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