Investing in Insurance Risk: Insurance-Linked Securities - A Practitioner's Perspective

Insurance-linked securities and certain reinsurance instruments provide the ability to invest in insurance directly, as opposed to investing in equities or debt issued by insurance and reinsurance companies. The pure insurance risk component of these investments can range from that of property catastrophe to longevity, all of which provide limited correlation with the investment performance of traditional asset types. Securitisation of insurance risk has also become an important tool for risk and capital management that can be utilised by insurance companies alongside the more traditional approaches. It offers insurance and reinsurance companies additional flexibility at a time when the landscape keeps changing and the ability to respond to changes quickly is a critical source of competitive advantage.

Investing in Insurance Risk by Alex Krutov looks at all of the issues involved in investing in insurance risk and in issuing insurance-linked securities. It examines the various types of insurance-linked securities now available to investors, along with techniques for their analysis. In addition, the book explains the considerations insurance companies face in transferring insurance risk to the capital markets.

The book is somewhat provocatively titled Investing in Insurance Risk to emphasize that investing always involves the potential of both return and risk. This is particularly clear in a field such as insurance-linked securities, where risk transfer rather than simply raising capital is often the primary driver for issuing these securities. The ability to analyze the risk-return profile of these investments is essential for both issuing and investing in them. The book is designed to serve as a valuable resource to those active in the marketplace, while also aiding basic understanding of the topics for those new to the field. The author offers a clear practitioner s perspective as opposed to an academic one; this hands-on approach is particularly important in a market that is new and still evolving.