Insurance
France should broaden macro-prudential oversight – FSB report
Country should widen its outlook to include asset managers and other risky areas, a peer review finds; report recommends action to boost communication and disclosure
PRA urges insurers to act on ‘silent cyber’ risks
Watchdog urges underwriters to embrace cross-policy stress-testing to identify exposure to claims from non-specified risks
Eurozone’s non-bank sector taking more risks – ECB
Insurers and investment funds moving to higher-risk assets
BoE’s PRA should clarify approach to insurance, report says
Report asks Prudential Regulation Authority to review boundaries of “policyholder protection”, warning the regulator not to stray into the FCA’s territory
Right culture is vital for insurance firms – Irish regulator
Sylvia Cronin says proper approach cannot be “regulated into existence”
European agencies see pitfalls in growing big data use
Financial products likely to become more tailored to consumers, but that will not benefit everyone, regulators warn
Bank of Ireland’s Cronin spells out Brexit process for insurance firms
“Hearts and minds” have to be in Ireland, says director of insurance supervision; 2017 will reveal the “reality” of Brexit, she says
Big data could create divisions in society – FCA’s Bailey
UK FCA chief says in some ways more accurate modelling of behaviour is a good thing, but it could also be damaging in terms of access to insurance for some groups
Lowe stresses the importance of financial buffers
“Skimping” on buffers is not worth the risk, says RBA governor, stressing stronger ones promote stability and prosperity
Low rates and Solvency II raise ‘profound challenges’ for insurers – French governor
The move to unit-linked products is “not the only answer” to the need for diversification, de Galhau says; policy-makers must monitor the impact of the transition to Solvency II
Bank of Italy to receive €1bn for liquidating holding in equity firm
Italy’s central bank will gain about €1bn for liquidating its shareholding in an equity firm partly owned by the Italian state; holding began after the firm transferred stake in insurer
UK watchdog looks to new technology to ‘transform’ bank competition
Use of “open APIs” can enable easy data-sharing, which regulator hopes will give consumers clarity on bank charges and boost competition – though some see flaws in the plan
Russian central bank establishes reinsurance company
New company will improve transparency and stability of the market and restore capacity lost to financial sanctions, central bank says; observer says role of the company may be more complex
Bank of Israel aims to boost construction credit with new regulation
Banking supervision department proposes reclassifying credit risk in wake of financial institution’s efforts to insure against it; suggests it would free up $2.6bn of finance
Czech National Bank to launch second supervision department
Consumer protection and ‘retail distribution’ supervision to be moved under a new department dedicated to supervision, the second of its kind; Ladislav Kročák to become executive director
MAS official sets sight on expanding cyber insurance
Bernard Wee considers how demand- and supply-side challenges hindering the cyber insurance market are being addressed
Singapore official points to benefits big data offers insurers
Insurers can gain a competitive edge by harnessing insights from big data when designing products, the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Chua Kim Leng says
Bank of Russia unveils framework for insurance industry regulation
Russia’s central bank will monitor insurance companies for compliance with financial ratios and other indicators; has set up institute for risk management in insurance industry
Irish insurance firms face more scrutiny, supervisor says
Irish central bank’s director of insurance supervision outlines new regime; firms will have to provide more evidence to back up their claims
BoE’s Woods says Solvency II not a revolution
Executive director at the Bank of England examines historical changes in insurance regulation, concluding the introduction of Solvency II is in line with existing philosophy
Sovereign debt holdings ‘significant’ driver of insurer risk, Bundesbank paper says
Insurance companies at risk from holdings of sovereign debt, and current regulation does not adequately deal with problem, paper argues
EC urged to exempt insurers from central clearing
The need for cash collateral could encourage pro-cyclical investing, industry representatives say
HLA could incentivise systemic activity – Swiss Re
Swiss insurer's head of governmental affairs says crude measures might have unintended consequences for systemic risks
German life insurers vulnerable to interest rate shock, research warns
Discussion paper finds life insurers could have experienced a policyholder run in 2013 if interest rates had risen 2.1 percentage points; says QE might make it hard for insurers to protect themselves