AON, a leading global professional services firm, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have structured a tailor-made and highly innovative facility supporting the revitalization of the war risk insurance market in Ukraine, the company said.

With support from Aon, the EBRD has launched a new guarantee designed to boost the provision of reinsurance capacity to private sector insurers, addressing the ongoing challenges posed by the war.

Under the new EUR 110 million Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility, the EBRD will support global reinsurance companies through a guarantee covering losses on specific war-related risks underwritten by local Ukrainian insurers. The structure seeks to leverage existing market infrastructure and tested risk transfer mechanisms from the insurance industry to provide the protection private sector investors require.

The first-of-its-kind program is designed as an open platform that can transact with different insurance market participants that seek to benefit from the guarantee. The global speciality reinsurer MS Amlin is the first international reinsurance partner to join the EBRD facility. The structure allows MS Amlin to transfer reinsurance exposure off their balance sheet, which enables the UK-based reinsurer to re-engage with Ukrainian insurers and provide the much-needed war risk cover.

The Ukrainian insurance companies INGO, Colonnade and UNIQA are among the first local market participants who will be actively driving the expansion of the product in the Ukrainian market. Given their wide distribution network, it is expected that the facility will enable the provision of war risk coverage to businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises at scale.

"This is a significant milestone for Ukraine and a testament to the EBRD's unwavering commitment to supporting the country's real economy. The EBRD's guarantee will enable private sector reinsurers to re-engage on Ukrainian war risk and build a resilient insurance market in Ukraine. This is crucial to giving businesses confidence that their assets are protected, which in turn will unlock and accelerate investment in Ukraine", commented Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the EBRD.

"Aon's steadfast commitment to Ukraine compels our firm to continue to identify new opportunities for businesses to invest in the country during the ongoing war. This innovative new facility in collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development further enhances the stability of the insurance market in Ukraine and strengthens the foundation for economic resiliency and growth", said Greg Case, CEO of Aon.