News - Markets & trends
Nearly USD100 trillion of investment will depend on decisions made under uncertainty, says new Willis report
Strategic decisions are becoming harder to execute because the conditions required to deliver them are changing at the same time, according to “The decision advantage”, the latest research by Willis, a WTW business.
Swiss Re Institute and LSE: Broader shift in systemic risk as threats increasingly interact across financial, digital, natural-hazard and socio-economic systems
Risks are becoming increasingly interconnected, creating new pathways through which relatively contained shocks can ripple faster and further through the economy, according to new joint analysis by Swiss Re Institute and LSE. It finds 24% more links between risks reported by 91 Fortune-100 companies than in 2019, with AI and supply chains emerging as key points of connection.
Marsh’s Climate adaptation 2026 survey: Marsh recommends that organizations focus on five priorities as climate risk becomes more complex, more systemic, and more immediate
Climate risk is becoming more complex, more systemic, and more immediate. Effective adaptation now goes beyond protecting physical assets, operations, and people — it also depends on the suppliers, infrastructure, and wider systems organizations rely on, Marsh’s Climate adaptation 2026 survey says.
Reinsurance Round-Up: War risks, Covid litigation and emerging exposures reshape the legal landscape
Geopolitical risks, the continuing legal legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic and evolving interpretations of insurance contracts are among the key themes of the latest Reinsurance Round-Up, the September 2026 review prepared by Carter Perry Bailey LLP.
SCOR: Strong El Niño could reshape global catastrophe risk in 2026-2027
A strengthening El Niño could significantly alter the global catastrophe risk landscape in the coming months, although its effects will vary considerably across regions and perils, according to a new SCOR Expert Views report, El Niño 2026: Implications for Global Catastrophe Risk and Insured Losses.
SCOR: Reinsurance as a capital management tool under Solvency II
How much capital is enough for an insurer — and how can companies maintain a comfortable solvency position without unnecessarily constraining growth? SCOR’s latest “Solvency & Reinsurance in Europe” study provides some particularly interesting answers, based on year-end 2025 Solvency II disclosures.
Aon Analysis: In 2025 insurers' return on equity reached its highest level since 2009, but growth becomes harder to sustain as insurers face a new challenge
Insurers' return on equity reached 16.8% in 2025, its highest level since 2009. But premium has growth slowed and insurers face a new challenge: sustaining growth and delivering consistent performance through the cycle, according to Aon’s new analysis.
Swiss Re Institute: Global insured natural catastrophe losses in first half of 2026 below trend, yet rising risks
The first half of 2026 saw estimated insured natural catastrophe losses of USD 42 billion, 16% below the 10-year average. Insured losses from severe convective storms were also below trend, with the biggest outbreaks largely sparing the most exposed regions in the US, a recent study of Swiss Re Institute says.
Swiss Re Institute: First-half 2026 insured natural catastrophe losses: below trend, rising risks
Global insured losses from natural catastrophes reached an estimated USD 42 billion in the first half of 2026, well below the long-term trend, a recent Swiss Re Institute report reads.
Marsh Global Insurance Market Index: global commercial insurance rates fall by 6% in the second quarter of 2026
Global commercial insurance rates fell, on average, by 6% in the second quarter of 2026, following a 5% decline in Q1 2026. Property rates declined by 12% while casualty rates increased 2%, driven largely by continued challenges in the US, according to the latest Global Insurance Market Index (GIMI) released today by Marsh.
Munich Re: Global losses from natural disasters remained slightly below the ten-year average in the first half of the year
In the first six months of the year, natural disasters caused worldwide losses estimated at nearly USD 112 billion. Of those losses, only USD 44 billion were insured, representing an insurance gap of 60%, according to the Munich Re’s natural disaster review for the first half of 2026.
Aon’s Global Catastrophe Recap: Global economic losses in 1H2026 are the lowest first half total since 2018
Global economic losses totaled USD 111 billion during 1H2026, 25% below the 21st-century average and the lowest first half total since 2018. However, the period still produced USD 23 billion economic loss events – matching the long-term average – and USD 13 billion insured loss events, exceeding the historical average of USD 10 billion insured loss events.
Swiss Re Institute: Extreme heat is testing Switzerland’s resilience to natural hazards
Switzerland has built strong resilience to floods, storms and other natural hazards. According to Swiss Re Institute analysis, extreme heat is putting that resilience to the test, as the country warms more than twice as fast as the global average according to Swiss Academy of Sciences, Swiss Re said in its press release.
Property insurance faces a new reality as climate risks outpace traditional models
Recent discussions held in Croatia and Poland point to a growing consensus across the insurance industry: climate change is fundamentally reshaping the property insurance landscape, forcing insurers to rethink both risk assessment and customer engagement strategies.
Parametrix Report: SLA exposure is the “Biggest Operational Risk” facing data centers
SLA exposure is among the most significant operational risks facing data centers today, according to Parametrix, the Lloyd’s of London coverholder redefining the insurance and finance of digital infrastructure.
Allianz: War overtakes civil unrest as the political violence exposure companies fear most
The world is experiencing one of the most volatile geopolitical periods in our history since the end of World War Two. Even before the current conflict in the Middle East, the risks posed by political violence and civil unrest had been intensifying, evolving into global challenges that impact companies, communities, and the wider economy.
Willis: Leaders must move from caution to control as AI reshapes risk and resilience
AI is rapidly reshaping how risk is understood, priced and managed, but the rate of adoption is outpacing existing AI governance frameworks. New research from the latest Risk and Resilience review by Willis, a WTW business highlights how AI is being embedded across underwriting, claims, cyber defense, and operational decision-making. This growing integration is introducing new challenges around accountability, liability and insurability.
Aon’s 2026 Global Construction Insurance and Surety Market Report: accelerating investment in digital infrastructure and data centers is reshaping construction insurance
As we move through 2026, the global construction industry continues to face persistent complexity. Yet there is genuine cause for optimism, with strong growth, increasingly favorable insurance conditions, and rising demand for resilient, data-driven infrastructure, the Aon’s 2026 Global Construction Insurance and Surety Market Report says.
wiiw’s Spring Forecast Report 2026: the CESEE shows resilience to the difficult geopolitical situation
Difficult international environment and geopolitical risks are persistent, but despite the energy price shock from the Iran war, most of the Central, East and Southeast Europe (CESEE) economies continue to show resiliency, albeit the growth is slowing down.
Marsh’s 2026 People Risks report places cyber risk on top of the global people risk agenda
Organizations and their people are operating under sustained uncertainty because of rising cyber threats, rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), and skilled labor shortages, according to the 2026 People Risks report released by Marsh, a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting.
1 October 2026