Show Notes
Jerad and Ben unpack the 1/1 renewals after a storm-free cat year: record capacity, double-digit decreases and why this is softening, not a soft market. They dive into US casualty pain, AI-fuelled data centre risk, geopolitics, war covers, ILS flows and why 2026 could be M&A galore.
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OUTLINE & TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro01:46 Record Capacity, Fierce Competition & a Benign Cat Year04:17 Softening vs Soft Market & Ratings Agency Outlooks08:52 US Casualty Woes, Social Inflation & Nuclear Verdicts11:39 Fragile vs Robust Economy, AI Boom & Bubble Risk14:25 Casualty Pricing, Credit Markets & ILS Capital Flows16:43 Data Centres: AI Infrastructure as a New Specialty Line22:17 Geopolitics, War Risk & Aviation / Energy Exposures26:46 What the 1.1 Renewal Tells Us About the Next Phase29:00 Reinsurer Growth, ROE Pressure & M&A (Zurich / Beazley)33:18 Reinsurance Broker M&A & the Battle for Scale37:17 2026 Watchlist: Storm Season Scenarios, M&A & Wrap-Up
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