Archive

  • Allianz's CIO talks: "I didn't come here to radically change things."

    15 June 2018

    Like Germany's national football team, Allianz is one of the most well-structured and led companies in the world. Come the final shake-up you know it will be there or thereabouts. In a two-part series Allianz's CIO, Carsten Quitter, speaks to Insurance Asset Risk some three years after his predecessor Andres Gruber told of his challenges. By Sarfraz Thind

  • Urban logistics: "the hottest game in town"

    07 December 2017

    The projected growth of e-commerce and urbanisation has seen real estate investors showing increasing interest in urban logistic centres. Paul Walsh explores the nascent asset class as an opportunity for insurers.

  • Rock 'n rolling stock: insurers find an opportunity in railway assets

    11 October 2017

    Having facilitated some £2bn of direct investment in UK rail in less than two years, Rock Rail is helping to ease the industry's infrastructure woes with a steady pipeline of projects insurers can gain direct exposure to. Asa Gibson reports

  • M&A: tipping the scales

    09 August 2017

    With a squeeze on fees and increased competition, the asset management world is realising the need for scale. Insurers have already started on the M&A trail, but there appears to be much more on the way. Sarfraz Thind reports

  • Hot property: ground rents

    15 February 2017

    Ground rents offer insurers a way to diversify their real asset portfolios, with a low risk profile and relatively attractive yields. But market access and Solvency II treatment are significant barriers. Asa Gibson reports.

  • Raising the stakes in fund management

    07 December 2016

    Insurer-affiliated managers are punching above their weight in a competitive market, taking more than one-third of all fund managers' new business in the first three quarters. David Walker examines the evolving relationship between insurer-parents, affiliates and independent managers.