Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Vienna Insurance Stays Out of Russia as Acquisition Targets Rare
Jun 2 2014 // Vienna Insurance Group AG (VIG), Eastern Europe’s biggest insurer, said it won’t expand into Russia even as the number of acquisition targets in other parts of the region shrink. VIG, which is based in the...
ING’s $2.7 Billion IPO to Test Buyer Appetite as Prices Fall
May 29 2014 // ING Groep NV will try to execute Europe’s biggest initial public offering this year even as investor demand declines and competing share sales increase. The largest Dutch financial-services company is seeking to...
XL’s Rosengarten on How Mega Trends Exacerbate Risks; It’s a Scary World
May 27 2014 // Jacob Rosengarten, Chief Enterprise Risk Officer for XL Group, in a keynote speech at the European Insurance Forum in Dublin, examined how greater connectivity and technology are intensifying global risks and contributing...
Lloyd’s U.S. Chief on Board with Climate Change
May 22 2014 // Despite risking offense to non-believers, Hank Watkins didn’t hesitate when he was asked if climate change was upon us. Watkins, president of Lloyd’s America, talked about an extensive report Lloyd’s of...
Brokerslink Splits EMEA Region to Boost African, Middle East Expansion
May 22 2014 // Independent insurance network Brokerslink announced that it has reorganized its previous Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) trading area by splitting it into two separate regions: Europe and Middle East & Africa...
Record Flooding Impacts Southeast Europe: AIR Analysis
May 20 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Southeast Europe is experiencing record levels of flooding after three months’ worth of rain fell in just three days. The report cited the “many...
‘Mega Trends’; Optimism at the EIF 2014 Conference; DIMA CEO Interview
May 19 2014 // Ireland has been through some difficult economic times, but this year’s European Insurance Forum, held at the Four Seasons Hotel on May 15 and 16, highlighted the progress that’s been made, and the bright...
Europe Moves Ahead with Self-Driving Cars in Reponse to Google
May 19 2014 // Cars could be driving themselves down the world’s streets far sooner than expected, thanks to a change in a global treaty backed by European countries. A little-noticed amendment to the United Nations Convention on...
Generali Begins Talks on BSI Sale; Q1 Profit Up 9.4%
May 15 2014 // Italian insurer Generali expects to meet key capital and asset sales targets ahead of time after kicking off talks with Brazil’s BTG Pactual for a possible sale of Swiss unit BSI, a central plank of its...
EU Court Backs ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ in Ruling Against Google
May 13 2014 // Google Inc. may be ordered to remove personal information from its search engine after the European Union’s top court paved the way for citizens to have a “right to be forgotten.” “Links and...
CME, SIX to Provide Collateral Management Services to Swiss Insurers
May 12 2014 // CME Group Inc.’s European clearinghouse and SIX Group’s central-securities depository have agreed to offer an integrated collateral-management service to insurance companies operating in Switzerland. Once the...
RSA Insurance Reports 15% Drop in Q1 Premiums amid Asset Sales
May 8 2014 // The RSA Insurance Group Plc reported a 15 percent decline in revenue for the first quarter after the U.K.’s biggest non-life insurer by market value sold assets to bolster its balance sheet. Net written premiums, a...
Müller to Head New Allied World Europe Onshore Construction Unit
May 2 2014 // Allied World Europe has launched an Onshore Construction insurance line of business and appointed Alf Müller as senior vice president to lead the team. He will be responsible for building the line of business and...
RRJ, Temasek to Invest $1.8 Billion in ING Insurance Unit
May 1 2014 // RRJ Capital Ltd., run by Charles Ong, and his former employer Temasek Holdings Pte, have agreed to invest €1.28 billion ($1.8 billion) in ING Groep NV’s NN insurance business before the unit’s initial public...
U.S. Chamber, BUSINESSEUROPE Urge TTIP Agreement Adoption
May 1 2014 // U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue recently met with BUSINESSEUROPE President Emma Marcegaglia and Director General Markus Beyrer, as well as leaders of business federations and companies from...
EU Exit Could ‘Wreck’ London as Financial Capital, Says City Lobby Group
Apr 29 2014 // If the UK exits the European Union, it could wreck London’s position as the only financial center to rival New York and isolate the country’s economy, research ordered by a lobby group for banks and money...
Report: Former EU Banker Urges Reactivate Securitization to Enhance Credit
Apr 22 2014 // Jacques de Larosiere says he is an isolated and modest man. Yet the 84-year-old former head of the International Monetary Fund is one of the most influential voices in European and global finance. An eminence grise as...
Poland’s PZU to Pay $498 Million for RSA’s Eastern European Units
Apr 17 2014 // PZU SA, central Europe’s largest insurer by market value, agreed to buy RSA Insurance Group Plc’s four units in the biggest foreign acquisition by a Polish financial company. PZU will pay a combined €360...
Ratings Recap: Samsung Europe, Transmonde, MAPFRE PRAICO, Ocaso
Apr 15 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a” of UK-based Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Company of Europe, Limited (SFME), both...
European Insurers Shifting Investments Into Loan Market, Acting Like Banks: Moody’s
Apr 9 2014 // European insurers such as Allianz SE and Axa SA are shifting investments into the loan market, taking business from banks that are being forced to increase capital and meet tougher regulations, Moody’s Investors...
