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This was more than five times the 5.5% of respondents anticipating an increase, as insurers preferred “strategic partnerships” instead, data analysis firm Cerulli Associates reported.
Only large insurers – those with more than €100bn in assets – foresaw a rise in their external asset manager tallies, the US-based company found.
The firm said its 2019 insurance research found that European insurance companies were seeking strategic partnerships with asset managers, with expertise being sought in particular to address increased oversight related to Solvency II and poor returns linked to low-yield assets in Europe, especially government bonds.
“Driven by a need to streamline oversight and find new ways of generating yield, insurers in Europe are consolidating their outsourced investment assets and leveraging the expertise of asset managers to a greater extent than ever before,” Cerulli Associates said.
“Simpler oversight and greater investment returns are the two key goals of strategic partnerships,” Justina Deveikyte, associate director of European institutional research at Cerulli said. “We expect to see continued demand for riskier fixed-income and illiquid assets.”