Willis Re has launched a global life reinsurance practice in response to growing demand for risk transfer, capital management and balance sheet optimisation solutions, the reinsurance broker announced on Wednesday.
The practice will provide independent life reinsurance advisory and broking services to life insurers, reinsurers, and pension and annuity providers worldwide.
It will be led by Christian Howells, head of life reinsurance, who recently joined Willis Re, having previously held roles at Macquarie Asset Management and Schroders.
Services span traditional and structured reinsurance, funded and capital-motivated reinsurance, portfolio structuring, in-force risk management, advanced analytics, pricing support and strategic risk transfer advice.
Howells noted that life insurers are operating in a changing market, defined by capital pressures, regulatory change, longevity risk and accelerating product innovation. “The new life practice is designed to support clients beyond the transaction itself, bringing together market insight, analytical rigour and strategic advice to help clients capitalise on market opportunities and strengthen their overall business performance,” he added.
The practice will see WTW’s insurance consulting and technology business collaborate to provide the offering, and Duncan Briggs, senior managing director in WTW’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business, pointed to this as a key differentiator.
“By combining WTW’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business’s advanced modelling, data-driven insights and transaction experience with Willis Re’s broking platform, we are creating a proposition that is genuinely unrivalled, enabling clients to take more informed decisions, optimise capital and unlock value across increasingly complex portfolios,” he said.
Regulatory change across Asia continues to reshape demand for life reinsurance solutions. In Japan, the FSA has finalised tighter rules on asset-intensive reinsurance, requiring insurers to demonstrate the economic substance and actual risk transfer of such deals, with the market having recently entered into its new J-ICS capital regime.
In Indonesia, insurers across both life and non-life are working toward the OJK’s end-2026 minimum equity requirement, with a tougher capital threshold due in 2028 expected to pose a bigger test and drive further consolidation.
