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Summary
As Europe’s insurance industry enters 2026, insurers and reinsurers are operating in a markedly different environment than just a year ago. The post-inflation reset, easing monetary policy, evolving regulatory expectations, and rising climate and geopolitical risks are redefining how insurers think about capital, growth, and resilience. Moreover, the reinsurance market is further softening in view to ample capacity and strong results with improving pricing power for reinsurance buyers.
At the same time, structural forces- ranging from AI-led automation and data-driven underwriting to consolidation pressures and alternative capital are accelerating strategic transformation across life, P&C, and reinsurance markets.
Join experts from Insurance Advisory Partners, S&P Global Ratings and S&P Global Market Intelligence as they explore the key themes set to shape the European insurance and reinsurance landscape in 2026, and what senior leaders should be watching as the next phase of the cycle unfolds.
Key discussion topics include:
- Macro and market outlook for 2026
- Credit quality and ratings outlook
- Investment and asset allocation strategies in a lower-yield environment
- Reinsurance renewals, climate risk, and NatCat exposure
- M&A, consolidation, and portfolio reshaping
- Technology, AI, and digital transformation
Speakers
S&P Global Ratings
Johannes Bender
Director & Lead Analyst, Insurance Ratings
Johannes Bender is a director in S&P Global Ratings, based in Frankfurt. He is lead analyst for insurance markets in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, global reinsurance and Central & Eastern Europe. He joined S&P Global Ratings in November 2004. Previously, Bender worked for three years at German public-law insurer SV SparkassenVersicherung, mainly in asset management controlling. He holds a Master of Business Administration in insurance management from University of Applied Sciences Coburg and a diploma in Business Administration from University of Cooperative Education Mannheim and a Bachelor of Arts from Open University in London.
S&P Global Ratings
Volker Kudszus
Managing Director & Sector Lead, Insurance Ratings
Volker Kudszus is a managing director with S&P Global Ratings, based in Frankfurt. Kudszus leads the insurance ratings sector in EMEA and chairs the Analytical Oversight and Consistency Council for EMEA Insurance. He also co-chairs S&P Global Ratings' IFRS 17 working group. Kudszus specializes in hybrid bond issues for European insurers and co-chairs S&P Global Ratings' global hybrid council. Before joining S&P in 2012, Kudszus spent five years overseeing global insurance at Deka Investment's equity asset management. Prior to that, he spent eight years in Insurance Equity Research and Insurance Asset Management with WestLB group in Düsseldorf. Kudszus holds a diploma in mathematics and physics from the University of Münster.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Ben Dyson
Senior Insurance Reporter, EMEA
Ben Dyson is an insurance reporter covering the EMEA region at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
He has been a financial journalist for 23 years and has covered insurance and reinsurance for 20 of those years. Before joining S&P Global Market Intelligence in November 2017 Ben was finance editor at Insurance Times, a publication focusing on the U.K. general insurance market. He started his journalism career at Reactions, a magazine covering the global reinsurance market.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Prithvi Jadeja
Business Development Analyst
Prithvi Jadeja is a Business Development Analyst specializing in Insurance products and solutions at S&P Global Market Intelligence. With over a decade of experience since joining S&P in 2013, Prithvi has excelled in Client Services, Customer Success, and Business Development, focusing on empowering clients to effectively utilize S&P's insurance and banking products and services. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an MBA from Panjab University.
Insurance Advisory Partners
Bhaven Pathank
Partner/Head of UK & Europe
Bhaven joined Insurance Advisory Partners (“IAP”) in May 2022 and is responsible for leading and developing the merger, acquisition, disposal and capital raising advisory business in UK and Europe.
He brings more than 20 years of insurance, fintech and investment banking experience to IAP including roles at HSBC, RSA, Hiscox and Canopius. He has completed several deals in the public and private markets across all the verticals of the global insurance industry. As Head of M&A at Canopius Group, Bhaven successfully led a series of transactions including its sale to Sompo Japan from private equity ownership and the subsequent award-winning Management Buy Out. He has also assisted fast-growing fintech businesses with strategic development and capital raising as both CFO and COO.
In the 2021 New Year’s Honours, Bhaven was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to Business and to the Community.
Bhaven holds an Executive MBA (Hult Ashridge), Post Graduate Diploma and Bachelors in Mathematics and Economics.
Questions?
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