About Us

Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Social Media

Bluesky • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

Meet the Laser Focus World Team

Editorial

Sales

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology
My Watchlist
Indicators
Industrial Laser Index
Markets
Stocks
ETFs
Tools
Markets:
Overview
News
Currencies
International
Treasuries

Best’s Market Segment Report: Global Life/Annuity Reinsurers’ Capital Management Strategies Evolve to Achieve Target Returns, Meet Needs of Cedents

By: via Business Wire

Flourishing annuity sales, using reinsurance as a capital management strategy and rising competition from new market entrants continue to drive activity in the global life/annuity reinsurance segment, according to a new AM Best report.

The Best’s Market Segment Report, “Global Life/Annuity Reinsurers’ Capital Management Strategies Evolve to Achieve Target Returns and Meet the Needs of Cedents,” is part of AM Best’s look at the global reinsurance industry ahead of the Rendez-Vous de Septembre in Monte Carlo. Other reports, including AM Best’s ranking of top global reinsurance groups and in-depth looks at the insurance-linked securities, Lloyd’s, health and regional reinsurance markets, will be available during August and September.

According to this report, AM Best continues to observe an increase in reinsurance leverage by U.S. cedents, which is partly driven by offshore transactions. Bermuda, and to a lesser extent, the Cayman Islands, have gained popularity amid increased demand for retirement solutions and reinsurance as a capital and risk management tool. The reinsurance leverage ratio for the U.S. life/annuity industry ended 2024 at 328%, compared with nearly 200% a decade earlier, a trend pointing to the growing use of third-party reinsurance by U.S.-domiciled carriers relative to their capital and surplus.

“With higher interest rates driving robust annuity growth in the past few years, the amount of annuity reserves has expanded by more than 10% in each of the last four years, and ceded reserves have doubled from 2016 to 2024,” said Edward Kohlberg, director, AM Best. “The notable annuity growth is likely to continue, and more companies may look to reinsurers to manage growth and capital levels.”

The report notes that reinsurers face several investment risks, as their perception of managing these risks is always evolving, especially with increased immersion of private equity-backed reinsurers and asset managers. Reinsurers owned by asset managers are more comfortable taking investment risks, utilizing investment experience from their parent companies in structured products, mortgages, private credit or other alternatives.

“As the offshore reinsurance model continues to be profitable, there remain concerns due to the rapid growth and evolving regulatory scrutiny,” said Stratos Laskarides, senior financial analyst, AM Best. “At the same time, and despite annuities being a very capital-intensive product, asset managers have thus far supported the rapid growth by providing the needed capital and not constraining growth with material dividends.”

AM Best expects the growing competition for capital solutions, the increased complexity of products and the use of reinsurance as a strategic capital management tool to persist.

To access the full copy of this market segment report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=357168.

A video discussion of this report also is available at http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=ambgrlife825.

For global reinsurance reports ahead of Rendez-Vous de Septembre, as well as video coverage of the event, please visit AM Best’s Reinsurance Information center.

Lastly, AM Best will host its annual reinsurance market briefing at Rendez-Vous de Septembre on Sept. 7, 2025, at 10:15 a.m. (CEST) in Monte Carlo. For more information, please visit the event website.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

More News

View More
Lowe’s vs. Home Depot: Which Benefits More From Lower Rates?
Via MarketBeat
Topics Economy
Tickers AMD HD LOW
These 5 Beaten-Down Tech Stocks Could Catch Fire Next
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers ASTS ETSY OPEN SOUN TEM
Falcon Flex Drives Growth as CrowdStrike Bets on AI Security
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers CRWD
Amphenol: The Unseen Giant Behind Every Major Tech Trend
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers APH COMM
This Insider Just Made a Massive Bet on Transocean's Comeback
Via MarketBeat
Tickers RIG
Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.