Reports and research

Motivated by the recent introduction of regulatory stress tests in the Solvency II framework, we study the impact of the re-estimation of the tail risk and of loss absorbing capacities on post-stress solvency ratios. Our contribution is threefold. First, we build the first stylised model for re-...

This paper investigates the effect of the conventional and unconventional (e.g. Quantitative Easing) monetary policy intervention on the insurance industry. We first analyse the impact on the stock performances of 166 (re)insurers of the last Quantitative Easing programme launched by the ECB by...

This study proposes the potential methodological approach to be utilized by regulators when setting up a Long-Term Rate (LTR) for the evaluation of insurers’ liabilities beyond the last liquid point observable in the market. Our approach is based on the optimization of two contradictory aspects –...

Under the current low yield environment insurers are changing their business models and looking for new investment and business opportunities. This is also reflected in an increasing interest in mergers and acquisitions to achieve sufficient returns. However, there is no clear answer in the...

This paper investigates the systemic relevance of the insurance industry. We do it by analysing the systemic contribution of the insurance industry vis-á-vis other industries by applying three measures, namely the linear Granger causality test, conditional value at risk and marginal expected...

Profitability is one of the most important determinants of insurers’ performance and healthiness. This article empirically investigates the link between the macroeconomic environment and insurers’ profitability using cross-country European aggregate data. Our empirical results suggest that low...

This article seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate on the objectives of macroprudential policies and the interaction between micro- and macroprudential policy in insurance. We consider two channels through which the insurance sector could influence economic growth and link these considerations...