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The Weekly Actuary

Keep yourself updated with the latest actuarial related news in the world today

$163bn Global Insurance Gap Identified

$163bn Global Insurance Gap Identified

A global insurance protection gap of $163bn (£126bn) threatens the livelihoods of millions of people across the world, with poorer countries some of the most at risk. That is the latest warning from Lloyd’s of London, which found that around $160bn of assets in emerging economies remain underinsured – accounting for 96% of the total global insurance gap. According to the global underinsurance report, despite the general global economic growth in recent years, the insurance ga

Are Women Better Savers than Men

Are Women Better Savers than Men

The gap between what women earn and save compared to men continues to grow according to Office for National Statistics figures released today. Analysis for young people aged 16 to 29 shows the level and growth of median annual earnings were generally lower for women than men whether they were degree or school-educated or had no qualifications. Men in this age group with a university education in London earn, on average £27,081, while women with same background earn about £24,

SMEs Hit by Sixty-Five Thousand Cyber Attacks a Day

SMEs Hit by Sixty-Five Thousand Cyber Attacks a Day

Small businesses in the UK are the target of an estimated 65,000 attempted cyber attacks every day, according to new figures from specialist global insurer Hiscox. The estimates are based on tests undertaken by the insurer which monitor, in real-time, the total number of attempted attacks on three ‘honeypot’ computer systems which are typical of those used by small firms across the country. The total number of attempted attacks ranged from 900 to 359,000 in each 24 period, av

Bitcoin on the Brink of an Implosion

Bitcoin on the Brink of an Implosion

Investors should brace for an imminent collapse in the entire cryptocurrency market following a steep decline in the value of Bitcoin over the last year, a new study from Juniper Research has warned. In a report published on Monday, the firm highlighted how the price of Bitcoin had fallen to just $6,594 (£4,994) – one-third of the peak value recorded back in December last year. Transactions had plummeted from an average of 360,000 each day in late 2017 to just 230,000 last mo

The Secondary Auto Enrolment Market

The Secondary Auto Enrolment Market

The ‘primary market’ for auto enrolment started in 2012 when AE was first introduced and adopted by large businesses. Over the course of the next six years, businesses of all sizes were given staging dates – the date by which they needed to have a workplace pension on offer to their employees. October 2012 marked the start of the government’s flagship auto-enrolment policy, designed to reverse the decline in pension saving. Six years on, almost 10 million employees have been

Ageing Population Drives Growth in Biotech Venture Capital Investment

Ageing Population Drives Growth in Biotech Venture Capital Investment

Pharma and biotech firms have attracted well over $19bn (£14.4bn) in venture capital investment worldwide this year, considerably more than was recorded over the whole of 2017. That is according to a quarterly update from KPMG, which said interest in the healthcare sector was being driven by awareness of the growing needs of an ageing population. UK investment was particularly strong, with the £111m raised by London-based biotech firm Orchard Therapeutics to treat rare immune

MiFID II More Challenging than Brexit

MiFID II More Challenging than Brexit

The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) is considered the second biggest challenge facing financial advisers in the UK, greater than Brexit, cyber security, and macroeconomic risks. That is according to a new study by CoreData Research, which, after surveying nearly 1,000 financial advisers, found that volatile markets are considered the top challenge. The findings also show that more than half of advisers believe MiFID II has been an “unnecessary burden”

Optimism in UK’s Financial Services Sector Plummets

Optimism in UK’s Financial Services Sector Plummets

The UK’s financial services sector reported a sharp decline in optimism over the last three months, with sentiment deteriorating in all but one quarter since the start of 2016. Optimism among asset managers and other financial services firms fell sharply in the third quarter of 2018, amid growing pressure from a subdued economy, Brexit, regulation and rapid advances in technology, according to the latest CBI/PwC Financial Services Survey, which reveals that optimism has now f