January 2017/1

QBE was the ultimate sponsor of the recent $187mn Resilience Re club cat bond, according to sources.

PartnerRe established a new retro sidecar, Mercalli Re, at the 1 January renewals, sources told Trading Risk.

As a New Zealander, I grew up accustomed to watching rugby players crash around the field armed with little more than a bit of strapping on their ears.

ILS brokers have estimated that cat bond issuance may total up to $8bn for 2017, driven by a large volume of upcoming maturities and the advantageous pricing available to sponsors.

The top 10 ILS fund managers have exceeded $50bn in assets under management (AuM) for 2017, as they posted their fastest rate of growth in the past two years in the run-up to the 1 January renewals.