Chubb on ‌Friday unveiled the structure and scope of the maritime insurance facility created in partnership with the U.S. government through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), ​around three weeks after the Iran conflict began.

Specialty insurers across marine, aviation and political lines are more likely to see heightened risk of claims stemming from ​the Iran conflict, a report from Moody's on Thursday said.

Australia has declared the attempted bombing ‌of a crowd in Perth on January 26 a terrorist incident under the Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act 2003, activating the government-backed insurance framework for eligible commercial losses, the ​Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation said.

The cancellation of Formula ​One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is not expected to generate insured losses because ‌the events' promoters did not purchase event cancellation cover, multiple senior contingency market participants told The Insurer.

Lloyd’s CEO Patrick Tiernan said the market is drawing on decades of geopolitical underwriting experience as it responds to ​the Iran war, with many of the chief executives leading ‌underwriting and broking firms today having begun their careers during previous conflicts.

(Re)insurers and brokers with offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre said staff were safe and operations were continuing under remote-working arrangements after attacks linked to Iran rattled the Gulf business ​hub.

India will reimburse a portion of exporters’ rising insurance costs ‌as part of a broader relief package to cushion the impact of surging war-risk premiums and logistics charges, a trade ministry official said at a media briefing on Thursday.

Despite an increasingly complex threat landscape, the terrorism insurance market remains “stable and robust”, with standalone cover ​offering broader protection and up to $4 billion in per risk capacity, Marsh said in a report on Thursday.

Coalition security researchers recorded roughly 392,000 outbound scans from Iranian internet protocol space in a single day on February 18, a surge the insurer links directly to military escalation in the Middle East and describes as a large-scale target-gathering operation aimed primarily at U.S. infrastructure.

The escalating Middle East conflict is widening the threat ​of a spillover of political violence risk outside the conflict zone and raising the likelihood of ‌loss aggregation across insurers’ specialty portfolios, according to Morningstar DBRS.

The Iran war ‌poses a limited immediate threat to global insurers, Fitch Ratings said on Monday, however a prolonged conflict could squeeze earnings through inflation, falling asset values and rising defaults.

Domestic insurers across the Gulf Cooperation Council are largely resilient to short-term disruption from the conflict in the Middle East, however the prognosis could change if the situation is prolonged beyond a ​few weeks, industry analysts have told The Insurer.

The impact of the Middle East conflict on the domestic insurance sector and global reinsurance market is "manageable" for now but reinsurance renewals for the region could face challenges, AM Best said on Thursday.

War and terrorism insurance is still being placed for infrastructure assets in the Middle East despite the Iran war, although premiums ​have surged and available limits have fallen sharply, Fergus Critchley, global ‌head of terrorism and political violence at WTW, told The Insurer.

The emergence of artificial intelligence as the "fourth utility" will see it potentially targeted in the same way as other critical infrastructure in the Middle East, brokers at Marsh told The Insurer.

Fitch Ratings said the withdrawal of hull war-risk marine insurance in the Persian Gulf may be credit negative for U.S. P&C insurers with heavy exposure to Gulf transit, while broader global insurers ​should be able to absorb the fallout.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has named Chubb as the lead underwriting partner for its $20 billion maritime reinsurance ​facility aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of ‌Hormuz.

Lloyd’s chairman Charles Roxburgh said the market will work with Britain, the U.S. and international partners ​on a “comprehensive response” to support shipping through the ‌Strait of Hormuz.

The planned $20 billion maritime reinsurance facility to be launched by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation will prioritise hull ​and cargo coverage, CEO Ben Black said on Friday.

The ongoing escalation in the Middle East has sharpened concern in the ​political violence and terrorism (PVT) insurance market about “grey zone” attacks that can blur the line between war, terrorism ‌and civil unrest, multiple brokers said.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert urging organizations to harden their endpoint management systems following ​a March 11 cyberattack on Fortune 500 medical technology company Stryker ‌Corporation that disrupted the company's ability to process orders, manufacture products and ship them to customers.

Risks associated with artificial intelligence technologies do not demand a “wholesale reinvention” of insurance, according to Coalition’s Michael Phillips.

The UK's Cyber Monitoring Centre is in the process of setting up a U.S. counterpart, the body's head of operations and partnerships Ruth Goodwin confirmed on Monday.

Commentary from U.S.-listed insurance carriers' executives on Q4 earnings calls suggests some are taking a more cautious stance on cyber amid a worsening threat environment, growing competition and pressure on pricing.

Coalition security researchers recorded roughly 392,000 outbound scans from Iranian internet protocol space in a single day on February 18, a surge the insurer links directly to military escalation in the Middle East and describes as a large-scale target-gathering operation aimed primarily at U.S. infrastructure.

The UK government will “have to come to the table” to provide a structure for the transfer of cyber risk between the public and private sectors, as cyber ​incidents last year underlined systemic community impacts that are not currently widely covered, said panellists at an event on Monday.

U.S. cyber insurers may need a federal backstop similar to the one established under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) to cover extreme, systemic cyberattacks that private markets cannot absorb on their own, Conning said in a new report.

Former Envelop Risk chief underwriting officer Ari Chatterjee is close to launching a new cyber reinsurance ​MGA in Bermuda, with scope to expand into India ‌over time, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Federal prosecutors have charged a former cyber incident response negotiator with running ransomware attacks and corrupting negotiations on behalf of clients who hired his firm, helping extort a combined $75.3 million in the process.

Medical technologies company Stryker did not buy cyber insurance to protect against its global network disruption, according to its website and regulatory filings, but Gallagher Re warns its cyberattack has potential upstream and downstream impacts.

Price Forbes Re's global head of index classes Tom ​Johansmeyer met with The Insurer at this ‌year's Bermuda Risk Summit, where he voiced concerns that cyber insurers are relying on outdated ​assumptions around cyber war and systemic ​catastrophe risk, leading to inflated pricing and ⁠constraints on market growth.

Travelers Europe has ​named Matthew Hogg ‌its new head of cyber, with the London-based ​hire joining ​from Liberty Mutual.

Dual North America has recruited Coaction Specialty’s Paul Schiavone to lead its cyber and professional liability businesses, with the hire part of the Howden Group-owned MGA platform’s bid to ​strengthen its position in the two specialist industry segments.

Markel Insurance has appointed Jamie Smith as London underwriting manager and ​U.S. cyber lead, effective immediately.

Ransomware negotiations have become a standardized, outsourced business process as financially driven attackers focus on speed and scale, according to panelists at the PLUS ​Cyber Symposium in New York.

Cyber claims frequency climbed 3% year over year in 2025 while average loss severity dropped 19% to $116,000, according to Coalition, which said the divergence reflects a maturing defensive posture among policyholders even as attackers grow more persistent and more expensive in their demands.

Cyber risk quantification insurtech Cyberwrite has closed a Series A funding round with Markel as a strategic investor, deepening a relationship that began with the global specialty insurer using the platform across its European underwriting operations.

The cyber insurance market is unlikely to see any "knee-jerk" reaction to heightened digital threats associated with the escalated conflict in the Middle East owing to state-backed exclusions, although carriers will have to distinguish between the muddy risk categories of espionage and extortion.

At-Bay, the San Francisco-based cyber insurance and security insurtech, has laid off staff across its Israeli and US operations as the company pushes toward operating profitability amid a prolonged period of cyber market softening.

Cybersecurity and insurance executives Steven Schwartz and Brandon Pinzon have founded U.S.-based startup Firetower Risk Solutions to build parametric solutions for cyber, artificial intelligence, data centre and digital asset risks, with one program already finalised, they told Parametric Insurer in an exclusive interview.

Accelerant co-founder and chief executive officer Jeff Radke said the data-driven risk exchange's competitive position rests on differentiated data, as artificial intelligence reshapes the specialty insurance ​industry.

Trident Marine Managers, a Ryan ​Specialty managing general underwriter, ‌has appointed Karolina Krol chief operating officer.

Arrowhead Programs has brought together seven offices across the U.S. to form professional liability and related specialty solutions-focused Arrowhead Professional.

Way Specialty has added another product line to its nascent platform with the launch of a mining division ​led by industry veteran Jim Godfrey, who has joined from ‌Skyward Specialty.

Accelerant Holdings expects more than $5.1 ‌billion of exchange written premium for 2026, after reporting Q4 results in line with preliminary figures released last month that included premium rising 24% year on year to $1.09 billion.

Residential lease guarantee platform TheGuarantors announced on Wednesday ​that it has received a ‌majority investment from Warburg Pincus.

Everspan Group has lost another senior executive, with chief operating officer Justin Manley departing the Octave Specialty Group-owned specialty fronting carrier to ​join a UK-based insurer with plans to enter the U.S. market, according to ‌sources familiar with the matter.

CRC Group's wholesale specialty platform Insurisk has expanded its data center underwriting capabilities to $500 million in total capacity across property, including ​builders risk, and casualty, as it moves to capture a share of what the insurance industry ‌increasingly views as its most consequential growth opportunity in decades.

Chubb chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg has warned that insurers and reinsurers backing managing general agents are taking on unnecessary risk, ​calling MGA support "a bad bet in the majority of cases" in his ‌annual letter to shareholders.

Dual Group has confirmed the appointment of Axis Capital executive Ed Ashby as chief executive officer of Dual North ​America, effective March 23, succeeding John Johnson.

Specialty MGA Rokstone announced three senior promotions on Tuesday, including ​the creation of a global chief ‌underwriting and risk officer role.

Former Envelop Risk chief underwriting officer Ari Chatterjee is close to launching a new cyber reinsurance ​MGA in Bermuda, with scope to expand into India ‌over time, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Axis Capital chief commercial officer Ed Ashby is joining Dual North America as chief executive, while the ​future role of outgoing CEO John Johnson within the business ‌has not yet been determined, according to people familiar with the matter.

MGA Amiga Specialty has secured a licence from Hong Kong's Insurance Authority, the BP ​Marsh-backed company said on Monday.

Specialty (re)insurance MGA Rokstone has appointed Claire ​Lill as senior underwriter for ‌North American casualty, it said on Monday.

MGA Dual North America has expanded ​capacity in its surety program, ‌raising single-bond limits to $150 million from $100 million and aggregate limits per principal ​to $300 million from $200 million, ​the company said on Thursday.

Nexus Underwriting has appointed Walid Youssef as ​unit head for UK financial institutions, ‌the specialty MGA said on Thursday.

Banyan Risk CEO Tim Usher-Jones spoke with ​The Insurer's George Abbott at this ‌week's Bermuda Risk Summit to outline how the specialty MGA is expanding its ​underwriting platform across multiple geographies ​as it prepares to grow its ⁠global footprint.

MGAs are well-positioned to navigate the softening market cycle, with Mike Keating, CEO of the Managing General Agents’ Association, confident that the sector will not sacrifice discipline for the sake of growth.

Arrowhead Intermediaries’ Arrowhead Programs has created a dedicated public sector-focused practice group that pools together seven existing operations that collectively wrote over $1 billion ​of premium in 2025.

Liberty Mutual has promoted Ben Johnson as president of Ironshore Insurance, taking the role ​from the retiring Matt Dolan.

CRC Group's wholesale specialty platform Insurisk has expanded its data center underwriting capabilities to $500 million in total capacity across property, including ​builders risk, and casualty, as it moves to capture a share of what the insurance industry ‌increasingly views as its most consequential growth opportunity in decades.

Zurich E&S has promoted Margaret Melnik to senior vice ​president and head of E&S Property, ‌the Schaumburg, Illinois-based company said on Tuesday.

MGT has appointed former CRC Group executive Garrett Koehn as a senior advisor to support distribution expansion and identify ​high-return artificial intelligence use cases across the U.S.

New capacity continues to enter the property excess and surplus insurance lines market, said Liz Kramer, president of E&S at Munich Re Specialty, who said she is watching terms and conditions closely.

The U.S. executive lines insurance market has entered 2026 in a broadly stable position, with abundant capacity and competitive pricing keeping rates largely flat across most segments, according to a new market outlook report from Risk Placement Services (RPS).

Brown & Riding has ​appointed Adam Lowe as ‌its national casualty practice leader in the ​U.S. wholesale ​insurance brokerage's Dallas office.

AIG has appointed Darrell Pippin as head of property ​at wholesale unit Lexington Insurance.

Risk Theory has made its first MGA acquisition after it completed a deal for New York City-focused commercial habitational property specialist Roundhill Express.

Old Republic International has announced that Doug Wordekemper will ​become CEO of Old Republic Professional, ‌with the executive joining the specialty insurer after 23 years with Axis Capital.

Arthur J Gallagher’s ​U.S. wholesale brokerage, binding ‌authority and programs division Risk Placement Services ​has acquired S ​Philips Surety & Insurance Services, which ⁠provides surety bonds ​to agents and brokers ​on the west coast of the U.S.

Proposed legislation to create a mechanism for private insurers, including excess and surplus lines carriers, to take commercial property business otherwise ​destined for Citizens cleared the Florida House in an 88–19 vote late ‌Monday, advancing efforts to further shrink the state-backed insurer.

Proposed legislation to create a mechanism for private insurers – including E&S carriers – to take commercial property business otherwise destined for Citizens has passed the Florida Senate in a 33-1 bipartisan vote after revisions aimed at satisfying concerns of the state regulator.

Artificial intelligence’s biggest impact on the insurance industry will be that it makes employees “more focused on the outcomes” rather than the process, CRC Group CEO Dave Obenauer has predicted.

Matt Dolan, president of North America specialty and Ironshore at Liberty Mutual's Global Risk Solutions unit, is retiring in April, the company has confirmed to The Insurer.

James River Holdings has hired Kelly Hadiaris as senior ​vice president of excess casualty, with ‌Hadiaris re-joining the company after she exited a four-year stint there in 2007.

James River Group is positioned to return to profitable growth in 2026 after prioritizing underwriting discipline and portfolio reshaping over top-line expansion last year, management said while investors sent the specialty insurer's share price down in response ​to a Q4 earnings miss.

James River Group reported a sharp improvement ‌in fourth-quarter underwriting performance, with its combined ratio improving to 94.1% from 155.1% a year earlier, as gross written premiums fell 27% year on year to $262.7 million.

Underwriting discipline will be key in a multispeed E&S market of fast-softening property and sustained casualty loss-cost pressures in order to take advantage of growth opportunities that remain following the structural shift of business to the sector, according to a panel of industry leaders.

The trajectory of pricing conditions in the market was once again among the main topics carriers and brokers were asked about on investor calls during the second half of the Q4 earnings season, with fast-softening property and the health of casualty the focus of attention.

The insurance industry’s engagement with climate risks is increasingly moving from rigid categorisations to a more holistic view of resilience ​across the environment, economy, society and technology, according to panellists at Insurtech Insights.

Industry membership group ClimateWise is developing an insurability readiness matrix to help (re)insurers, policymakers and regulators to support insurability and maintain coverage in sectors and ​regions prone to climate hazards.

Parametric insurtech ​Exante has expanded ‌its "sunshine guarantee" insurance product, embedding weather coverage in ​U.S. residential ​solar installations.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded African Risk Capacity Limited's insurer ‌financial strength (IFS) rating and long-term issuer default rating (IDR), citing sustained earnings volatility.

Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow has filed a complaint against Chubb seeking to compel the insurer to include a resolution in its 2026 proxy ballot on assessing the recovery of climate-related losses through subrogation.

Turbine-related losses are now the main driver of claims in the offshore wind sector, with export cable failures remaining the most expensive on average per claim, according to data from Axis Capital.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has warned insurers not to "indiscriminately" withdraw cover from clients exposed to higher climate-related risks in its latest supervisory expectations on transition planning for the sector.

To mark International Women’s Day, Sustainable Insurer reflects on both institutional and insurance-specific factors affecting inclusive cultures and senior-level representation in the market, as well as diverging interpretations of this year’s campaign theme.

Insurers’ investment teams remain cautious over biodiversity funds due to their long duration but panellists at a sustainable investment briefing said green investments broadly now offer a competitive yield.

Africa Specialty Risks will distribute its trade credit product for the tea industry beyond Kenya as part of its mandate to support sustainability-related credit projects, head of political risk and trade credit Genevieve Ahinful told Sustainable Insurer.

As humanitarian organisations increasingly turn to the risk transfer markets to address gaps left by public funding cuts, carriers must help to build a portfolio of solutions that combines (re)insurance with grant financing rather than replacing it.

Firms have been advised not to take their foot off the gas amid the global patchwork of sustainability-related reporting standards, with WTW’s Lamorna Jarvis warning that regulatory divergence does not mean that climate risk itself has abated.

Specialty insurer Beazley has agreed to acquire renewable energy MGA ​kWh Analytics, the company said on ‌Tuesday, in a deal aimed at expanding its underwriting capabilities in the fast-growing energy transition market.

Local insurers across Asia Pacific are prepared to underwrite existing and upcoming renewable energy risks, although the region’s fragmented market remains shaped by divergent factors, senior industry executives told The Insurer.

Asia’s renewable energy insurance market has started 2026 with renewed momentum, with rising capacity and a wave of new entrants making the region more competitive than the rest of the world, market commentators have told The Insurer.

Three environmental campaign groups have filed grievances against Tokio Marine Holdings and Sompo Holdings alleging breaches of human rights policies for their subsidiaries’ involvement in providing insurance coverage to a methane export terminal in Louisiana.

Market and regulatory developments over the past 18 months have increased the risk of a disorderly transition to net zero, leading to shifting coverage demands and new risk classes for insurers, according to a Lloyd’s Market Association report.

Burundi has become the latest country to join the Regional Emergency Preparedness and ​Inclusive Recovery (Repair) disaster risk financing scheme for eastern ‌and southern Africa.

Energy access has emerged as the single greatest risk facing data center developers, with tenants now penalizing developers up to $1 to $2 million for every day they fail to deliver working power on time, Marsh said Monday.

The data center industry is heading toward a shortage of 75,000 to 140,000 skilled workers over the next several years, and no amount of capital or land acquisition can substitute for the people needed to build and operate the facilities, according to Mercer chief workforce strategist William Self.