{"id":525,"date":"2026-08-12T11:55:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/climate-and-finance\/?p=525"},"modified":"2026-08-13T17:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T16:09:39","slug":"2026-climate-and-finance-conference-insurance-for-climate-risk-indemnity-parametric-and-hybrid-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/climate-and-finance\/2026-climate-and-finance-conference-insurance-for-climate-risk-indemnity-parametric-and-hybrid-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Climate and Finance Conference – Insurance for Climate Risk: Indemnity, Parametric and Hybrid Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conference overview<\/h2>\n

Organised in collaboration with the Met Office, the conference will examine how climate change is reshaping the boundary of insurability. Changing hazard patterns, growing concentrations of exposure, and rising repair and reinsurance costs are placing pressure on households, businesses, public authorities, insurers and reinsurers. Traditional indemnity insurance remains central, but parametric and hybrid structures may provide faster and more predictable liquidity, complement existing cover, and help address protection gaps.<\/p>\n

Parametric insurance can reduce claims-adjustment time and costs, but can also create basis risk and raise questions about data quality, model uncertainty, pricing, consumer protection and fairness. The conference aims to foster dialogue across disciplines, promote cutting-edge research, and surface actionable insights for navigating the fast-evolving insurance landscape in a warming world. Presenters are asked to explain the relevance of their work to a broad, interdisciplinary audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keynote speaker: Professor Enrico Biffis<\/h2>\n

Enrico Biffis is Professor of Actuarial Finance at Imperial Business School and Academic Director of its Centre for Climate Finance and Investment. His research spans insurance and risk management, climate and nature-risk analytics, and data-driven parametric insurance. He has collaborated extensively with financial institutions, regulators and international organisations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panel 1. Indemnity, Parametric or Hybrid? Designing Climate Insurance for the UK and Europe<\/h2>\n

Climate change is testing insurance markets across the UK and Europe as changing hazard patterns and rising losses place pressure on premiums, coverage and capacity. Focusing on households, businesses, agriculture and public infrastructure, this panel will compare indemnity, parametric and hybrid approaches. It will ask which structures offer the best balance of breadth and accuracy of coverage, affordability, basis risk, speed and certainty of payment, claims costs, consumer protection and capital efficiency. The discussion will consider where parametric cover can complement\u2014rather than replace\u2014traditional indemnity insurance, drawing selectively on transferable international experience.<\/p>\n

Panel 2. Keeping Flood and Wildfire Risk Insurable in the UK and Europe: Adaptation, Affordability and Public\u2013Private Solutions<\/h2>\n

Climate change is contributing to rising flood and wildfire risk across the UK and Europe, while growing exposure and higher repair and reinsurance costs are placing pressure on insurance availability and affordability. This panel will examine how insurers, governments, businesses and households can prevent cover for exposed properties from becoming unaffordable or unavailable. It will consider risk-reduction investment, resilient rebuilding, catastrophe modelling, risk-based pricing, parametric and hybrid products, and public\u2013private risk-sharing arrangements. The discussion will assess Flood Re\u2019s achievements and limitations\u2014including eligibility gaps, resilience incentives and the transition beyond 2039\u2014alongside other national European arrangements and emerging EU-level proposals.<\/p>\n

Key themes and topics of interest<\/h2>\n

The conference will include academic and industry research presentations addressing a selection of the following topics.<\/p>\n

1. Insurance contract design: indemnity, parametric and hybrid solutions<\/h3>\n