Cyber and Liability Catastrophe Modeller

Beazley partnered with Integral ILS on new cyber ILS fund platform in Bermuda. * 17th August 2026 - Author: Steve Evans Artemis has learned that Beazley, the London headquartered specialty insurance and reinsurance company, has partnered with specialist insurance-linked securities investment manager Integral ILS Ltd. to establish the awaited cyber ILS fund operation in Bermuda. Artemis'd reported before that, when it comes to cyber insurance-linked securities, Beazley was planning a transition into securitisation and transformation of risks for third-party investors, with launch of a dedicated cyber ILS fund also planned for later this year. Previously, Beazley's CEO Adrian Cox had said that the firm's plans to broaden into cyber insurance-linked securities (ILS) through its recently established Bermuda branch, included a joint-venture with an unnamed established ILS market player with a platform on the island. Those plans are moving forwards and appear advanced, as Artemis can now report that the specialist investment manager partnered with Beazley is Integral ILS Ltd. Integral ILS Ltd. was launched by experienced ILS market executives Richard Lowther and Lixin Zeng back in 2020, since when the company has expanded to manage over US $3.5 billion in third-party investor capital as of this year. Natural catastrophe risk has been the main focus for Integral ILS since its launch. So this partnership with Beazley sees its first confirmed move into a specialty line of reinsurance business focused strategy, as it looks to broaden the range of investment options it offers to institutional investors. Integral ILS will be the portfolio and investment manager for this cyber ILS fund that is in the works, while Beazley will be the originator and source of the underwritten risk from within its expansive global cyber book. Adrian Cox, CEO of Beazley, explained to Artemis, "Our partnership with Integral brings together our market leading cyber underwriting expertise with their highly regarded ILS asset management capabilities. As leaders in the cyber market, we have long believed that developing a vibrant cyber ILS market is vital to meet future demand for cyber insurance. At the same time, it will also create an opportunity for specialist investors to participate in an exciting alternative asset class. Integral share our approach that specialisation combined with effective use of data can support disciplined underwriting and promote long-term performance and I am pleased to be working with them." The cyber ILS operations and this partnership with Integral ILS form the latest expansion of Beazley's ambitions under its Bermuda operations, as the company has fully-embraced the opportunities that the island's marketplace presents. "Our partnership with Integral is yet another example of the momentum we've been building since opening in Bermuda earlier this year. Our Property Treaty underwriting has so far exceeded our initial targets, our parametric team will be onshore later this summer and we will be adding further ART and Mortgage Indemnity underwriting capabilities in the second half of the year," Beazley CEO Cox further explained to Artemis. Artemis understand that a number of entities have already been registered to serve as vehicles for underwriting, transformation, management and offering of investment opportunities, to investors seeking to access the returns of cyber insurance and reinsurance underwriting through this partnership. Artemis is told these include a holding entity for the cyber ILS platform, a reinsurer presumably to act as an underwriting vehicle and risk transformer, as well as a cyber ILS fund structure, which speaks for itself. The coming launch of this cyber ILS platform underscores Beazley's strategy to continue expanding its work with third-party capital investors in cyber underwriting and cyber risks, and Integral ILS' desire to offer new and complementary strategies to its growing investor base. Richard Lowther, Managing Partner, Integral ILS, told Artemis that, "At Integral, our focus is on developing specialist ILS strategies for our investors. This partnership combines Integral's ILS investment management capabilities with Beazley's extensive cyber underwriting expertise to develop a dedicated cyber ILS strategy." Lixin Zeng PhD, Managing Partner Integral ILS, added, "We believe cyber has the potential to become an important part of the broader ILS market over time, and we are pleased to be working with Adrian and the Beazley team to develop this opportunity." Of course, Beazley is already well-known in the cyber ILS space, as one of the leading underwriters of cyber insurance and reinsurance in the world and having called early on for capital markets participation, as well as being the most active sponsor of cyber catastrophe bonds under its Polestar Re program. Through this new cyber ILS platform, Beazley's cyber risk underwriting expertise will be harnessed to originate opportunities for the investors into a dedicated cyber ILS fund, that is managed by the Integral ILS team. This will be a high-profile launch of what could become the first dedicated cyber ILS fund strategy. Artemis understand there have been some bespoke, small and likely privately mandated cyber ILS investment structures to-date, as well as the cat bond activity and some private ILS arrangements. But nothing has come to market that offers a multi-investor, fund-like investment opportunity in cyber risk at any scale so far. So this partnership could become the first, when the strategy launches. Remember late 2026 had been mentioned as a target by Beazley before, so Artemis may not have long to wait. All of its Artemis Live insurance-linked securities (ILS), catastrophe bonds and reinsurance video content and video interviews can be accessed online. Its Artemis Live podcast can be subscribed to using the typical podcast services providers, including Apple, Google, Spotify and more.

Aurore Lecanon joins Beazley as interim head of enterprise risk. Companies: * Broker facilities are positive but discipline must be maintained, says QBE CEO 14 August 2026 More brokers are expected to create facilities, with some now accounting for nearly 30% of overall placement * Aviva BPA volumes fall 44% as market competition intensifies 14 August 2026 Insurer maintains 18% returns as AI rollout and Direct Line integration gather pace * Talanx confident of beating 2026 net income target 14 August 2026 Shares in German re/insurance group surge 5% following H1 results announcement * Bank of Greece insurance supervisor joins Eiopa's management board 14 August 2026 * QBE CEO says "industry narrative" on softening rates ignores growth opportunities 14 August 2026 The firm reported $75m of Middle East claims but marine demand will offset this as 2026 progresses

Zurich Insurance earnings boosted by global data center demand. Zurich Insurance Group AG reported a 13% gain in profit for the first half of 2026 and said it doesn't expect to have any material exposure to the impact of extreme heat and ongoing wildfires. Group operating profit rose to $4.77 billion, the insurer said on Thursday. Analysts had estimated $4.73 billion. Net income increased 14% to $3.49 billion from the same period a year earlier. "We don't have any material exposure at the moment to the wildfires," Chief Executive Mario Greco said in a Bloomberg TV interview. "We know prevention, we know mitigation of wildfires, this is something that unfortunately we are an expert of," he said. Zurich Insurance's key property and casualty unit rose by 12% on a like-for-like basis from the same period a year earlier, with $2.81 billion in operating profit, in line with analyst estimates, and a 92.7% combined ratio, a key profitability measure for insurers. Operating profit at the Farmers unit came in below estimates at $1.18 billion. The company said it was ahead of all its targets in the current strategic cycle and was raising its guidance for its life unit, which is now expected to grow by at least 10% in 2026. Zurich also said it saw accelerating demand across all businesses and that AI demand continues to boost the need for data center infrastructure not just in the U.S. but also across the globe. Global specialty insurance premiums increased 8% to $5.5 billion in the period. Shares Down Citi analyst James Shuck said he expected fading growth in North American commercial premiums and a weaker underlying combined operating ratio to weigh on the share price today. The firm's shares were down more than 3% in early trading in Zurich. Zurich is in the process of acquiring specialty insurer Beazley Plc. as part of an $11 billion deal that won the approval of the U.K. firm's board in March. The deal is set to create a global leader in specialty insurance with about $15 billion of gross written premiums and leverage Beazley's presence in the Lloyd's of London market. On Wednesday Beazley reported that its profit halved for the first six months of the year due to softening conditions in the specialty insurance market and larger payouts to customers on the back of increasing geopolitical events and cyber risk exposures. Vontobel analyst Matteo Lindauer said, "the retention of Beazley's underwriters is key to a successful and accretive outcome" to the deal. Greco, who has signaled he'll remain in his role until the firm has integrated Beazley, said he hopes to get all the regulatory approvals for it to go through in the coming months. On Thursday, the insurer didn't provide any additional details on an ongoing enforcement proceeding by the Swiss regulator Finma that has resulted in a sales ban on some policies in Zurich's Swiss corporate life and pensions unit. The firm has let go of more than 12 employees as a result, Greco last month told Bloomberg. Greco said he's confident that Finma will recognize the changes the firm has made. Photograph: Zurich Insurance Chief Executive Mario Greco; photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Was this article valuable? Interested in data driven? Get automatic alerts for this topic.