Our business

The range of measures extends from protecting individuals from the consequences of illness and accidents and the effects of natural disasters on harvests and property to supporting the global energy transition.

As a reinsurance company, we actively support these developments at various levels:

As a risk carrier we can support companies in developing technological advances and new business models through selected reinsurance solutions.

As an investor we provide capital to selected companies and technologies while taking defined ESG criteria into account as part of our investment process.

As a solution provider we develop innovative insurance products with the aim of enhancing protection against the economic impacts of certain climate- and nature-related hazards in emerging and developing markets.

As centre of expertise for dealing with risks, we can support social and political discussions on combating the causes and consequences of climate change.

Through our reinsurance solutions, we support our clients in managing the financial impacts of extreme weather events and strengthening their resilience. We are decarbonising our reinsurance portfolio and continuously reducing our exposure to fossil fuels. Our goal is to cease underwriting risks related to the mining and power generation of thermal coal across our entire property and casualty reinsurance business by 2038.

At the same time, we support our partners in managing selected risks associated with the energy transition, including those in the renewable energy sector. In many emerging and developing markets, significant insurance protection gaps remain. Through tailored reinsurance solutions, we seek to help close protection gaps in selected markets and support economic development by enhancing resilience against specific risks.

In life and health reinsurance, we support our clients with our global expertise in the development and launch of innovative insurance solutions. Based on careful risk assessment and evaluation as well as sound data analysis, our offering ranges from traditional solutions, e.g. to cover critical illness or incapacity for work and the need for long-term care, to complex, customised solutions to protect against financial challenges and support the achievement of strategic requirements.

As in property and casualty insurance, penetration of emerging markets is often still insufficient in the area of life and health insurance. This is frequently due to products being too expensive, too complex and not tailored to demand, as well as a lack of access to end consumers due to a lack of infrastructure. To remedy this situation, we are working with partner companies such as InsurTechs and HealthTechs. This means that target group-specific insurance solutions can be offered for these groups of people who are not (yet) sufficiently insured.

In addition to closing the protection gap in emerging markets, we are also working to improve insurance cover in developed countries. The focus here is increasingly on prevention and early detection in order to improve both financial and health protection.

We are committed to acting responsibly as an investor and integrating relevant ESG criteria into our investment decisions.

As part of our investment policy, we endeavour to achieve stable returns in line with the market in order to be able to meet our underwriting obligations and liquidity requirements at all times while maintaining a balanced risk/return ratio and broad diversification. At the same time, we also consider our sustainability approach, which takes environmental, social and governance aspects (ESG criteria) into account, to be very important. We do not invest in companies that violate our ethical expectations and environmental and social standards.

Our "Responsible Investment Standard" defines the framework and criteria for the consideration of ESG aspects within our investment portfolio. Issuers meeting defined exclusion criteria are excluded from the portfolio through established processes. In addition, we selectively expand our investment portfolio to include investments that meet specific ESG criteria and can support transformation processes.

Compared to companies in the manufacturing industry, the environmental impact of Hannover Re's business activities as a service provider in the financial sector is comparatively low. Nevertheless, we take our responsibility for the environment very seriously and endeavour to keep the negative ecological impact of our own business activities as low as possible.