Transforming risk management via captives
Joni Steffen and Kent Wigmore of Artex look at single parent captives in Cayman, including the growth and trends in the food/beverage and transportation industries.
The Cayman Islands have firmly established themselves as a top destination for captive insurance companies, especially single parent captives. These dynamic entities that are designed to insure their parent company’s risks have experienced remarkable growth in recent years. This surge is particularly striking in the food and beverage and transportation sectors, where businesses are increasingly leveraging single parent captives as powerful tools for strategic risk management and cost control.
By retaining more risk, clients purchase less insurance and are thereby insulated from the cyclical nature of the commercial marketplace.
The rise of single parent captives
The Cayman Islands offer a favourable environment for the establishment and operation of single parent captives. The jurisdiction is known for its robust regulatory framework, political stability, and sophisticated financial services infrastructure. The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) provides a supportive regulatory environment that balances oversight with flexibility, making it an attractive option for companies looking to establish captives.
In recent years, the number of single parent captives in the Cayman Islands has grown steadily. We are seeing this growth primarily focused around the need to minimise insurance costs, taking back control of risk, and improving cash flows.
This growth is driven by several factors, including the increasing complexity of global risks, rising insurance costs, and the desire for greater control over risk management. By establishing a captive, companies can tailor their insurance programmes to better meet their specific needs, potentially reducing costs and improving coverage.
New cell and single parent captive formations are being developed to support emerging risks, providing innovative solutions for businesses facing new challenges. There is an expanded utilisation of existing captives to help dampen volatility, address inefficiencies in the traditional market, and create new revenue streams. This approach is complemented by evolving and adaptive regulatory frameworks, which ensure that these strategies remain effective and compliant with current laws and standards.
“Pricing and scarcity are driving increased enquiries from the transportation sector seeking alternative risk management strategies, such as single parent captives.”
Joni Steffen
Key challenges in the transportation sector
In the transportation sector, availability of commercial auto liability coverage is decreasing while costs are escalating. Further exacerbating the issue is insurers exiting the market, decreasing the availability of capacity. With capacity, pricing and coverage a continuous challenge, there’s merit in exploring alternative risk management solutions such as a single parent captive.
With the rise in nuclear verdicts, continued strain is placed on pricing and availability of coverage. The implementation of safety management protocols is not sufficiently moving the needle on managing pricing. Those additional safety measures, while necessary and prudent, further compound issues by driving increased repair costs, greater claims expense, and thus, higher loss ratios for insurers.
For organisations with sufficiently sized fleets and mileage, a captive becomes an attractive option. That captive is not limited to covering commercial auto liability coverage—the addition of other lines of coverage such as workers’ compensation, auto physical damage or general liability can further support the economic viability of a captive.
This makes the captive a more attractive option to fronting carriers—a key consideration for lines of coverage requiring evidence of insurance from an admitted carrier, which most captives are not.
“We are also supporting our clients with captive utilisation studies to ensure optimal use of existing captives.” Kent Wigmore
Trends in the transportation sector
The transportation industry is one of the key sectors driving the growth of single parent captives in the Cayman Islands. Companies in this industry face a wide range of risks, including liability for accidents, property damage, cargo loss, and regulatory compliance. The high cost of traditional insurance, coupled with the need for specialised coverage, has led many transportation companies to explore captive insurance solutions.
Single parent captives allow transportation companies to gain greater control over their insurance programmes and reduce reliance on the commercial insurance market. For example, a captive can provide coverage for high-frequency, low-severity claims, such as minor accidents and cargo damage, which can be costly to insure through traditional means. By retaining these risks within a captive, companies can reduce their overall insurance costs and improve cash flow.
Captives can also be used to address emerging risks in the transportation industry, such as cyber threats and environmental liabilities. As transportation companies increasingly rely on technology and face growing regulatory scrutiny, the ability to customise insurance coverage through a captive becomes even more valuable.
Pricing and scarcity are driving increased enquiries from the transportation sector seeking alternative risk management strategies, such as single parent captives, to more effectively manage risk and costs. We are also supporting our clients with captive utilisation studies to ensure optimal use of existing captives.
Trends in the food and beverage industry
The food and beverage industry is a sector where single parent captives are gaining traction. Companies in this industry face a unique set of risks, including supply chain disruptions, product recalls, food safety issues and regulatory compliance challenges. Traditional insurance markets may not always provide adequate or affordable coverage for these risks, prompting companies to seek alternative solutions.
Supply chain disruption was a hot topic during COVID-19, and we are seeing that this issue persists even now. Warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration as recently as June 2024 indicate that consumers should continue to brace for supply chain disruptions especially during significant weather events. A single parent captive writing trade disruption insurance could at least partially mitigate supply chain volatility.
Single parent captives offer food and beverage companies the flexibility to design customised insurance programmes that address their specific risk profiles. For example, a captive can provide coverage for product recall expenses, which can be substantial and are often excluded or limited in traditional insurance policies. Additionally, captives can offer coverage for supply chain interruptions, helping companies manage the financial impact of disruptions.
Another trend in the food and beverage industry is the use of captives to support enterprise risk management (ERM) initiatives. By integrating captive insurance into their ERM frameworks, companies can gain a more comprehensive view of their risk exposures and develop more effective risk mitigation strategies. This holistic approach to risk management can enhance operational resilience and protect the company’s reputation and financial stability.
At Artex, we are seeing a significant increase in enquiries about better utilising existing captive structures by leveraging accumulated capital to participate in layers of an excess insurance tower where there is limited capacity.
Conclusion
The growth of single parent captives in the Cayman Islands reflects the evolving risk management needs of companies in the food and beverage and transportation industries. By providing a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional insurance, captives enable companies to better manage their risks and enhance their financial stability.
As these industries continue to face complex and dynamic risk environments, the use of single parent captives is likely to remain a key trend in the Cayman Islands and beyond. Get in touch with the team at Artex if you’d like to learn more about captive formation or having a health check on your existing captive.
Joni Steffen is a client services director at Artex. She can be contacted at: joni_steffen@artexrisk.com
Kent Wigmore is a client service manager at Artex. He can be contacted at: kent_wigmore@artexrisk.com
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