{"id":6601,"date":"2023-01-10T09:29:14","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T09:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icsr.co.uk\/?p=6601"},"modified":"2023-05-05T12:51:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T12:51:27","slug":"edinburgh-reforms-are-they-really-good-news-for-the-insurance-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icsr.co.uk\/edinburgh-reforms-are-they-really-good-news-for-the-insurance-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Edinburgh Reforms – Are They Really Good News For The Insurance Industry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Edinburgh Reforms, launched by the government in December 2022<\/a>, represent an extensive package of regulatory reforms to the UK Financial Services sector, aimed to support the government\u2019s ambitions for the UK to be the \u201cworld\u2019s most innovative and competitive global financial centre.\u201d The Edinburgh Reforms are also being framed as an opportunity to take advantage of \u201cBrexit freedoms\u201d to build a smarter regulatory framework.<\/p>\n

A collection of initiatives, addressing a number of regulations across the full financial services sector, sees several consultations and calls for evidence already launched. Those in the GI insurance sector will be particularly interested in the updates related to the long-discussed \u2018Brexit-benefit\u2019 of the reforms to Solvency II: what this means as regards capital requirements, permitted investable assets, the SMCR regime and, of course the expectations of the market related to its, arguably regulatory-imposed, role as shaping and driving the initiatives to transition the UK\u2019s economy and society to a greener, more sustainable one.<\/p>\n

As ICSR identified in its preliminary article – Solvency II to Solvency UK – Proposed Treasury Reforms<\/a> \u2013 the intended outcomes of the reforms, taken at face value, will be welcomed by GI insurers. Reduced reporting requirements, greater investment flexibility and the potential for more competitive pricing sound attractive, but as ever the devil is in the detail and considering these more closely may lead one to hold a slightly more reserved position on the benefits to be gained at this very early stage.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Risk Margin section” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″]<\/p>\n

Risk Margin \u2013 How Material Is The Benefit?<\/h2>\n

Take the headline-grabbing reduction to the risk margin, a sure win with 30% and 65% reductions being permitted for GI and Life insurers respectively; with the intended benefit being that this would allow industry to invest in a wider array of assets. The government\u2019s decision not to apply the credit risk charge proposed by the PRA, the fundamental spread calculation, also seeks to enable companies to free up billions to be reinvested in sustainable financing.<\/p>\n

This has been welcomed by early respondents to the announcement, but let\u2019s assume an average allocation to the risk margin being around 10% of technical provisions what it means in reality is a freeing \u00a0up of only an extra 3% of capital to be invested by the GI sector.<\/p>\n

The recognised risk that these funds might be returned to shareholders appears, at this time, unfounded from the responses to the government consultation. That said, the released capital might be preferably used to finance some internal operational enhancements by insurers, for example around improved data collection and mining capabilities or it may be used to invest in other growth initiatives. The drive for competitiveness and growth by the reforms are, after all, designed in part to ensure the regulatory framework supports technology and innovation.<\/p>\n

It’s no secret that the insurance sector lags behind its Financial Services counterparts as regards technology and data exploitation and in order to effect transition\/sustainability objectives, data-capture facilities must be improved by insurers. In the short term at least, any released funds from capital held may be funnelled into operational enhancements internally to achieve macro objectives in the medium to long term.<\/p>\n

We also know that the government\u2019s intention is to direct investment into sustainable finance and infrastructure and as the insurance industry ultimately complies with this objective, so asset portfolios will be adjusted. The opportunity to invest in longer term, higher risk assets is something already being seen as insurers\u2019 portfolios are being reviewed to meet the requirements of PRA Supervisory Statement 3\/19 and addressing climate change.<\/p>\n

While the greater flexibility to invest capital is likely to be welcomed by firms, again, it will come with additional operational considerations which, in the short term, will require significant executive discussion and potential changes to reporting and oversight obligations. As an industry, insurers\u2019 asset portfolios are currently broadly conservative, necessarily featuring low risk, easily liquidated assets in accordance with the prudent person principles.<\/p>\n

Modifying portfolios to include more illiquid assets, less available at short notice, has the potential to directly impact liquidity and could compromise an insurer\u2019s ability to meet its liabilities as they fall due. Any, and all, changes must be managed carefully as part of any modification to liquidity strategy and can be expected to be subject to close scrutiny by the regulators.<\/p>\n

Monitoring security and quality of assets, ensuring they are adequately diversified and localised, and are broadly matched to liabilities will be key reportable information internally and likely of interest externally also.<\/p>\n

It should be anticipated that, during a period where the whole insurance market is tackling this adjustment, regulators will require evidence of robust analysis \u2013 possibly through some market-wide stress testing \u2013 to demonstrate the ongoing strength and resilience of both individual firms and the industry as a whole, as changes to portfolios are enacted.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how these released funds might be employed there are operational considerations to be made and could include:<\/p>\n