Discipline, diversification and opportunity in APAC's shifting reinsurance market
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As Asia-Pacific’s reinsurance landscape rapidly evolves, Howden Re’s regional leaders Candy Wong, Jimmy Tsai and John Phillipz joined a roundtable with Intelligent Insurer ahead of the Singapore International Reinsurance Conference to share their perspectives on capacity, pricing, and opportunity across the region.
Candy Wong, Head of Treaty, Hong Kong, said: “Reinsurers are seeking greater balance in their portfolios, broadening beyond traditional non-marine and catastrophe lines into casualty, cyber and crypto. In Hong Kong, appetite has strengthened as reinsurers look to grow market share following several years of strong underwriting results.”
Jimmy Tsai, Managing Director, Taiwan, noted that capacity has increased for property treaties, while reinsurers are showing growing interest in casualty lines as part of broader diversification strategies. “Reinsurance costs and retention levels are top of mind across the industry,” he added. “Across APAC, players anticipate more frequent and severe nat cat losses. Loss trends in new energy sectors such as solar, battery storage and wind farms will also be closely monitored.”
In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), John Phillipz, Head of ANZ, said the focus is on stability and long-term partnership, noting “clients are increasingly exploring capital markets options alongside traditional reinsurance. Integration of capital, analytics and advisory will be critical for a maturing market that values flexibility and access to alternative capacity.”
Across APAC, reinsurers are navigating a more segmented, technical, and partnership-led environment. For Howden Re, collaboration and innovation remain central to that journey.
“The integrated model of Howden Re, combining reinsurance, capital markets and strategic advisory, offers clients an unrivalled service capability,” said John. “The opportunity to be part of this build-out in ANZ and the broader APAC region through a truly client-first and capital-agnostic approach is very exciting.”