Regulation

European insurers are facing a perfect storm of new and more exacting regulatory demands.

Solvency II, the planned reform of prudential standards for European insurers, is likely to require a major overhaul of risk and capital management, along with supporting information, documentation and modelling systems.

The EU Reinsurance Directive seeks to provide a common system of regulation and mutual recognition across Europe. This includes a new definition of finite reinsurance that may preclude many existing contracts. The other key provision is an easing of the regulatory restrictions on securitisation, which could pave the way for a considerable increase in risk transfer to the capital markets.

Sarbanes-Oxley requires compliant firms to tighten up and validate the effectiveness of their internal control frameworks. Insurers are also facing a raft of local regulatory changes, including tougher provisions on customer protection and Anti-money laundering.

The key challenge is how to integrate these regulatory demands into ‘business as usual’ and use the investment as a basis for improving governance, decision-making and strategic assurance. Enterprise-wide risk management can help to provide a reliable and cost-effective platform for compliance across different jurisdictions and specific compliance requirements. More sophisticated risk-based capital management can not only help to underpin compliance with new prudential regulation, but also provide a better understanding of the trade off between risk and reward, leading to smarter capital allocation and more sustainable value creation.

How PwC can help you


PwC has a global network of specialists who can help companies to develop an effective and cost-efficient approach to compliance. With assistance from PwC, you can turn compliance into an opportunity to improve management processes and strengthen confidence in the business. Of further interest Anti-Money laundering: A global financial services issue Protecting the Brand: The evolving role of compliance functions and the challenges of the next decade New accounting, reporting and regulatory developments for insurance companiesSurer footing: Turning governance into competitive advantage Related challenges Governance and risk management Merger and acquisitionHuman capital GrowthMarket reporting.

Insurance challenges


PwC has a global network of specialists who can help insurers to strengthen their businesses in key areas: