Aon Benfield has launched the ‘CRO Guide to Solvency II’ to help chief risk officers (CROs) maintain a competitive position and boost financial strength while meeting regulatory compliance. The report aims to unravel the complexities of Solvency II and provide practical advice for a successful implementation.
The guide provides a high level overview of the current Solvency II landscape and highlights the key areas of best practice. Equally, all insurance company professionals involved in Solvency II can benefit from the insight to help better understand the demands of the CRO and how to optimise the flow of information to the board level.
The publication is structured around the three pillars of Solvency II under the themes of capital management, risk management and data quality. Key pieces of advice in the guide include:
– Reinsurance remains the best mechanism for mitigating the risks and associated capital charges under Solvency II. Since most firms target a Solvency II ratio substantially above 100%, the effect of leverage on required capital makes reinsurance more cost efficient than raising additional equity in today’s market.
– Making the link between optimising return on capital, managing the volatility of results and delivering within risk appetite is a good way to incentivise senior management to use the results of internal models in strategic decision making.
– Operational risk management should be developed for business rather than for regulatory considerations. Accurate and complete risk information, as well as a good capital model and insurance mitigation programme, can really add value.
Marc Beckers, head of Aon Benfield Analytics for EMEA, said: “Regardless of the actual implementation date of Solvency II, the CRO will still be accountable for driving the success of risk management within an insurance company. The CRO’s responsibility reaches across the three pillars and their role is crucial in shaping the business to be successful under the forthcoming new regime.
“Furthermore, the CRO connects and collaborates with the roles across an insurance company – from board to actuary or catastrophe modeller – that are involved in achieving and embedding regulatory compliance. Our guide highlights some of the key challenges firms face, setting out best practice to overcome these hurdles in the most effective way.”
