Articles by Benjamin Robertson and Will Louch

Lloyd’s of London to Pay Some Staff £2,500 Cost-of-Living Bonus

Lloyd’s of London will pay staff earning less than £75,000 ($86,306) an extra £2,500 to help cover rising living costs as UK inflation hits multi-decade highs. John Neal, chief executive officer at the insurance exchange, said he wrote to staff …

Ukraine Urges Marine Insurers to Withdraw Coverage for Russian Shipping Companies

The Ukrainian government has asked international marine insurers to stop all dealings with shipping companies carrying Russian fossil fuels in a bid to intensify pressure on Vladimir Putin’s regime. Oleg Ustenko, Chief Economic Advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urged …

Bain Capital Makes Final Pitch for UK Mutual Insurer LV=

Bain Capital has made a final pitch to members of British insurer LV= to back its takeover bid, after a lengthy sale process that’s drawn a dozen offers as well as political heat about preserving mutual firms. The deal will …

Aviva to Return at Least $5.6 Billion to Investors Following Non-Core Asset Sales

Aviva Plc plans to return at least 4 billion pounds ($5.6 billion) to investors using proceeds from the recent sale of non-core businesses. The UK-based insurer and asset manager will start with an immediate 750 million pound share buyback, and …

London Is Struggling to Lure Back Workers, Says CEO of Legal & General

The head of one of the UK’s largest insurers and investors warned that the City of London is struggling far more than the country’s other office districts in luring workers back to their desks. Since lockdown restrictions were eased, other …

Update: Allianz to Purchase Aviva Poland for $2.9 Billion, Winning Bidding War

Allianz SE, Europe’s largest insurer, is to purchase the Polish operations of Aviva Plc for 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion). The deal values London-based Aviva’s Polish business at 2.7 billion euros, according to a statement from Aviva Friday. It’s subject …

Insurer Aviva Seeks New London Headquarters to Cut Post-Pandemic Office Footprint

Aviva Plc is searching for a new City of London headquarters as the UK insurer prepares to slash its office footprint. The firm started looking for new offices in the financial district early last year, but shelved its plans once …

Aviva Sells Italian Businesses to Allianz and CNP in 2 Deals Totaling $1.1 Billion

Aviva Plc has exited its Italian businesses in a pair of deals totaling 873 million euros ($1.1 billion) as the UK insurer continues to pivot to its core markets. CNP Assurances and Allianz SE bought the London-based firm’s Italian life …

UK’s Aviva to Sell French Business for $3.9 Billion, Continuing Core-Market Strategy

Aviva Plc agreed to sell its French business for 3.2 billion euros ($3.9 billion), the largest deal so far in Chief Executive Officer Amanda Blanc’s push to streamline the UK insurer. The unit was sold to French mutual insurer Aema …

How to Address the Next Uninsurable Pandemic — A Black Swan Event

There aren’t many contexts where $2 trillion seems like a paltry sum. Then a pandemic comes along. The economic fallout from COVID-19 has left insurers issuing existential warnings and businesses discovering they weren’t covered. It’s resulted in courts packed with …