Howden has launched Howden Re Japan and announced an insurance-linked securities (ILS) partnership with Keystone ILS Capital. Howden Re Japan will provide reinsurance brokerage services to life and non-life companies in addition to strategic advice leveraging data, analytics and capital markets expertise for the Japanese market. The firm also appoints Kentaro Tada as CEO at Howden Re Japan, who will oversee the strategic growth of Howden’s operations across the country. Tada has held a number of senior roles in the (re)insurance industry, including president and CEO at Rakuten General Insurance Company, president at Guy Carpenter Japan, and president and CEO at SBI SSI Holdings. In addition, Howden has invested in Keystone, a Japanese ILS structuring and capital markets advisory firm, to expand its services in the ILS sector. Tada remarks: "As a company, Howden is dedicated to improving disaster resilience and corporate sustainability, and Japan, as a country that faces significant risks from large-scale natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, can greatly benefit from the specialist global expertise we bring. “Japan’s risk environment is becoming ever more complex to navigate, with cyberattacks and geopolitical tensions also of concern to both domestic and multinational companies with operations in the country.” Shinji Yamamoto, CEO at Keystone, says: “The substantial economic losses expected from large-scale natural disasters in Japan present a critical social issue for the country. Keystone ILS Capital is focused on facilitating international diversification of these risks through ILS transactions.”
