Description: Announcement of the winner of the International Section’s annual country feature article competition, highlights of articles in the issue, and reminder about upcoming professional development opportunities.

Description: To remain relevant, life insurers need to understand changing consumer behavior and the shifting sands of buying triggers. The presenters will look at consumer studies, both U.S. and global, that reveal changing behaviors that influence the decision to buy or not buy life insurance. They will look at four demographic and economic categories including Millennials, Generation X, Boomers and the Silent Generation and how these generational groups do or don't differ in their feelings and behaviors around life and health. The presenters will address new growth opportunities for companies that align their value proposition to these changing attitudes. They will explore opportunities around health and wellness to increase policy holder engagement and share insight into generational attitudes around wearables and the sharing of personal data.

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: 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.

Description: International case study discussing life insurance in Ghana.

Description: The SOA president discusses the goals of the SOA’s international strategy and describes her recent trip to Hong Kong and China to support these goals.

Description: This article presents recent perspectives on the understanding and measurement of pandemic risk.

Description: The Bermuda International Life and Annuity Conference highlights Bermuda’s enhanced capital and solvency framework, and growing long-term (re)insurance sector.

Description: The importance of financial wellness has been increasingly recognized in the last few years. More organizations are sponsoring programs to assist people in different stages of their life

Description: Highlights of the 1997 International Underwriting Congress with an in depth discussion of 1 critical illness policies and 2 Use of population data where little insurance data exists.