In a world marked by fragmentation, uncertainty, and accelerating change, the (re)insurance industry faces growing expectations to deliver new capacity, smarter capital solutions, and innovative ways to transfer risk. This was the key message emerging from the Baden-Baden Reinsurance Symposium 2025, organized by Guy Carpenter, the global risk and reinsurance specialist and part of Marsh McLennan.

Themed “(Re)insurance Strategies and Opportunities in a Fragmenting World,” the symposium brought together senior leaders from Hannover Re, Zurich Insurance, Descartes Underwriting, Guy Carpenter, and Marsh to explore how the sector can adapt to an increasingly complex global risk landscape.

“While the universe of risks is expanding, the world is fragmenting,” said Laurent Rousseau, CEO, EMEA and Global Capital Solutions at Guy Carpenter. “This is a moment for our industry to step up — to create more capacity, develop better solutions, and push traditional boundaries. Innovative capital solutions are at the core of Guy Carpenter’s ambition for its clients and the broader reinsurance industry.”

Clemens Jungsthöfel, CEO of Hannover Re, underlined the sector’s stabilizing role: “Reinsurance transforms challenges into opportunities. Beyond financial protection, it fosters innovation, spreads risk, and ensures stability through diversification, expertise, and long-term partnerships.”

From Marsh, Amy Barnes, Global Head of Energy & Power, highlighted insurance as a catalyst for resilience and progress: “Amid supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and the energy transition, insurance empowers clients to manage uncertainty with confidence and drive sustainable growth.”

Penny Seach, Group Chief Underwriting Officer at Zurich Insurance, called for a mindset shift: “Rising geoeconomic fracturing makes global risks more severe and unpredictable. Our role is not to avoid risk, but to understand and navigate it — through dialogue, engagement, and new approaches.”

Innovation and technology were also central to the discussions. Tanguy Touffut, Co-founder and CEO of Descartes Underwriting, emphasized that the industry’s relevance grows in times of crisis. “The current ‘polycrisis’ presents fertile ground for innovation. Data and AI are enabling new products, such as parametric reinsurance, to reduce protection gaps and strengthen the resilience of our industry.”

As the global risk environment becomes increasingly complex, the message from Baden-Baden was clear: the (re)insurance sector must go beyond traditional models — embracing innovation, collaboration, and courage — to remain a stabilizing force in a fragmenting world.