BRAVE Partners LLP

Alternative Energy: InvestorGate As intermediaries, by definition, BRAVE Partners sit in the middle between businesses seeking finance and investors. There are some deep tensions building in early stage financing. BRAVE Partners reviews the dilemma of the start-up global businesses Insurance: Crafty work The modelling craze swept through the banking world in the late nineties. Insurance, partly driven by Solvency II, is now following suit. With partners who were at the forefront of credit portfolio modelling for banks, BRAVE Partners asks: Do the models look good? Alternative energy finance: Oil in troubled water Oil prices are heading up. Denominated in Sterling, oil is hitting all time highs and with it the price of petrol and diesel at the pump. Some of the increase can be attributed to instability in the Middle East – trade sanctions against Syria and friction with Iran. The incentive and need for Western countries to become energy self sufficient is evident. Pensions: Alter your investment performance The consultancy, Towers Watson, has been tracking the shift of pension fund assets globally from equities into “alternatives”. Through the financial crisis many alternatives proved to be not that alternative. The notion of “alternative, alternatives” was born. Whatever it is called, BRAVE Partners has long advocated well structured insurance risk as a true diversifier for pension portfolios. Royal Wedding Solvency II and other projects that BRAVE Partners is engaged on reminds the firm of the need for long dated matching for life insurer annuity books. The New Order describes the State of the Nation On January 25th, President Obama gave the annual State of the Union address. Energy policy featured highly in this address with Obama mapping out an all-of-the-above energy policy. BRAVE Partners looks to make some sense as to what all-of-the-above is, especially as some if it is definitely below [ground]. Thai my kangaroo down sport The flooding in Thailand is the latest major insurance event from an unexpected source. But will rates harden significantly?

Blown away: gales wreck wind turbines as Scottish storm wreck havoc. (The Telegraph, December 9, 2011) UK insurers given chance to early adopt Solvency II. (Insurance Insider, December 8, 2011) Renewable power trumps fossils for first time as UN talks stall. (Bloomberg, November 25, 2011) Reinsurers face up to $4.5bn Japanese Thai flood bill. (Insurance Insider, November 26, 2011) MS&AD and Tokio Marine forecast combined $3bn loss on Thailand (Insurance Insider, November 18, 2011) Lloyd's pushes for ICA use in 2013. (Insurance Day, November 9, 2011) Admiral takes a second day of stock market pain. (Insurance Insider, November 10, 2011) Anadarko in $4bn Macondo settlement with BP. (Insurance Insider, October 17, 2011) QBE is final Lloyd's Solvency II green light. (Insurance Insider, October 11, 2011) New Zealand oil ship leak 'raises questions'. (BBC, October 9, 2011) Golden age of run-off over, survey finds. (Insurance Insider, October 6, 2011)