ESG in the ILS & Catastrophe Bond Market – Roundtable

This roundtable discussion was convened by specialist insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bond investment manager Plenum Investments and moderated by Artemis in December 2020.

The roundtable, which you can watch in full here, featured participants from across the ILS and catastrophe bond market.

Participants came together to discuss key issues related to the insurance-linked security and catastrophe bond market’s readiness for and adoption of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices.

Taking part were:-

• Nico Rischmann, Partner, ESG-Competence Center, Plenum Investments Ltd.
• Paul Schultz, CEO, Aon Securities.
• Cory Anger, Managing Director, GC Securities.
• Patrick Roder, Associate Partner, Synpulse Management Consulting.
• Roland Kölsch, Managing Director, QNG (sustainability FNG-Seal).
• Andy Palmer, Head ILS Structuring EMEA & APAC, Swiss Re Capital Markets Ltd.
• Tommy Piemonte, Head Sustainability Research, Bank für Kirche und Caritas, Shareholders for Change.
• Dirk Schmelzer, ILS Fund Manager, Partner, ESG-Competence Center, Plenum Investments Ltd..

All of our Artemis Live video interviews can be accessed directly from our YouTube Channel and we have more interesting discussions with leaders of the ILS and reinsurance industry to come over the next few weeks.

This roundtable discussion sought to gain an understanding of the consequences of non-ESG compliance in insurance risk transfer; to identify starting points for improved compliance; alongside an exploration of the needs of the market and investors.

After an overview of the status quo around the implementation of the ESG framework in the European Union (EU), the conversation shifted focus to the ILS space and specifically, whether or not ESG is being sufficiently considered in the market at this time.

Industry experts noted that there is much more to do, on embedding ESG practices within insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bonds.

In particular, the ability to be truly transparent and show investors that portfolios of risk ceded to, or underlying, reinsurance and ILS transactions are ESG compliant remains a significant hurdle facing the market as it seeks to meet rapidly evolving investor motivations and needs.

The full video interview is embedded below and can also be viewed in full, along with previous Artemis Live video interviews, over on our YouTube channel.

You can also listen in audio to our interviews by subscribing to the Artemis Live podcast here.

We will continue to bring you these interviews with leaders of the ILS and reinsurance industry on an ad-hoc basis, as and when our time and that of our contacts allow.

All of our Artemis Live video interviews have a focus on reinsurance, ILS and the efficiency of risk transfer and can be accessed directly from our YouTube Channel.

You can also listen in audio to these interviews by subscribing to the Artemis Live podcast here.

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