David is the editor for Global Reinsurance.
David Benyon is also the founder and editor of The Political Risk Podcast, a geopolitics podcast for decision makers in specialty insurance markets, reinsurance and beyond. He is a freelance journalist who primarily writes about risk and re/insurance markets. His podcast links this experience with passions for history and foreign affairs. David is also a maritime reservist and a War Studies and History graduate of King’s College London.
Fireside chat: Central Asia is drawing greater attention from reinsurers as its markets develop at different speeds and with varying levels of maturity. This session explores the key challenges facing engagement with cedants across the region, from data limitations and regulatory fragmentation to distribution constraints and the need to build long-term trust. It then examines how risk transfer is currently structured, where capacity remains uneven and pricing continues to adjust to shifting loss experience and economic conditions.
Looking ahead, three potential paths are considered, setting out how the market could evolve under favourable conditions, under pressure or along a more gradual trajectory. Together these scenarios offer a practical framework for navigating a region that is still defining its place within the global reinsurance landscape.
War in the Gulf in 2026 is a defining event for political violence. Underwriters face unprecedented claims activity, with individual Iranian missile and drone strikes accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, together representing more insured financial loss in just a few weeks than several years of the Russo-Ukrainian war. This roundtable will explore how perceptions of the threat environment have shifted in the GCC. Panellists will also consider the possible market response, the situation once the current crisis subsides, including whether demand for cover could expand, and whether recent claims experience signals a turning point at forthcoming renewals.
As the reinsurance market across the region continues to evolve, firms are reassessing how they attract, develop and retain talent in an increasingly competitive environment. This roundtable explores the leadership priorities shaping workforce strategy, company culture and capability-building, alongside the skills needed to support long-term market growth.
