating its economic impact.

And entries are now open for the InsuranceERM Asia Pacific Awards 2026, with 24 categories recognising the people, teams, firms and technology shaping insurance risk and capital management across the region.

Martin Assmann is heading to Monaco for this year’s Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous de Septembre.

After spending the week at pre-RVS briefings and preview events, he joins Joshua Geer to talk through the mood heading into the conference, the pressure on reinsurance pricing and terms, record levels of capital, and the key themes he’ll be watching on the ground.

As Dive In enters its 12th and final year, InsuranceERM speaks to Katherine Conway, Head of Inclusion at Aon, and Jen Denby, Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity at WTW, about how far the insurance industry has come on culture and inclusion, where progress is still lacking, and what comes next.

The discussion also looks at the changing political and economic backdrop for diversity and inclusion, the responsibilities insurers have as major employers, and how AI could reshape workplace culture, trust and human connection.

You can sign up to the 2026 Dive In festival, which takes place from 22–24 September, here.

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Martin looks at the brewing battle between Germany’s life insurers and neobrokers over a €225bn pension pot
• Anna asks why London market firms are increasingly looking beyond the capital for talent,
• Joshua explores why geopolitical shocks are rarely the end of the story for insurers

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Martin unpacks the uncomfortable truth behind insurers’ mental health disclosure problem
• Chris digs into Standard Life’s new £2bn pension risk transfer partnership.

• And David heads to the Cayman Islands, where the jurisdiction is making its case for US Qualified Jurisdiction Status and a bigger role in global reinsurance.

This week, on InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Josh and Chris discuss the heat. Europe cities are sweltering, wildfires are spreading and insurers are being forced to confront what a hotter world means for everything from catastrophe models and mortality assumptions to investment portfolios. Could relatively benign insured losses be masking a much more dangerous long-term trend?
• Plus, Ronan gets under the hood of the UK’s funded reinsurance market as the PRA prepares to dramatically increase capital requirements.

In this special summer episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Martin dives into the increasingly tangled relationship between life insurers, private equity, private credit, offshore reinsurance and the AI investment boom, and asks whether the industry is quietly building the foundations of what Burry calls a “budding credit apocalypse”.
• Then, David heads offshore to examine Apollo’s changing tune on the Cayman Islands, private markets and insurance regulation
• Ronan gives a final update on InsuranceERM’s 2026/27 Technology Guide.

This week on Insurance Weekly:

• The UK actuarial profession threatens to walk away from its European counterpart,
• Zurich faces a Swiss regulatory crackdown over control failures
• Funded reinsurance pushes deeper into continental Europe.
• Plus, as wildfires spread across Europe, we ask whether insurers and politicians are doing enough to prepare the public for escalating climate risks.

In this episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Anna Sagar and Joshua Geer break down the long-awaited findings from Lloyd’s investigation into former CEO John Neal and Rebecca Clement - unpacking the governance failures, whistleblowing concerns and market reaction behind the headlines.
• Plus, Martin Assmann dives into Allianz UK’s new trust benchmark to reveal why British consumers still view insurance as a "necessary evil".

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Ronan unpacks the war of words between Cayman and one of Bermuda’s biggest players, and asks whether legitimate regulatory concerns have tipped into a bare-knuckle commercial attack.

• Chris examines the FCA’s vision for AI-powered financial services

• And Josh explores a UK government estimate that climate adaptation could generate up to £215bn in insurance and reinsurance revenue by 2035

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly,

• David reports on funded reinsurance, as regulators in Japan and the UK wrestle with how to police one of life insurance’s hottest growth areas.
• Martin dives into Swiss Re’s latest sigma outlook, where AI investment, geopolitical fragmentation and a “new risk regime” are reshaping the market.
• And Anna looks at talent risk in the London market, where early-careers hiring is falling just as insurers worry about the next generation of skills.

This week on the InsuranceERM Weekly ,

• Martin looks at Germany’s pension reform proposals and the debate over insurers’ role in funded retirement provision.
• Anna tells us about Marsh’s Rising Professionals event in London
• Ronan explains how to enter the InsuranceERM Climate Risk and Sustainability Awards 2026
• And Josh reflects on London Climate Action Week

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly,

Josh and Anna take shelter from the heatwave to discuss London Climate Action Week, climate transition planning, nature insurance and the fast-moving insurance implications of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Martin reports from the European Congress of Actuaries in Paris, where mortality, ageing, AI oversight, private credit and actuarial romance all somehow ended up in the same spreadsheet.

This week on IERM Weekly, we look at the growing clash between insurance supervisors and industry calls for a more competitive regulatory environment.

Martin reports from Berlin, where German insurers warned that regulation has gone too far, while Josh explores whether European supervisors should follow the UK in adopting a competitiveness mandate.

Anna unpacks the UK government’s review of the UK's Aberdeen-Stagecoach style deals, and Ronan rounds up the winners from the InsuranceERM Americas Awards.

In this episode of InsuranceERM Weekly, Chris Cundy is joined by Anna, Ronan and Josh to unpack the main themes from InsuranceERM’s Global Life Reinsurance Conference in London last week.

The team discusses the debate over funded re, international regulatory perspectives from the UK, EU, US and Bermuda, and the outlook for the pension risk transfer market.

They also reflect on Bermuda’s role, private credit, market innovation and, finally, tips for living a longer life too.

In this IERM Bonus episode, Joshua speaks to Jason Tassell, Senior Manager at Crowe, about using data models to predict the winner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Jason explains how he built the model, what data went into it, why uncertainty still matters, and what football predictions can teach insurers and actuaries about model risk, assumptions and bias.

And, of course, Jason reveals which team the model thinks will win the World Cup.

In this episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Anna explains how Middle East tensions, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions risk are creating complex challenges for specialty insurers.
• David reports on Italian life insurers, lapse risk and why falling spreads have helped keep policyholders in place.
• Josh then shares his takeaways from Brussels, where Solvency II implementation, IRRD, competitiveness, climate resilience, AI and the Savings and Investment Union are shaping the next phase of Europe’s insurance policy agenda.

On this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly:

• David gives us an update on what's currently going on in theJapan insurance market and when capital becomes too much.
• Ronan tells us about Super El Niño and this year's hurricane forecast.

• Martin explains how insurance is entering the TikTok world

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Martin ponders if frontier AI is worth the hype, or in Mythos' case - the fear
• Josh talks about the stren warning by Rachel Turk at Lloyd's
• Ronan discusses Funded Re. Check out Global Life Reinsurance 2026 in London on 4 June 2026.

On this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Martin discusses why cyber has topped the UK business risk agenda for the first time and what that means for insurers, SMEs and brand damage.
• Josh explores how insurers are using sustainability reports to present progress on underwriting emissions, climate resilience and disclosure requirements.
• Anna reports from London Risk Week on AI and the evolving CRO role

In this episode of Insurance ERM Weekly,

• Anna and Joshua unpack how the UK Pension Schemes Act could reshape the pension risk transfer market. They also explore new research on how insurance risk functions are being asked to do more with fewer resources.
• David Walker reports on sales conduct and governance issues in Japan’s life insurance market.

In this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Chris and Ronan break down the PRA tightening its grip on funded re with tougher capital demands on life insurers
• Martin tells us about his trip to Switzerland and what he's learned about insurers' view on mental health, and the silver economy

InsuranceERM's second annual Global Life Reinsurance conference will be held in London on 4 June 2026, don't miss out!

On this episode of InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Josh looks into the Lloyd's decision to end the Dive In festival
• Anna talks about the increasing talent risk in insurance
• David tells us about the German pension reform

In this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Josh, Chris and Ronan break down the opportunities and risks from private credit's push into insurance
• David tells us how protection gap entities (PGEs) are the only things entering the strait of Hormutz, and why

Listen to our newest episode of InsuranceERM In-Depth where Josh interviews Generali's CFO Cristiano Borean.

In this episode of InsuranceERM In-Depth, Joshua Geer speaks with Cristiano Borean, group CFO of Generali Group, on how the insurance industry is being reshaped by technology, risk and structural change.
Recorded just after Generali’s latest results, Borean reflects on his journey from physicist to CFO, and how that background shapes his approach to managing complexity, capital and risk.
The conversation explores the evolving role of the CFO as a strategic partner, the growing impact of AI and data on finance and underwriting, and the major forces redefining insurance today – from climate and geopolitics to demographic shifts and private markets.
Borean also shares his views on IFRS 17, the rise of non-financial reporting, and why insurers have a critical role to play in supporting economic stability in an increasingly uncertain world.

In this episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Josh examines a fresh push for a European response to natural catastrophe risk, as EIOPA and the ESM outline options for a cross-border insurance pool and public backstop.
• David also looks at the regulator’s effort to cut back parts of the Solvency II reporting machine while adding new climate and pension product disclosures.
• And from Frankfurt to the final frontier, David closes with a look at the emerging market for space travel insurance as commercial space activity gathers pace.

Don't forget to sign up to InsuranceERM's americas awards, submissions close very soon!

In this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Ronan gives us a rundown of the UK BPA market's turbulent year, where despite a strong end, the year ended up falling short
• Anna tells us about how US social media rulings worry insurers.
• Martin updates us about why insuring data centres isn't as easy as it seems.

Don't forget to sign up for the InsuranceERM America Awards. Submissions end midnight Friday 10th April 2026.

In this week’s Insurance ERM Weekly episode, Martin returns to Insurtech Insights Europe, where the mood around AI has shifted from hype to implementation. As insurers embed AI into core processes, questions around jobs, data quality and accountability are coming to the fore.

We also head to Japan, where life insurers are increasingly positioning themselves at the centre of the fast-growing asset intensive reinsurance market, with significant capacity still left to deploy.

And in Europe, the debate around regulatory simplification continues, as insurers push for a dedicated financial services omnibus while policymakers weigh how far reform should go.

You can enter the InsuranceERM Americas awards 2026 here.

Sandy Trust and Oliver Bettis, both actuaries, join Joshua (InsuranceERM) to discuss the Parasol lost report from the IFoA and the University of Exeter, and what it implies for climate risk in insurance.

👉 Read the report here.

The episode focuses on a central question explored in thereport: how insurers and the world should respond if earth warming and associated climate risks develop more quickly than expected within current assumptions.

The discussion also considers what the role of actuaries is in all of this.

In this week’s Insurance ERM Weekly, the team explores what keeps Bermuda at the centre of global reinsurance.

They also unpack the rising threat of civil unrest risk, as insurers face more frequent and complex SRCC losses and growing pressure to improve modelling, data and claims handling.

And to round things off for St Patrick’s Day weekend, there’s a quiz on the Irish insurance markets.

Links

• CRO Forum report on SRCC
• InsuranceERM / Verisk market insight: Navigating the rising tide of SRCC risk
• Enter the InsuranceERM Americas Awards 2026

Irish music and comedy recommendations from the InsuranceERM team
For St Patrick’s Day weekend, the team’s Irish recommendations include CMAT, Fontaines D.C. and The Cranberries on the music side, with Dylan Moran, Tommy Tiernan and Father Ted providing the comedy picks.

Global conflict, shareholder storytelling, and a surge of international insurance deals, this week’s episode covers it all.

Chris and Josh explore how tensions in the Middle East are affecting marine, aviation and political risk markets, and why insurers are watching energy supply and financial markets closely.

They also discuss the enduring influence of Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder letters and what insurers can learn from them. Plus, a special report from Japan on major acquisitions and diversity initiatives across the sector.

Give "Cashing Out" a watch on YouTube, it's great!

Ronan, Chris, Josh and Martin present the winners of InsuranceERM's 2026 UK and Europe awards.

Check out the full coverage of the prestigious winners of InsuranceERM's UK & Europe awards 2026 on InsuranceERM.

Check out David Otudeko 's book DEI and Me: What Grinds My Gears - From Frustration to Function here.

Or for more on David Otudeko , read Chris' piece on his chat with him, where "nothing is off limits because the stakes are too high for half-truths"

For anything else insurance, risk and capital, check out InsuranceERM

In this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Martin tells us about the ChatGPT app that startled the stock price of brokers and price comparison providers
• Josh talks us through the historic opportunities and risks of insurance companies using celebrities as spokespeople
• David reflects on his love for eucalyptus trees and their connection to wildfire risks

InsuranceERM's second annual Global Life Reinsurance conference will be held in London on 4 June 2026

For more, visit InsuranceERM

In this week's episode of InsuranceERM Weekly

• Martin takes us through the GLP-1 drug boom and what Munich Re thinks the effect on mortality will be
• Josh tells us about his chat with Frédéric de Courtois
• David tells us tales about instrumentalizing insurance rules

For more, check out InsuranceERM

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly:

• Josh and Chris talk about Eiopa's dream to become the one supervisor to rule them all
• Ronan takes us through the data from the newest actuarial jobs survey
• David tells us APAC insurers' wishes for the Chinese new year

Martin and Josh take you behind the headline of their recent investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's connections with the insurance industry.

It should be noted that a wide range of insurance firms appear throughout the DOJ-released Epstein files, including many more than those cited in the news story, with the examples referenced included for illustrative purposes only.

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly, Martin talks us through four special reports from the team, including:

• Josh celeberates Eiopa turning 15 in Frankfurt (Taylor's version)
• Chris investigates a staff paper by the Bank of England on systemic risk exposures rising at European life insurers.
• Martin tells us about Axa's ambitious AI strategy
• Ronan tells us about how negative portrayals of private credit in life reinsurance might miss the mark

Charl Cronje and Jessica Snowball from LCP join Martin and Josh for the first episode of InsuranceERM's new podcast series InsuranceERM In-Depth. The podcast where we go deep on the topics that matter in the world of insurance with the people that shape it.

Check out "Insurance Uncut" by LCP with Charl and Jessica here

In this special episode of InsuranceERM Weekly, Chris takes Martin through the decade that has passed since Solvency II first came into effect.

For all the pieces on Solvency II’s big birthday, check out InsuranceERM

• Markus Ferber MEP
• Gabriel Bernardino
• Alberto Corinti
• Lauri Saraste
• Frank Grund
• Hugh Savill
• Karel Van Hulle

The IERM team is in the studio this week to unpack what’s shaping up to be a particularly risky start to 2026.

Martin walks us through the World Economic Forum’s latest global risks report, while Joshua explores where climate risk now sits on the priority list as attention shifts to other pressing issues. We’re also joined by David with a special deep dive into the evolving world of public–private risk sharing and what it means for resilience in the future.

Joshua, Christopher and Martin kick off the New Year by diving into the big themes shaping 2026.

From 1:1 renewals and key regulatory changes to climate considerations, they unpack what’s coming next and share what they’re most excited about, as well as what they’re quietly dreading, in the year ahead.

In this special episode of InsuranceERM Weekly, editor Chris Cundy sits down for a fireside chat with Fausto Parente, outgoing executive director of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (Eiopa).

Recorded live at the Insurance Risk & Capital EMEA Conference in London, the conversation explores the final stages of the Solvency II review, the European Commission’s push to reduce regulatory burdens while supporting growth and the role supervisors can play in narrowing Europe’s widening natural catastrophe protection gap.

Parente also reflects candidly on regulatory priorities as he approaches the end of his second term at Eiopa.

In this festive special of InsuranceERM Weekly, host Joshua checks his voicemail to hear reflections from Martin, Christopher and Ronan on the defining risk themes of 2025.

From the growing severity of ransomware losses, to the rise of catastrophe risk pools and the stalling momentum of DEI, each message offers a clear-eyed assessment of what the year revealed - and what may lie ahead for insurers in 2026.

This week on InsuranceERM Weekly,

• Chris tells us about an investigation from the FCA into whether British people with minority ethnic backgrounds pay more for their motor insurance than white people
• Martin tells us how this year has been marked by the advent of AI-driven layoffs
• And Ronan tells us of what we've learned from the Christmas questionnaires coming out on InsuranceERM in the coming weeks.

Merry Christmas from everyone at InsuranceERM and Field Gibson Media!

In this week’s episode of InsuranceERM Weekly, Ronan and Josh delve into a month dominated by climate discussions, industry gatherings and standout achievements across the Asia-Pacific insurance market.

Also, Chris delivers a special report on how UK regulation is affecting mutual insurers. The episode closes with the Question of the Week: If you could win any award, what would it be?

Join Josh, Sarfraz, Martin, Chris and Ronan as they break down the key moments from this week’s InsuranceERM Risk & Capital EMEA Conference in London.

In this special debrief, the team explores the standout discussions on AI, climate change, market movements, regulatory pressures and the broader themes shaping the future of insurance risk and capital.

Expect on-the-ground reactions and a concise roundup of the key moments from the event.

This week on IERM Weekly:

• Martin takes us inside the IFoA’s GIRO 2025 conference in Liverpool, sharing the standout sessions, surprises and big ideas shaping the actuarial world.
• Chris then breaks down the PRA’s much-anticipated stress tests.
• Ronan follows with a rapid rundown of the 2026 InsuranceERM Europe and UK Awards. You can enter here.

• The team also dives into the all-important question, which city has hosted the best IFoA conference in recent years: Liverpool, Edinburgh or Birmingham?

This week Josh unpacks the unfolding John Neal and Lloyd’sgovernance story, breaking down what has happened, what is known and what it means for the market.

Sarfraz brings his reflections on the growing influence ofprivate equity in insurance and the pressures it is creating across the sector.

And Ronan delivers a special report on the murky and oftenoverlooked world of insurance fraud.

Chris and Sarfraz give us an update on all things Funded Re, including highlights from InsuranceERM's Insurance Risk & Capital conference in Bermuda and at the Global Life Reinsurance conference in New York.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Ronan talks about his time at the IFoA life conference in Edinburgh.

Joins us for InsuranceERM's Insurance Risk & Capital EMEA conference in London on the 2nd of December.