Description: Despite the slowdown in the economy, premium growth in emerging markets fared relatively well compared to advanced insurance markets. Yet, there exists an enormous range in premium density and penetration between emerging and advanced markets. The presenters explore the demand side and attempt to lay out possible solutions to narrow the protection gap.

Description: Microinsurance mechanisms provide coverage to low income earners, but a growing middle class is often lacking adequate access to insurance services. The author explores ways in which insurance may be more accessible.

Description: Composition of the new council and news about the International Section. Groupingactuaries living in different parts of the world and practicing in diverse areas of application of actuarial science, the International Section has sustained its relevancein a world that becomes more interconnected. The harmonization of solvency andconsumer privacy laws and regulations, and the establishment of international financial reporting standards, has prompted our Section to deliver content that helps complement the educational offer available from the Society of Actuaries. But actuaries around the world are enthusiastically tapping into predictive analytics, data science, and risk modeling. Accordingly, the SOA offers three certificate programs: • International Financial Reporting for Insurers (IFRI) • Predictive Analytics • Ethical & Responsible Use of Data

Description: Digital is the main reason over half of the companies on the Fortune 500 have disappeared since 2000." (CEO Accenture). We cannot be sure how global technology megatrends will disrupt the life insurance industry, but we can be certain that the future will not look like today. As large quantities of available data are no longer owned by insurance companies and statistical techniques become more accessible to non-statisticians, the pressure to keep up with technological advancement increases. Life actuaries must think critically about and be prepared for the coming changes and position themselves as leaders in an industry lagging behind in new technology adoption.