Mercer's Top Considerations spotlights insurers' challenges, questions assumptions and maps how investors can adapt to sector shifts and emerging technologies.
As insurers enter a post-consensus era, long-held assumptions are being tested by structural change, market volatility and rapid technological advancement. The 2026 outlook presents both new risks and powerful opportunity sets for those prepared to adapt.
In the near term, insurers face an environment shaped by elevated volatility and uneven economic signals. While US policy shifts in 2025 avoided major disruption, they introduced persistent uncertainty across trade, supply chains and input costs. For insurers, the challenge, and opportunity, lies in navigating this higher-volatility environment while sustaining resilient investment outcomes.
This paper explores five critical areas, including the macroeconomic backdrop of inflation, labor markets and interest rates, and how insurers can generate stable income amid market turbulence. It also examines the rise of AI-enabled institutional investing and the broader evolution of insurance portfolios, as new technologies, partnerships and access to private markets reshape the landscape.
From the expanding role of private credit to a more holistic approach to capital management, Mercer assesses how insurers can unlock capital potential, enhance efficiency and manage risk with confidence.
Read the full report to understand what's next and how to stay ahead.