Reinsurance profitability expected to remain well above cost of equity in 2026: Gallagher Re
The global reinsurance industry performed well in 2025, with profitability and capital reaching unprecedented levels, according to Gallagher Re’s full-year reinsurance market report. Total specialized reinsurance capital rose to a record $648 billion, up 11% from 2024 and the second strongest year for capital growth in more than a decade. According to Gallagher Re, the…
IRB(Re) lifts underwriting result 74% in Q1’26 as CoR improves
IRB(Re) started 2026 with strong underwriting performance and improved profitability metrics despite lower net profit. The Brazilian reinsurer reported underwriting results of BRL 180 million in the first quarter of 2026, a 74% increase from the same period last year, reflecting strong underwriting discipline and improved portfolio performance. This helped reduce the combined ratio to…
Shamieh in frame for Berkshire insurance leadership as Jain tenure continues
The Wall Street Journal reports that Berkshire Hathaway has identified Charlie Shamieh as a possible successor to Ajit Jain, vice chairman of the group’s insurance business. The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying that the timing of the transition is still uncertain and that Shamiyeh is expected to take over…
ALIRT reports maturing conditions in US fronting insurance market
ALIRT Insurance Research, an independent provider of analytical research on the insurance industry, reports that the U.S. frontier insurance market is transitioning to a more mature and regulated stage, an observation that is part of its Frontier Insurance Company Update (April 2026). The U.S. front-loading model, in which an insurance company issues a policy and…
Fairfax P&C re/insurance Q1’26 income increases on improved underwriting performance
Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. reported financial results for the first quarter of 2026, with net profit of $695.7 million, compared with $945.7 million in the same period last year. The company’s property and casualty (P&C) insurance and reinsurance business had adjusted operating income of $1,213.4 million, a significant increase from $685.5 million in the first…
Gallagher Re appoints Jun Liu as Head of China Agriculture
Global reinsurance brokerage and risk advisory firm Gallagher Re has announced the appointment of Liu Jun as head of China’s Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to his current role as deputy head of the Beijing team. The executive joined Gallagher Re from Datong Insurance in 2025 as deputy director of the reinsurance department in Beijing….
Berkshire Hathaway re/insurance underwriting earnings rose 29% to $1.717bn in Q1 2026
American multinational conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway reported that in the first quarter of 2026, net underwriting income from its insurance and reinsurance business increased by US$1.717 billion, an increase of approximately 29% from the previous year. There was no major catastrophe loss impact during the quarter, with no major catastrophe events (in excess of…
AI advancing faster than expected as AIG builds multi-agentic solution: CEO Zaffino
Artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced faster than expected over the past nine months, said AIG Chairman and CEO Peter Zaffino, who outlined the company’s next phase of AI deployment focused on developing multi-agent solutions with an orchestration layer that coordinates specialized AI agents. During AIG’s first-quarter 2026 earnings call, Zaffino emphasized the potential of artificial…
Willis introduces Merger Protect to address US antitrust review costs in M&A
Consulting, brokerage and solutions firm Willis has launched Merger Protect, a specialized insurance product designed to help organizations manage the financial impact of US antitrust regulatory scrutiny during mergers and acquisitions. The firm is launching the product as part of its wider transaction risk suite, designed to address the evolving challenges in the M&A space….
Non-life run-off deal momentum remained strong in Q1’26, says PwC
PwC reported that traditional market momentum continued in the first three months of 2026, with five acquirers announcing nine publicly disclosed non-life insurance runoff transactions, with cumulative total liabilities of approximately $730 million for the five transactions that disclosed transaction value. PwC said there were three debt deals announced in the first quarter of 2026…
