Captives must become more accessible, flexible and technology-driven to play a bigger role in corporate risk management, industry leaders told delegates at the 2026 Airmic Guernsey conference. Speaking on a panel titled “2030 and beyond,” experts said the captive market is already moving past its traditional function of filling deductibles and participating in insurance programs. Will Thomas-Ferrand of Marsh argued that if the industry were designed today, barriers to

Default guided retirement solutions for defined contribution pension holders could expose millions of retirees to financial losses, according to new research from the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). The study, commissioned by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, evaluated four retirement income models against behavioral evidence on pension decision-making: drawdown, immediate annuities, flex and fix, and retirement collective defined contribution (CDC). Under the Pension Schemes Act 2026, DC trustees must

A group including NatWest, Bank of America, ING, Capital One, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ASB has warned that AI shopping agents can create fraud, privacy and recourse risks. The banks’ proposed principles include disclosing when an agent is acting, explaining material decisions, protecting data and preserving consumer choice and interoperability. These are industry proposals, not a binding global standard. From search assistance to delegated action The issue is

In September 2026, Howden Re announced a new International Alternative Solutions practice led by Alexander Roth to develop risk and capital structures for clients across Europe, Asia and other international markets. The practice combines structured reinsurance, climate science, data analytics, product design, portfolio structuring, pricing, capital-markets access and placement. Peter Steiner and Kanika Anand have moved from Howden’s Climate Risk and Resilience practice to establish a dedicated parametric capability

In September 2026, reporting on Marsh’s survey of 1,800 US employers indicated that average health-benefit cost per employee is expected to rise by 8.2% in 2027, the largest annual increase since 2003. The forecast already assumes that employers will make plan changes to reduce spending. Without those measures, the increase could reach about 11%. Fifty-nine percent of surveyed employers plan new cost-saving actions for 2027, including changes to deductibles

According to a publication issued in September 2026, Marsh Re sees greater buyer choice and more bespoke cyber reinsurance structures. It expects European premium growth close to 10% in 2026 despite double-digit rate reductions. These trends can coexist as insured exposure, limits and take-up change; the figures remain a market outlook, not a guarantee. AI adds urgency because automated tools can shorten the period between discovery of a vulnerability

In September 2026, Reuters reported that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) paper presented to European finance ministers estimated that artificial intelligence could raise European productivity by about 1% over five years. The estimate is meaningful but modest enough to challenge unrealistic expectations. In a speech accompanying the analysis, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva argued that productivity gains depend on organisations redesigning products, processes and workflows rather than simply adding

In September 2026, Insurance Business reported findings from The Phia Group’s 2026 broker survey showing that the rapid move toward self-funded health plans is outpacing many US employers’ fiduciary processes. The survey covered 124 benefits brokers and advisers. Seventy-six percent said their book of business had shifted toward self-funding during the previous 12 months, but only 12% were very confident that clients had adequate fiduciary processes. The gap matters

In March 2026, Vitality, a member of Discovery Limited of South Africa, announced that its US acquisition of Ramp Health would combine an AI-enabled health platform with onsite clinical, coaching and workplace-safety services for employers. The transaction brings together two forms of intervention that are often purchased separately. Vitality contributes behavioural science, incentives, data analytics and personalised health-risk insights. Ramp Health adds clinicians, coaches and safety professionals who can

In September 2026, the New Jersey Legislature’s published text of Senate Bill 1029 placed human medical accountability at the centre of a proposed framework for health claims and automated utilisation management. The bill would require every claim submitted to a payer to be reviewed by at least one physician or medical director employed by, or contracted with, the payer. It would also require annual public reporting on approvals, denials,

In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that Vitruvian Partners was leading a 600 million dollar investment in Angle Health at a 2.7 billion dollar valuation. The transaction is expected to include 200 million dollars of new equity and a 400 million dollar secondary component providing liquidity to existing shareholders. Other participants named in the report include Town Hall Ventures, Blumberg Capital, Portage Ventures, PruVen Capital and Y

In September 2026, Reuters reported that CVS Health’s Aetna in the USA would introduce a single medical prior-authorisation process for cancer treatment, replacing separate approvals for components such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, imaging and some immunotherapies. The change began on 1 September for Medicaid members in eight US states and is scheduled to reach Aetna’s private and Medicare Advantage plans during the first half of 2027. Aetna says that providers

In September 2026, Reuters reported that UK insurers had asked the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to reconsider the design of its first Dynamic General Insurance Stress Test, or DyGIST, following the live exercise conducted in May 2026. The debate matters beyond the UK market because DyGIST represents a different view of stress testing: one that examines how an organisation responds while a crisis is unfolding, rather

In September 2026, WTW published an analysis by Julie Nye arguing that employee benefits captives can help close coverage gaps created by war and terrorism exclusions. The subject is becoming more pressing for multinational employers. Group life, accident, disability and medical arrangements are normally built through local insured contracts, each shaped by local law, market practice and carrier appetite. War and terrorism provisions can therefore differ materially between countries,

In September 2026, AXA’s official presentation of its 2027–2029 strategic plan, Growing Forward, made artificial intelligence one of the most explicit value-creation levers in the group’s next phase of development. At first sight, another major insurer intends to use more AI. In fact, this goes further. AXA has attached a recurring pre-tax value target of €500 million to €700 million by 2029 to its AI programme, while aiming for

A new Geneva Association report shows how geopolitical frictions can constrain reinsurance, capital and liquidity. The implications extend to multinational benefits programmes and captives.

Insurers and reinsurers are increasingly seeking partnerships with the captive insurance market as owners retain more risk and adopt more sophisticated reinsurance structures, according to new analysis shared in September 2026 by Marsh Captive Solutions. US captive domicile premium is estimated to have grown from $94.3 billion at the end of 2021 to $118.5 billion by the end of 2025, per Captive Review analysis, while global premium is projected

Demand Is Moving Beyond Price In September 2026, Artemis reported that 28% of respondents to Moody’s Ratings’ annual survey of reinsurance buyers expect to increase their use of alternative capital in 2027. The remaining respondents expect their usage to remain unchanged, indicating that insurance-linked securities have become a durable component of reinsurance purchasing rather than a temporary response to scarce traditional capacity. Buyers cite diversification, multiyear protection and capital

Rising medical costs and mounting duty-of-care obligations are pushing multinational employers to treat internationally mobile employee benefits as a governance priority rather than an administrative afterthought, according to WTW’s latest Internationally Mobile Employee Benefits Design Survey, published in September 2026. From Benefit Provision to Active Governance Though internationally mobile employees represent a small share of most workforces, their exposures can be outsized: a single medical event, evacuation or death

Claude Moves From Chatbot to Professional Workflow In September 2026, Anthropic announced Claude for Financial Advisors while Digiday reported that Google was expanding an AI contribution pilot for publishers. The initiatives address different sides of the same emerging market. Anthropic is bringing trusted data and specialised workflows into an AI assistant; Google is testing whether publishers should receive payment when their content contributes to AI-generated answers. Together, they show

G20 GDP growth slowed slightly to 0.7% in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026), down from 0.8% in the prior quarter (Q1 2026), according to provisional OECD estimates published in September 2026, with most member economies posting weaker results. Saudi Arabia’s contraction deepened sharply, with GDP falling -4.8% in Q2 after a 1.4% decline in Q1, driven largely by a steep drop in oil activity. South Africa’s economy

Howden Employee Benefits in September 2026 appointed John Deegan to its U.K. board as a Non-Executive Director, while also bringing him on as an adviser to its Global Employee Benefits Executive Leadership Team. Deegan brings more than 25 years of experience from Mercer Marsh Benefits and its predecessor businesses, where he led the multinational employee benefits operation and oversaw Darwin, its global benefits technology platform. Over his career he

The U.K.’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in September 2026 published coordinated consultation papers proposing a bespoke regulatory regime for captive insurers, aiming to build a domestic market that currently does not exist. U.K. groups typically establish captives in Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Ireland, Luxembourg or Bermuda; the consultation closes October 14, 2026, with implementation targeted for mid-2027. The initial phase covers single-parent captives

The rapid expansion of data centers could open a significant new growth avenue for the captive insurance market, according to Fitch Ratings. Speaking in September 2026 at the Rendez-Vous de Septembre reinsurance conference in Monte Carlo, Fitch’s head of EMEA reinsurance ratings, Manuel Arrivé, said data centers represent a major opportunity for the broader re/insurance sector. But he cautioned that the scale and complexity of these exposures mean capacity

Arboreum in September 2026 launched a multi-employer, whole-of-life collective defined contribution (CDC) pension plan in the U.K. designed to give members a target-based income for life. The firm, owned by Collective Pensions and majority backed by the Vestey and Timpson family businesses, developed the scheme with Hymans Robertson and CMS. The launch follows The Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) decision to begin accepting applications for multi-employer CDC schemes on 31 July

Former Marsh Captive Solutions president Ellen Charnley and ex-WTW CEO John Haley in September 2026 joined the board of Risk & Regulatory Consulting (RRC) following a new investment from Altaline Capital Management. RRC has supported US state insurance departments for nearly 40 years, employing close to 160 professionals who serve 44 states and jurisdictions. Its services cover financial and IT examinations, market conduct reviews, actuarial support, insolvency and receivership

Willis in September 2026 appointed Gerard Owens as head of captive and insurance management solutions for Ireland, effective November 1, 2026, succeeding Trevor Madden. Madden’s move was announced earlier this week as he transitions to lead Willis’ captive and insurance management solutions business in Singapore. Owens brings more than 25 years of experience in insurance and reinsurance, with deep expertise in captive management, financial and regulatory reporting, risk management,