AGENDA

A keynote and panel discussion exploring the Dubai International Financial Centre’s evolving role in global reinsurance, and an update on plans for 2026. The DIFC & members will assess regulatory developments, market expansion, and DIFC’s ambitions as a hub for innovation, MGAs, attracting new capacity, and capital flows across the MEASA region.

This session addresses the reinsurance response to a changing climate, covering catastrophe modelling, as well as promoting risk mitigation efforts and resilience financing. Panellists will discuss data and innovation, new product development, modelling approaches, and strategies for managing the natural catastrophe protection gap amid more frequent extreme weather events.

This session will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the reinsurance value chain from initial focus on claims automation, to greater onus on underwriting analytics, AI’s role in assisting better underwriting decisions and scalability, to the future of generative AI applications. The session will also consider how technology is changing workforce dynamics, hiring and skillsets across the industry.

A deep dive into the Gulf region’s expanding reinsurance ecosystem. Speakers will highlight the latest market developments in Dubai, Riyadh and other centres, including the evolving role of brokers, underwriting the region’s economic growth plans, and regulatory shifts to drive sustainable growth.

This session explores the rapid rise of managing general agents (MGA) in Dubai and across the region. MGA experts will discuss what’s fuelling this growth, what are the qualities attracting capacity to MGAs, whether growth can be sustained, how it’s reshaping distribution channels, and where updating regulatory frameworks and evolving market appetites are headed.

A candid discussion with senior brokers and underwriters who have recently established or scaled their operations in the region for crisis management amid a volatile malicious risk environment. Topics include the evolving risk landscape, SRCC risks and grey-zone trends. Underwriting decision-making and exposure management and challenges amid a competitive market and a volatile threat landscape will make for a lively session.