EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco (pictured above) will deliver the keynote address at the Bermuda Risk Summit 2026, returning for a second consecutive year to an event that convenes senior executives from across the global re/insurance industry.
The summit, scheduled for March 9–11 at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, comes at a pivotal moment for reinsurers navigating softening pricing and record capital levels after years of hardening conditions.
Daco's keynote, titled "Great Rebalance: The Next Phase of Global Growth," will examine shifts in monetary and fiscal policy, demographic changes, labor-market conditions and the role of artificial intelligence in driving productivity. His 2025 session, "Navigating Crosscurrents," had focused on policy uncertainty and uneven global growth.
"In 2026, the focus shifts from diagnosis to adaptation, as supply shocks increasingly drive economic outcomes and uncertainty becomes a constant," Daco said.
He added that business leaders and policymakers will need to adjust strategies in response to changing financial conditions, technology-driven productivity and what he described as a more fragmented global demand environment.
The summit arrives against a backdrop of changing fortunes for the reinsurance sector. AM Best recently revised its outlook for global reinsurance to stable from positive, citing accelerating reductions in property reinsurance pricing.
Record capital levels have tilted pricing power back toward buyers after several years in which reinsurers held the upper hand.
The rating agency noted that 2025 marked the sixth consecutive year in which global insured catastrophe losses exceeded US$100 billion. Reinsurance capacity entering 2026 is projected to reach record levels, with approximately US$540 billion in traditional capital and US$120 billion in insurance-linked securities capital.
Those dynamics are expected to feature prominently in summit discussions, with sessions planned on reinsurance performance, alternative capital, catastrophe resilience and wildfire and heat risk. AI and private credit will also be on the agenda, alongside CEO-level discussions and networking events across the three-day program.
EY returns for a fifth consecutive year as headline sponsor. Craig Redcliffe, EY Bermuda partner and regional insurance leader, said Daco's participation aligns with the firm's aim of providing forward-looking economic analysis.
He noted that Bermuda serves as a location where global leaders can evaluate risks and opportunities across the industry.
Kendaree Burgess, managing director of the Bermuda Business Development Agency, said the summit's programming is designed to address concerns of senior executives.
"Gregory Daco brings clarity at a moment when businesses need it most," she said, adding that his 2025 session set a benchmark for this year's agenda.
