As a reinsurer, Hannover Re does not have its own R & D department but it does develop products and solutions for its own benefit and that of its clients as part of day-to-day business operations. By way of example, our move to give capital market players direct access to insurance risks as far back as the mid-1990s through our “K” transactions puts us among the industry pioneers. The intervening years have seen the evolution of a market for so-called insurance-linked securities, which is one of the fastest growing markets in the insurance sector. Another example of Hannover Re’s development activities is the creation of its own internal model for risk management under Solvency II that caters to the requirements of various stakeholders (regulators, rating agencies, capital providers). Not only that, through our active involvement and the provision of financial assistance we support scientific initiatives geared to developing products, solutions or markets that will be crucial success factors going forward in the viability of any reinsurance undertaking.

Reinsurance business is founded on the comprehensive understanding and active management of risks. Our specialists therefore continuously analyse known risks with an eye to changes in their structure and probability of occurrence, while at the same time focusing on the early detection of newly emerging risks and working to provide our clients with appropriate solutions tailored to their needs (cf. here also the Opportunity report).

Above and beyond this, Hannover Re makes systematic efforts to identify new business opportunities in order to achieve sustainable growth and strengthen the profitable development of the company. The goal is to generate new business and thereby support Hannover Re’s profitable growth on a lasting basis. For further details please see the Opportunity report.