Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20
European Big Four Reinsurers Keep 2026 Profit Targets as Catastrophe Appetite Holds
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20

European Big Four Reinsurers Keep 2026 Profit Targets as Catastrophe Appetite Holds

1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20

Summary

  • AM Best said Europe’s Big Four reinsurers are still sticking to their 2026 profit targets despite softer pricing and a more uncertain geopolitical backdrop.
  • Property-catastrophe demand remains intact because the group has right-sized portfolios, raised attachment points and shifted away from aggregate covers and working-layer business.
  • First-half 2026 performance stayed strong, helped by a benign catastrophe experience that supported earnings even as reinsurance rates softened.
  • The report comes ahead of the 6 September Rendez-Vous de Septembre in Monte Carlo, where AM Best is rolling out broader global reinsurance market assessments.

Insights

Will the hidden details of new reinsurance treaties protect the Big Four's profits, or spark the next major industry crisis?
As property catastrophe pricing softens drastically, is the industry's newfound underwriting discipline already quietly collapsing behind closed doors?