A Category 5 hurricane making landfall in Miami or Tampa Bay could generate insured losses of USD 300 billion or more which would be larger than any recorded single-event insured loss to date. A repeat of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, a Category 4 storm, could cause around USD 200 billion in insured losses today. Hurricane Andrew following its 1992 track today could generate insured losses close to USD 100 billion, showing how a roughly 20-mile difference in landfall can dramatically change the outcome.
In his role, Geoff will lead TPT’s Trustee Services team, which supports Verity Trustees Limited in overseeing its portfolio of pension schemes. He will also work closely with the new trustee boards supporting TPT’s CDC and Superfund propositions, helping to establish strong relationships and effective ways of working as these solutions develop.
In 2023, the conversation in the motor insurance market was dominated by record premium costs[i], intense shopping activity and fierce competition for customers. By the end of 2025, the picture looked quite different. Premium inflation had eased through much of 2025, shopping and switching had levelled off, and consumers appeared more willing to stay with their existing insurance provider. However, the latest LexisNexis® Insurance Demand Meter U.K. for H2 2025, alongside ABI data showing a record £3.2 billion paid out to support motor insurance claims in Q2 2026[ii].
New data published by HMRC today shows that around 16.8 million Adult ISA accounts were subscribed to in 2024 to 2025, up from 15 million in 2023 to 2024. This upward trend is largely attributable to the significant increase in the number of Stocks and Shares accounts (802,000) subscribed to.
Private market allocations in DC default funds could rise from today’s 2%-4% to 15%-30% by 2035. Emerging opportunity for future default funds to invest across private equity, private credit and infrastructure, rather than relying on a single private asset class. Consolidation likely to see 10 to 15 larger UK DC schemes emerge, helping schemes access investment opportunities already common in markets such as Australia and Canada. Potential for between £40bn and £200bn of DC assets to be invested in UK private markets by 2035
UK inflation accelerates to 3.1%, moving further away from the Bank of England’s 2% target. Motor fuel is the biggest driver of the latest rise, with the energy shock feeding through to household costs. Markets price in multiple UK rate hikes, putting further pressure on borrowers and consumer spending. Oil prices ease after a surprise US inventory build, but disruption to Saudi exports keeps supply fears alive. Houthi attacks bring the conflict closer to the heart of Saudi Arabia, with a drone intercepted near Mecca.
Gerry Lemcke and Marina Oberholzer explore how innovative risk-transfer solutions can strengthen countries’ financial resilience to natural disasters. Lemcke and Oberholzer trace the evolution of Public Sector Solutions back to 2011, when Swiss Re became the first reinsurer to establish a dedicated unit to work with governments on their risk-mitigation and risk-transfer needs. Now, the toolbox to address these needs is expanding: Lemcke and Oberholzer discuss insurance-linked loans, which embed disaster protection into sovereign financing. When a qualifying disaster strikes, an insurer takes over the loan payments, providing real debt relief and freeing up public funds to be used for recovery instead.
Whether it is a defined contribution occupational pension scheme, subject to trustee fiduciary duty, or a workplace personal pension, subject to consumer duty, the challenges facing members, and the support they need to make good decisions are the same. The Pension Commission has highlighted many of the issues facing members both in building an adequate pension pot and in converting that pot into a retirement income.
State Pension expected to rise by 3.9% from April 2027, with earnings growth likely to determine the Triple Lock. A 3.9% increase would take the full new State Pension from £241.30 to around £250.70 a week - approximately £13,036 a year, putting the full new State Pension around £466 above the frozen tax-free £12,570 Personal Allowance. PensionBee says any debate over Triple Lock reform needs to be considered alongside the State Pension age, auto-enrolment adequacy and efforts to tackle the severe gaps in private pension saving faced by those excluded from the system such as the self-employed and low-earners.
Hybrid schemes exemption should be retained as Government expands scope of reforms. The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has urged the Government to retain an exemption for hybrid pension schemes within its proposed Value for Money (VfM) framework, warning that extending the regime to schemes it was not designed for could increase costs and regulatory burdens without delivering meaningful benefits for savers.
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has published a new thought leadership paper, “Pensions in a Digital World: Embedding Inclusion”, urging the pensions industry to ensure that digital transformation works for every saver, not just those who are digitally confident.
Hargreaves Lansdown and Broadstone comments as average earnings growth (including bonuses) was 3.9% for May-July. This is a key figure in the triple lock formula alongside 2.5% and September’s inflation figure (published in October). Current inflation is 2.9% making it likely that wages will be the key figure used. The state pension is the foundation of retirement income but will only cover the essentials.
Oil surges back above $107 a barrel, with threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb raising fresh concerns over global supplies and the inflationary fallout. Bond markets are braced for higher rates, with 10-year gilt yields remaining highly elevated and the US 10-year Treasury yield pushing above the psychologically important 5% level. The UK jobs market is losing momentum, with payrolled employment down 145,000 over the year and vacancies falling to 702,000, their lowest level outside the pandemic since 2014.
If a ransomware event shuts down a critical system, your board will focus on operations, revenue and recovery long before it discusses the technical vulnerability that led to the incident. Which operations and supplier relationships can continue? Which customers will feel the impact and what will this do to revenues? What will it take to recover, should you pay the ransom and how much will the business interruption cost otherwise?
AI models like ChatGPT and Claude give out inaccurate financial advice 57% of the time - errors potentially cost tens of thousands of pounds. One mistake found in the research would have triggered a £17,500 loss. Some models gave incorrect advice 99% of the time in response to more complex personal finance questions. The research saw 10,000 total questions put through the UK’s most-used AI tools. “The FCA should regulate AI to ensure consumers are protected” – Saturn CEO
The Government’s approach to data regulation in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) must take greater account of the specific realities of pension schemes, says ZEDRA.
Only 40% of UK adults know where all their private and workplace pensions are held. Nearly half say their annual pension statement doesn't help them understand whether they're saving enough for retirement. One-in-six (16%) don't know where any of their pensions are held at all. Mylo at Aegon helps locate lost workplace pension pots and bring pensions together to create a clearer view of retirement savings.
The twin impacts of softening markets and AI mean that London Market pricing teams will need to evolve their approach rapidly over the coming years. In this article I look at the current state of the market, highlight examples of good practice and consider key areas where firms need to evolve. Most firms in the London Market have well-established technical pricing processes. However, the role of technical pricing has been somewhat limited in hard markets, where the priority is to maximise underwriting team bandwidth to capture the abundant opportunities to write profitable business.
In response to the FCA’s latest consultation on its Value for Money (VfM) framework, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has confirmed it supports the proposals and its phased implementation, welcoming measures to ease the initial burden on schemes and providers.
The ‘growth focused’ scheme funding improved marginally from 94.1% at the end of July to 94.2% by the end of AugustThe ‘matching focused’ scheme funding fell marginally from 89.9% at the end of July to 89.8% at the end of August. The Broadstone Sirius Index – a monitor of how various pension scheme strategies are performing on their journeys to low dependency – posts its latest update.
The Footsie is set to claw back losses in early trading after a better-than-expected report card on the economy. GDP grew 0.4% in July, beating expectations for a contraction. Over the three months to July, the economy expanded by 0.4%, the eighth consecutive three-month period of growth, but production and construction both contracted 0.5%. Services remain the engine of growth, expanding 0.6% over the three months to July, while AI-related activity is providing an additional lift. Stagflation worries still hover given the energy shock raises the risk of inflation staying higher for longer and potentially forcing the Bank of England to raise rates later this year and next. Brent crude is staying elevated, above $105 a barrel.
With default pension benefit solutions (guided retirement) taking shape, solutions from flex & fix to insured drawdown and Retirement CDC are being considered by the pensions industry i.e. they are looking beyond traditional drawdown solutions to deliver innovation. As a result, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) held a webinar on “Innovation in DC Retirement Solutions”.
Flood risks are not restricted to those places labelled as flood zones. Neil Gunn and Hayley Fowler look at why flooding can occur well beyond mapped flood areas and suggest how risk managers can avoid being taken unaware. This year’s flood events illustrate the accelerating trend of hydrological intensification driven by ongoing global warming. A preliminary global review shows extreme and often record-breaking rainfall on every continent, with many events producing exceptional sub-daily intensities.
The global digital health and wellness firms across Asia are facing slowing growth while at the same time accelerating investment in AI-powered patient care. As organisations integrate AI across their operations, accountability, governance, workforce competency and cyber resilience are emerging as critical challenges. These findings come from Beazley’s latest Digital Health & Wellness 2026 report, based on a survey of 600 executives across Asia, Europe and North America.