The Reinsurance Podcast

Reinsurance prices are falling, but David Flandro argues that rising capital costs should give buyers pause. Howden Re’s Head of Industry Analysis and Strategic Advisory joins Ben Rose in Baden-Baden to explain why cedents need a contingency plan, how new sources of capital are reshaping the market, and what economic margins reveal about the cycle. They also explore AI’s potential to change modelling and risk trading, plus the case for rebalancing retentions, managing accumulations and preserving options ahead of 1/1.

EPISODE LINKS:
David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-flandro-074813/
Howden Re: https://www.howdenre.com/

OUTLINE & TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
00:38 A different mood at Baden-Baden
01:18 Falling prices and economic margins
02:41 Finding an advantage as capital sources expand
04:47 Three ways AI could change reinsurance
07:28 Who will drive AI disruption?
08:18 Why buyers need a “breaking the glass” strategy
10:42 Retentions, diversification and preserving options
11:51 What makes this cycle different?
13:07 The outlook for 1/1 renewals

CONNECT WITH US:
Say Hello: ⁠producer@thereinsurancepodcast.com⁠
Website: ⁠https://www.supercede.com⁠ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supercedehq 
Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/SupercedeHQ⁠ 
YouTube:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@SupercedeHQ⁠ 
RSS Feed: ⁠https://anchor.fm/s/7e741c8c/podcast/rss⁠

Dame Susan Langley, the first Lady Mayor of the City of London in 800 years and only the third woman to hold the office, has spent a year flying round the world telling people what London’s insurance and reinsurance market actually does. Recorded at Mansion House, this is her case for why the quietest industry in finance needs to find its voice.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
What the Lady Mayor’s job actually is once you strip away the golden coach (and why it finally has an insurer in it)
Why “we’re very British about it” has become a competitive disadvantage against cities that shout
How 220 companies and some chalk art outside Lloyd’s reached 20 million people without a single spin line
Why the Global Risk Summit exists, and what the nine-day secondment tells you about how London is losing its training-ground status
How a rolling three-year plan fixes the one-year-tenure problem, and what her successor inherits

TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro00:35 Third woman in 800 years, first Lady Mayor01:05 What the Lady Mayor actually does (it isn’t the parade)02:29 The Lady Mayor’s Show and 697 women03:41 Representation: the Oxford friend and four women on one stage05:52 Why the City needs an insurance Lord or Lady Mayor07:13 “Insurance is boring.” “Thank you.”08:34 The Global Risk Summit and the nine-day secondment10:17 How the world sees London, and the disinformation problem12:00 Team UK: 220 companies and a chalk-art campaign14:04 A three-year plan and a second insurer in a row15:34 Pension capital, fintech, and why stability sells16:52 What she’ll miss (hint: not the heating bill)17:30 Outro

EPISODE LINKS:
Dame Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanclangley/

CONNECT WITH US:Say Hello: producer@thereinsurancepodcast.comWebsite: https://www.supercede.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supercedehqX: https://twitter.com/SupercedeHQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupercedeHQRSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/7e741c8c/podcast/rss

Sub-$50bn of first-half cat losses, no hurricanes last year, none so far this year, and rates heading south. Verisk's Rob Newbold boards the TRP yacht at Monte Carlo RVS to explain why reinsurance should still be braced for $171bn of insured catastrophe loss in an average year. Then he gets into what AI is actually doing to cat modelling, from globally correlated models to agents that talk to each other so humans can get on with deciding.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
Why Verisk puts modelled global insured cat loss at $171bn a year, and why a light first half doesn't change the maths
How to separate the market cycle from the risk itself, with the 1-in-100 now close to $500bn
Where AI is changing cat modelling for real: a physically correlated global model, plus agents handling the button-pressing so people can make the calls
Why data centre exposure deserves a look before it surprises you
What Rob thinks will finally tip reinsurance into using AI properly

TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro00:28 A $171bn average loss in a sub-$50bn year01:48 Why cat models don't care where you sit in the cycle02:46 AI in cat modelling and the first globally correlated model03:52 Agents calling agents, humans making the decisions04:46 Token bills, data centres and the hyperscaler question06:18 New perils, faster models and what clients actually want08:00 Meeting clients where they are, and what forces the flip09:02 Final word: the cycle doesn't set the risk

EPISODE LINKS:Rob's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-newbold-080380/
Verisk: https://www.verisk.com/solutions/catastrophe-risk-solutions/

CONNECT WITH US:Say Hello: producer@thereinsurancepodcast.comWebsite: https://www.supercede.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supercedehqX: https://twitter.com/SupercedeHQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupercedeHQRSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/7e741c8c/podcast/rss

New capital is still queuing up for Lloyd's, but Argenta's Kate Tongue and Robert Flach reckon the smart money is taking its time. On board the Supercede yacht at Monte Carlo RVS, they explain three things: why investors tend to show up a year too late, why a diversified Lloyd's portfolio can rival ILS returns with less risk, and why capital cares less about a syndicate's AI than about who's parameterising it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
Why new capital providers are playing the long game at Lloyd's, starting with 20 to 30 million of premium in year one
Which investors are now eyeing Lloyd's, from US mutuals with surplus on their balance sheets to hedge funds and pension schemes
How Lloyd's capital efficiency lets a spread portfolio compete with ILS, where the outcome depends on whether the wind blows
Why syndicate selection matters more than class selection now that the easy-money years are over
How investors with the right mindset can treat geopolitical losses as next year's opportunity

TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro00:51 Is There Still Room for New Capital at Lloyd's?01:55 Why Most Investors Arrive a Year Too Late02:45 The New Capital Pool: Mutuals, Hedge Funds and Pensions03:47 Teaching Investors That Lloyd's Is (Still) Complicated04:29 Syndicate Selection After the Easy-Money Years05:31 Niche Classes, Diversification and the ILS Comparison07:15 Does a Syndicate's Tech Story Matter to Capital?08:43 When AI Will Actually Move the Dial09:41 Geopolitical Risk: Threat or Opportunity for Investors?11:16 Lloyd's Leadership and Tougher Consortium Scrutiny

EPISODE LINKS:Kate's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejohnsontongue/
Robert's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-flach-21ab114/
Argenta: https://www.argentagroup.com/

CONNECT WITH US:Say Hello: producer@thereinsurancepodcast.comWebsite: https://www.supercede.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supercedehqX: https://twitter.com/SupercedeHQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupercedeHQRSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/7e741c8c/podcast/rss

Property is softening at a sprint. Casualty is walking, and keeping one eye on US social inflation. On the TRP yacht at Monte Carlo RVS 2026, Lockton Re's Carla Moffett and Sam Sweeney explain why casualty reinsurance won't follow the rest of the market down, and why the brokers worth hiring now do much more than place the treaty.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
Why casualty capacity is plentiful but pricing isn't dropping as fast as property
How portfolio quota shares covering MGA and delegated books are creating placements outside the renewal season
What reinsurers want to hear on social inflation: claims defence, early reserving, paying quickly
How to make sure hard-won original rate gets credit on the reinsurance side
Why blanket AI exclusions don't work when silent AI already sits inside PI, D&O and GL
Where AI is already sharpening broker work: submissions, data ingestion, contract reviews

TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro00:18 Why casualty isn't softening like property01:58 Portfolio solutions and off-cycle MGA placements02:37 Social inflation and the reinsurers who reserve early03:56 From transaction processor to trusted advisor05:18 The broker as part-time recruitment consultant06:01 PFAS, AI liabilities and what's really on the agenda07:30 Why blanket AI exclusions make no sense in casualty08:13 Born digital: using AI to sharpen the broker09:24 Are we already AI-enabled?

EPISODE LINKS:Carla's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlamoffett/
Sam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-sweeney-34744851/
Lockton Re: https://global.lockton.com/re/

CONNECT WITH US:Say Hello: producer@thereinsurancepodcast.comWebsite: https://www.supercede.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supercedehqX: https://twitter.com/SupercedeHQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupercedeHQRSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/7e741c8c/podcast/rss