Description: The article details the history and educational requirements of the Swiss Association of Actuaries (SAA). The actuarial profession in Switzerland is well-positioned to meet the challenges of regulation, economic capital and insurance financial reporting.

Description: Catastrophic exposure is on the rise owing to extreme weather and economic development of the past few years. Catastrophic claims peaked in 2017, but continue to pose a challenge to insurance markets. Global reinsurers seem to be well-capitalized despite the increase in CAT claims. But emerging insurance markets show a wide protection gap relative to more advance markets. Can reinsurance play a role in helping to narrow the gap? This article examines a few ideas.

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: As diversity and inclusivity are now more prevalent in the global insurance industry, the gender inequality gap has been narrowed, but there is still much to do in advancing women’s roles in leadership positions—and pay equity—in the global insurance sector. This article features an initiative by the Geneva Association, an insurance research think tank: recognize outstanding women in insurance. The Geneva Association's Women in Insurance Award is shining a light on executive-level women and their contributions to making insurance a force for good.

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: This article by Carlos Arocha explores the protection gap throughout Latin America for coverage against natural catastrophic events. As climate change has increased both the frequency and severity of these events, coverage gaps have weighed on both household and public sector economics. In the article, Carlos highlights different methods for evaluating the size of this protection gap, and discusses a number of different ideas for closing this gap, through private sector initiatives, public sector changes, or private-public partnerships.