Marcel Beyer, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, explains how European insurers initially fled to safer bonds at the onset of COVID-19 market turmoil, then moved decisively into high-yield corporate debt, revealing a liquidity-driven, countercyclical investment strategy.

Elisabeth Sandersfeld, chief financial officer for Merchants Bonding Co., said that disciplined underwriting is the most important part of being an insurance company. “For us, we call it common sense underwriting. That’s our hallmark.”

The offshore annuity channel is driving growth in the US life reinsurance market, according to a new Best's Market Segment Report discussed by Edward Kohlberg, director, and Lou Silvers, senior financial analyst, both of AM Best.

Karen Terry, corporate vice president and director of insurance research, LIMRA, discusses rising U.S. life insurance sales and how digital distribution and shifting consumer demand are creating new growth opportunities.

Taylor Evans, manager, marketing & communications, IAT Insurance Group, discusses how the What’s Brewing podcast evolved into a fast, engaging platform delivering timely insights on trends, including AI.

Carrie Brodzinski, chief underwriting officer at MSIG USA, said as underwriting becomes more data- and AI-enabled, the role of the underwriter becomes more sophisticated.

Attorney Scott Seaman, partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson, discusses his book, “America 250: The History of Insurance and Insurance Coverage Law and Litigation in the United States,” examining insurance's legacy and the risks shaping its future.

Reena Batra, vice president, data science, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, discusses elevated auto insurance shopping, changing consumer behavior and how insurers can leverage data to strengthen retention and identify new growth opportunities.

Ingrid Flores, CEO, Elara Spatial, said AI and computer vision can help insurers resolve property claims faster while giving adjusters more time to focus on the human side of the claims process.

David Nelson, executive vice president, Nationwide E&S Wholesale, said disciplined underwriting, smarter data and technology are key to navigating complexity and capturing opportunity in E&S.

AM Best Senior Associate Editor Terry Dopp discusses steady investment yield growth among U.S. life/health insurers, 2025 ranking shifts and trends across nearly $9.9 trillion in invested assets.

Nick Colletta is vice president of underwriting - human services, Philadelphia Insurance Cos. talks about how religious organizations need confidence that their carrier understands their mission, their operation and the unique ensitivity of the claim.

Technology is reshaping the life and annuity insurance industry, from modernization and artificial intelligence to customer experience and business transformation. Shay Alon, global managing director and head of Accenture Life Insurance and Annuity Platform, discussed how insurers can leverage technology to drive growth and prepare for the future.

Joe Griffin, senior consulting actuary with Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, said that dynamic data is changing the game for territorial ratemaking.

Xceedance has built its business around helping insurers harness technology, data and expertise to improve how they operate and grow. Arun Balakrishnan, chairman and CEO of Xceedance, discussed how the growing use of AI by plaintiff attorneys could reshape liability claims, litigation strategies, claim severity and insurers’ reserving assumptions.

Bryan Salvatore, executive vice president, president, specialty at The Hanover Insurance Group, said agency consolidation requires carriers to think beyond the transaction.

Aman Gour, co-founder and CEO of FurtherAI, said the insurance industry’s AI opportunity goes well beyond automating individual tasks, arguing that AI can fundamentally reshape operating models while keeping human judgment at the center.

Bridget O’Donnell, Oscar Health’s vice president of technology strategy and operations, discusses how technology is not “going to be about adding more chatbots to today’s insurance experience,” but a focus on being proactive about assisting plan members to understand coverage benefits.

Joe Park, executive vice president and chief digital & information officer at State Farm, provides an outlook about how technology will reshape property/casualty insurance and build value, but maintaining trust is a key priority for the insurer. 

Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communications, and Lewis Nibbelin, research writer, both with the Insurance Information Institute, discuss the expanding U.S. wildfire threat and how insurers are adapting underwriting, modeling and resilience.