Richard Roberts, ACCA, CFA
2 Years at AB|16 Years of Experience
Richard Roberts is a Vice President and Head of EMEA and Asia Insurance Business Development. Working closely with the Insurance Portfolio Management team and AB’s client advisors, he is responsible for partnering with insurers across the EMEA and Asia regions to develop solutions that meet the unique requirements of this industry, be it yield, diversification, solvency efficiency or targeting sustainability objectives. Roberts also supports the development of insurance thought leadership for direct consumption by insurers across a broad variety of topics. Prior to joining AB in 2022, he was a global insurance investment director for abrdn, where he was responsible for supporting the development of insurance investment solutions for clients across the EMEA and Asia regions. Before this, Roberts spent 13 years with Zurich Insurance in a variety of insurance investment roles, culminating in the role head of balance sheet investments for their UK business, where he was responsible for investment strategy across both Life and Property & Casualty general accounts. He is a chartered accountant and a CFA charterholder. Location: London
Published Work
At the halfway point, insurers can bolster allocations, diversify and exploit market themes.
Recent conversations with European insurance CIOs surfaced discussions on several asset-allocation topics—from inflation expectations to liquidity considerations.
Insurers likely face a very different investment regime today than they have in the past, with higher and more volatile interest rates as well as structurally higher inflation.
The tectonic plates are shifting in the commercial real estate market. High interest rates have reset property values while banks are facing stricter regulatory pressure that has impaired their ability to lend. Yet finance needs for commercial property owners remain strong. This presents a unique opportunity for private, nonbank lenders to fill the gap.
In an insurance industry facing multiple challenges, prioritizing next steps isn’t easy. We highlight seven steps well-prepared insurers can take.
In a dramatically reshaped macro and market landscape, insurance investors are in uncharted waters. What are the keys to navigating them?
As we assess the investment landscape for insurers, it’s helpful to revisit the key themes we laid out at the beginning of 2023.
Lower bond-market liquidity and insurance investors’ unique needs raise the stakes for liquidity management in what’s likely to be a volatile environment. The responses should be multifaceted: reviewing liquidity profiles and private-market allocations, tapping supplemental liquidity sources, and ensuring that investment capabilities can find liquidity at the ground level in public markets.
With yield curves inverted, we think that increasing short-duration high-yield exposure can be capital-efficient for insurance investors.
European insurance investors enter 2023 in healthy shape but face a less-than-stellar macro environment and regulatory change. It will take selectivity and flexibility to tap opportunities.
A reshaped market environment has altered the landscape of public and private market opportunities. However, we expect private-market allocations to continue growing as we move forward.
Scenario analysis will be a key tool in assessing exposure to climate change—both insurers and investment managers can play a role in advancing it.