REG - Hiscox Ltd - Full Year Results
27/02/2025 07:00
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RNS Number : 6083Y Hiscox Ltd 27 February 2025
Hiscox Ltd full year results
For the year ended 31 December 2024
"Record profits, building momentum in Retail, and step-up in capital return."
2024 2023
Insurance contract written premium 1 (#_ftn1) $4,766.9m $4,598.2m
Net insurance contract written premium(1) $3,675.6m $3,555.8m
Insurance service result $553.5m $492.3m
Investment result $383.9m $384.4m
Profit before tax $685.4m $625.9m
Earnings per share 2 (#_ftn2) 183.2¢ 162.7¢
Total dividend per share 43.1¢ 37.5¢
Net asset value per share(1) 1,086.4¢ 951.1¢
Group combined ratio (discounted)(1) 84.7% 85.5%
Group combined ratio (undiscounted)(1) 89.2% 89.8%
Return on equity (ROE)(1, 2) 19.8% 21.8%
Positive prior year development(1) $145.5m $122.8m
Bermuda solvency capital ratio (BSCR) 3 (#_ftn3) 225% 212%
Highlights
• Insurance contract written premium (ICWP) grew by 3.7% or $168.7
million to $4,766.9 million (2023: $4,598.2 million), driven by Retail premium
growth of $147.3 million.
• Disciplined underwriting in an active loss environment resulted in
an undiscounted combined ratio of 89.2% (2023: 89.8%).
• Solid investment result of $383.9 million (2023: $384.4 million).
• Record profit before tax of $685.4 million, up 9.5% year-on-year,
and ROE of 19.8% (2023: 21.8%(2)).
• Step-up in final dividend per share of 19.6%, with a full year
increase of 14.9% in dividend per share, as well as a new special capital
return of $175 million in the form of a buyback.
• Hiscox to hold a capital markets day on 22 May 2025.
Aki Hussain, Group Chief Executive Officer, Hiscox Ltd, commented:
"The Group has delivered another set of excellent results and a second
consecutive year of record profits. Our Retail business continues to build
broad-based growth and earnings momentum, and our big-ticket portfolio has
again delivered an outstanding performance, leading to a strong return on
equity in an active loss year. This earnings momentum underpins substantial
capital generation, creating the flexibility to pursue multiple growth
opportunities and return 10% 4 (#_ftn4) of equity to shareholders through a
combination of a 20% step-up in the final dividend per share and a
$175 million share buyback. This demonstrates both the power of - and
confidence in - the outlook for our diversified business. I would like to
thank all of my Hiscox colleagues for their dedication in delivering another
strong year."
ENDS
A conference call for investors and analysts will be held at 10:30 GMT on
Thursday, 27 February 2025.
Participant dial-in numbers:
United Kingdom (Local): +44 20 3936 2999
All other locations: +44 800 358 1035
Participant access code: 786473
For further information
Investors and analysts
Yana O'Sullivan, Director of Investor Relations, London +44 (0)20 3321 5598
Marc Wetherhill, Group Company Secretary, Bermuda +1 441 278 8300
Media
Eleanor Orebi Gann, Group Director of Communications, London +44 (0)20 7081
4815
Simone Selzer, Brunswick +44 (0)20 7404 5959
Tom Burns, Brunswick +44 (0)20 7404 5959
Notes to editors
About The Hiscox Group
Hiscox is a global specialist insurer, headquartered in Bermuda and listed
on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:HSX). Our ambition is to be a respected
specialist insurer with a diverse portfolio by product and geography. We
believe that building balance between catastrophe-exposed business and less
volatile local specialty business gives us opportunities for profitable growth
throughout the insurance cycle.
The Hiscox Group employs over 3,000 people in 13 countries, and has customers
worldwide. Through the retail businesses in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia, we
offer a range of specialist insurance products in commercial and personal
lines. Internationally-traded, bigger-ticket business and reinsurance is
underwritten through Hiscox London Market and Hiscox Re & ILS.
Our values define our business, with a focus on people, courage, ownership and
integrity. We pride ourselves on being true to our word and our award-winning
claims service is testament to that. For more information, visit
www.hiscoxgroup.com (http://www.hiscoxgroup.com) .
Chief Executive's report
High-quality growth underpins second consecutive year of record profits
The Group has delivered another year of strong results, and we closed the year
with improving growth momentum and excellent profitability. ICWP increased
3.7% or $168.7 million, as Retail growth accelerated in the final quarter to
over 7% in constant currency, and we continued to deploy more capital in the
big-ticket businesses. The Group's strong undiscounted combined ratio of 89.2%
(2023: 89.8%) is a testament to our disciplined underwriting. The investment
result of $383.9 million (2023: $384.4 million) made another meaningful
contribution to profitability. The record profit before tax of $685.4 million
(2023: $625.9 million), up 9.5% on last year's record profits, with strong
returns delivered by each business segment, demonstrates the strength of the
Group as we move forward to capture the opportunities ahead of us.
Growth momentum building
In Retail, we are achieving broad-based growth. The UK business is benefitting
from management actions taken over the last few years which have reinvigorated
the brand, added distribution capability and applied technology to improve
service to brokers, leading to its strongest rate of growth since 2018. In
Europe, we have expanded our distribution and rolled out new technology to
grow our market presence. In the USA, within digital, partnerships and direct
(DPD), the direct business is achieving strong double-digit growth; and in
partnerships, the trend of more moderate flows across some established
partnerships from the second and third quarters has continued into the fourth
quarter. While the US broker premiums continued to decline, the growth gap is
narrowing as the business benefits from several initiatives already launched,
with more in the pipeline to deliver further improvements to performance next
year. We are continuing to invest in our brand, distribution and product
development to build on the current positive momentum.
Our big-ticket businesses have demonstrated our cycle management expertise and
underwriting discipline, delivering robust profitability in an active loss
year. While we are seeing more competition in property, market conditions
remain attractive, and we are deploying incremental capital where we see the
best risk-adjusted returns. We are continuing to invest in our capabilities to
support longer-term growth and efficiency by increasingly digitising our
internal processes and augmenting our underwriting using AI.
Delivering shareholder returns
Our capital allocation philosophy is to deploy capital for profitable growth
while maintaining a strong balance sheet and paying a progressive dividend.
The Group is delivering on its promise, and we are achieving high-quality
growth, as momentum in our Retail business accelerates combined with selective
growth in big-ticket. In 2024, this resulted in substantial capital
generation, an excellent return on equity of 19.8% and an estimated BSCR of
225%. The combination of earnings momentum and substantial capital generation
from our big-ticket businesses creates the flexibility to pursue multiple
growth opportunities and enable a step-up of our progressive dividend, with
the final dividend per share increasing by 19.6%, as well as an additional
special capital return of $175 million via a share buyback. This is
consistent with our commitment to return excess capital to shareholders. These
actions reinforce the Group's confidence in our strategy and our ability to
capture the significant opportunity ahead.
People are critical to our success
Our people are the cornerstone of our business, and I am deeply proud that,
for the third year running, we have sustained a high employee engagement score
in the 80s. We continue to nurture our deep internal talent while adding new
expertise throughout the organisation, including at senior management level.
In Retail, Mary Boyd was appointed as Hiscox USA Chief Executive Officer back
in June; and in January 2025, Shali Vasudeva joined as Group Chief Operations
and Technology Officer.
I would also like to take a moment to remember our late Chair, Jonathan
Bloomer, and his wife Judith who tragically died during the year. Jonathan's
deep experience, sharp intellect, and strong personal values combined with
humour and humility were an asset to the Group, and something I deeply valued.
He is dearly missed.
Business performance
Hiscox Retail 5 (#_ftn5)
Hiscox Retail comprises our retail businesses around the world: Hiscox UK,
Hiscox Europe, Hiscox USA and DirectAsia. In this segment, our entrepreneurial
culture, specialist sector and class of business knowledge, brand, and
market-leading distribution platforms reinforce our strong market position in
an increasingly digital world.
Insurance contract written premium $2,504.6 million (2023: $2,357.3 million)
Net insurance contract written premium $2,296.6 million (2023: $2,187.9 million)
Insurance service result $246.5 million (2023: $177.4 million)
Profit before tax $298.5 million (2023: $256.0 million)
Combined ratio 88.9% (2023: 91.8%)
Undiscounted combined ratio 93.6% (2023: 96.4%)
Hiscox Retail ICWP grew by 5.1% in constant currency to $2,504.6 million
(2023: $2,357.3 million), improving on the prior year. This is driven by
continued good growth in Europe and US DPD, and building momentum in the UK,
while the contraction in US broker is slowing. Rates in Retail, a less
cyclical business, increased by 2% across our markets, as inflationary
pressures abated.
We are making good progress in brand and distribution initiatives across all
of our Retail businesses. In 2024, we won nine new distribution deals in the
UK, signed our first multi-country deal with a leading digital MGA in Europe,
and onboarded 17 new digital partners in the US. Our brand campaign in the UK
won 18 awards and, more importantly, is contributing to growth. We also
continue to innovate with technology, having rolled out artificial
intelligence (AI) solutions in both UK art and private client (APC) and Irish
commercial lines, with more projects underway. These initiatives are improving
quality, efficiency and speed of distribution and helping build growth
momentum, which year-on-year accelerated to over 7% in the final quarter.
The Retail insurance service result of $246.5 million is a 39.0% increase on
prior year, leading to an undiscounted combined ratio improvement of 2.8
percentage points to 93.6% (2023: 96.4%). To achieve this level of
profitability while continuing to increase investment into growth is a
pleasing result. We will continue to invest in marketing, technology and
distribution to capture the structural growth opportunities ahead of us. Our
unique Retail business, specialist underwriting and investment over recent
years position us well to ensure that all roads lead to Hiscox for our
customers.
Hiscox UK
Hiscox UK provides commercial insurance, locally traded specialty insurance,
as well as personal lines cover, including high-value household, fine art and
luxury motor.
Hiscox UK grew ICWP by 5.8% in constant currency to $864.0 million (2023:
$793.8 million). Momentum accelerated in the year as the business continues to
benefit from management actions aimed at reinvigorating the brand, improving
distribution production, and enhancing customer service through technology.
UK APC delivered double-digit growth, with particularly strong momentum in the
broker channel as we capitalised on attractive market opportunities. This was
supported by the implementation of an AI-enhanced new business automation
solution in September. The new business AI tool, in combination with our
e-trade digital capabilities, has reduced handling times by up to 40%, while
also allowing for over half of all personal lines quotes to be processed
automatically, freeing up underwriters to focus on business development and
writing larger and more complex risks.
Commercial lines growth has been supported by the successful brand campaign
and nine new broker distribution deals going live, with a further seven to
launch in 2025. This supports our confidence in the sustainability of the UK's
positive momentum.
The UK brand campaign has been widely recognised within the UK marketing and
advertising industry this year, winning 18 separate industry awards to date
for effectiveness, strategy, creativity and execution. Importantly, we have
seen tangible benefits from the campaign, with a 46% increase in branded
search and an over 50% increase in click-through rates in UK Direct. In UK
broker, feedback shows that intermediaries value the quality of the Hiscox
brand on their panel.
Hiscox Europe
Hiscox Europe provides commercial insurance for micro- to medium-sized
businesses, especially in the growing technology and non-regulated business
sectors, and personal lines cover including high-value household, fine art and
classic car.
Hiscox Europe ICWP increased by 7.6% in constant currency to $656.5 million
(2023: $606.7 million). The business continues to expand its distribution, our
pan-European partnership with a leading specialist digital MGA is now live and
a new bancassurance relationship with one of the largest banks in Iberia
launched in the fourth quarter.
Our technology transformation remains on track, building scalable
infrastructure across Europe. Germany is fully live on the core administration
system, and in France commercial business is also live on the new system while
work is underway to onboard APC. We also launched new distribution portals in
France, Germany and Iberia which provide enhanced self-service functionality
and a better customer journey, allowing the business to benefit from an
improved quote-to-bind ratio, more efficient customer interactions, and
greater speed to market of new propositions.
Hiscox USA(5)
Hiscox USA focuses on underwriting commercial risks, with distribution through
brokers, partners and direct-to-consumer using a wide range of trading models
- traditional, service centre, portals and application programming interfaces
(APIs). Our aspiration is to build America's leading small business insurer.
Hiscox USA ICWP increased by 2.5%, with sustained growth in US DPD offset by
US broker contraction.
US DPD grew by 7.6% to $542.7 million (2023: $504.4 million). The direct
business grew at a double-digit rate, while partnerships achieved robust
growth, albeit at a lower rate, as the trend of more moderate flows across
some established partners from the second and third quarters persisted into
the fourth quarter. The majority of partners continue to deliver good levels
of growth and we continue to expand and diversify our network, with 17 new
partners onboarded in 2024.
US broker ICWP decreased by 4.0% to $378.2 million (2023: $393.8 million). The
contraction is narrowing, with growth emerging in some of the largest lines.
To accelerate growth, we have launched a number of initiatives aimed at
improving retention and conversion rates as well as creating more
opportunities for cross-selling products.
Hiscox Asia
On 18 December 2024, Hiscox completed the sale of DirectAsia Thailand. The
remainder of the DirectAsia business is non-core for the Group.
Hiscox London Market(5)
Hiscox London Market uses the global licences, distribution network, and
credit rating of Lloyd's to insure clients throughout the world.
Insurance contract written premium $1,229.5 million (2023: $1,254.6 million)
Net insurance contract written premium $879.7 million (2023: $918.3 million)
Insurance service result $141.3 million (2023: $178.8 million)
Profit before tax $215.0 million (2023: $262.7 million)
Combined ratio 83.9% (2023: 79.1%)
Undiscounted combined ratio 88.6% (2023: 83.7%)
Hiscox London Market ICWP of $1,229.5 million (2023: $1,254.6 million)
declined by 2.0%, reflecting our proactive cycle management within casualty
and exit from the space market. The drag from these reduced in the fourth
quarter as the business returned to growth, driven by attractive market
opportunities in property and crisis management. Rate increases for the year
were 2%, with cumulative rate increases of 74% since 2018.
Growth in property has been driven by commercial lines, where rate has
increased by 8%, partially offset by flood, following the decision not to
renew a binder. This capacity has since been fully redeployed and will earn
through over the course of 2025. Overall, despite increasing competition
leading to some rate softening, market conditions remain attractive.
Within crisis management, there has been significant growth in terrorism,
driven by increasing demand and improving rates. With 57% of our sabotage and
terrorism business now supported by our AI-enhanced lead underwriting
solution, our team can spend more time on business development and
underwriting more complex risks within the market. The wider roll-out of the
tool is progressing well and we have started to implement the capabilities in
major property with the aim of launching an AI-enhanced solution in 2025. The
success of our AI adoption has been recognised within the market, with the
Hiscox/Google Cloud collaboration winning 'Excellence in AI' at the British
Insurance Technology Awards.
Marine, energy and specialty was impacted by our decision to reduce our line
size in space before ultimately exiting the class due to terms and conditions
lagging the evolving nature and complexity of the risk. In casualty, we
continue to manage the cycle following rate reductions of 8% in cyber and 9%
in D&O, while using improving rate in general liability to decrease line
size and reduce exposures.
The undiscounted combined ratio of 88.6% (2023: 83.7%) marks the fifth
consecutive year that Hiscox London Market has reported an undiscounted
combined ratio in the 80s, achieved despite the backdrop of an active loss
year, including Hurricanes Milton and Helene, and a number of man-made losses.
Hiscox Re & ILS
Hiscox Re & ILS comprises the Group's reinsurance businesses in London and
Bermuda and insurance-linked securities (ILS) activity written through Hiscox
ILS.
Insurance contract written premium $1,032.8 million (2023: $986.3 million)
Net insurance contract written premium $499.3 million (2023: $449.6 million)
Insurance service result $165.7 million (2023: $136.1 million)
Profit before tax $267.5 million (2023: $221.4 million)
Combined ratio 65.7% (2023: 68.3%)
Undiscounted combined ratio 69.0% (2023: 69.8%)
Hiscox Re & ILS surpassed the $1 billion ICWP mark as the business grew by
4.7% to $1,032.8 million (2023: $986.3 million). Net ICWP grew by 11.1% to
$499.3 million (2023: $449.6 million), as the business deployed additional
capital into attractive market conditions. Consistent with our strategy, net
ICWP has more than doubled since 2020 as the business has grown into the
hardening market.
The insurance service result of $165.7 million (2023: $136.1 million) and an
undiscounted combined ratio of 69.0% (2023: 69.8%) reflect another year of
excellent performance. Natural catastrophe losses were within expectations
despite a high number of loss events.
The market remained disciplined throughout 2024, with attachment points
holding, terms and conditions stable, and rates broadly flat following
cumulative rate increases of 90% since 2018. January 2025 renewals were more
competitive as capital, typically in the form of retained earnings, pursued
growth. This has had an impact on the market, with rates down 8% at the
important 1 January renewals, although attachment points and terms and
conditions have remained broadly stable. Market conditions, coming from the
significant highs of 2023 and 2024, remain attractive and we have deployed
additional capital into the opportunities that provide the best risk-adjusted
returns for the portfolio.
ILS assets under management (AUM) as at 1 January 2025 was $1.4 billion (1
January 2024: $1.6 billion) following planned capital returns and new inflows
of $460 million. In addition, our third-party capital strategy benefitted from
growth in outwards quota share capacity. This third-party capital support,
alongside higher performance fees following excellent underwriting results
in both 2023 and 2024, has resulted in record fee income, increasing by 26% to
$128.2 million (2023: $101.7 million), supporting strong profit delivery and
further enhancing the return on equity.
Claims
For the year, we have set aside $1.6 billion for (re)insurance claims 6
(#_ftn6) , $117 million more than in 2023 due to a more active loss
environment, particularly impacting the London Market business. 2024 was an
active natural catastrophe year, with five hurricanes making landfall in the
USA, flooding in Spain, Germany and central Europe, and a number of weather
events in Canada. Natural catastrophe losses were within expectations, with a
reduction in our initial loss estimate from Hurricane Milton offset by an
increase in the amounts reserved for certain other 2024 loss events.
In addition, there were a number of man-made losses that affected our
big-ticket business in 2024. These included a net loss of $28 million from the
MV Dali collision in Baltimore and a number of small- to mid-size events.
The start of 2025 saw several wildfires impact the Greater Los Angeles area,
causing a tragic loss of life and widespread destruction. We extend our
sympathies to our customers and to all of those impacted by these events.
The Group estimates a net loss from the wildfires of around $170 million, at
an industry loss of $40 billion. This event is largely a reinsurance loss with
$150 million expected to be recognised in Hiscox Re & ILS, and $10 million
in each of Hiscox London Market and Hiscox Retail. Our estimate, which will be
booked in the first quarter of 2025, includes reinstatement premiums and does
not make any allowance for subrogation.
Hiscox exists to support our customers at times like this and we firmly
believe that a high-quality claims service is essential to help them get back
on their feet as quickly as possible. We continually monitor our claims
performance through a range of metrics and targets, including our Retail
claims transactional net promoter score (Retail claims NPS) 7 (#_ftn7) . In
2024, the Group achieved an exceptional Retail claims NPS of 72%, a three
percentage point improvement on the already excellent result in 2023.
Strong foundations
Reserves
We have a conservative reserving philosophy that has consistently produced
positive reserve development over a long period of time. In 2024, net reserve
releases were again broad-based, from multiple vintages and classes of
business, aggregating to $145.5 million (2023: $122.8 million). As at
31 December 2024, the Group's net reserves were at the 83% confidence level
(2023: 83%) with a risk adjustment above best estimate of $267.5 million 8
(#_ftn8) (2023: $272.9 million(8)).
Hiscox continues to benefit from legacy portfolio transfers (LPTs) which
protect the Group from inflationary and other pressures for 37% of gross
casualty reserves for 2019 and prior years. Where appropriate, we will pursue
similar transactions to manage volatility and optimise capital.
The Group's January 2025 outwards reinsurance placements benefitted from our
recent strong underwriting results and ongoing quality of the book, resulting
in a favourable outcome for the overall renewal programme. Against this
backdrop, the Group took the opportunity to improve capital efficiency and
reduce exposure to extreme North America earthquake and windstorm events,
issuing a $200 million catastrophe bond in February 2025 to complement the
$125 million catastrophe bond issued in December 2023. The capital benefit of
the new catastrophe bond is not included in the BSCR ratio as at 31 December
2024.
Capital
The Group remains well capitalised, with an estimated BSCR ratio of 225% at
31 December 2024. Our diversified business model - with very strong
performance in big-ticket and a growing contribution of earnings from our
Retail business - creates the flexibility to pursue an ambitious growth agenda
and to step-up our progressive dividend with a final ordinary dividend of 29.9
cents per share, an increase of 19.6% from 2023.
The record date for the dividend will be 25 April 2025 and the payment date
will be 9 June 2025. The Board proposes to offer a Scrip alternative, under
the terms and conditions of the Group's 2025 Scrip Dividend Scheme, which will
be made available when the AGM notice is published and will be subject to
shareholder approval at the AGM. The last date for receipt of Scrip elections
will be 19 May 2025 and the reference price will be announced on 28 May
2025.
The strong results achieved in 2024, with an excellent ROE and significant
capital generation, allow for another special capital return of $175 million
to shareholders, by means of a share buyback, consistent with our commitment
to return excess capital to investors. Our total capital return is equivalent
to 16 percentage points of the 2024 year-end BSCR ratio.
Following updated guidance from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the Group has
included 20% of the value of the $155 million DTA relating to Bermuda
corporate income tax in the 2024 estimated BSCR. Previously none of this DTA
was recognised within capital.
The Group's estimated pro-forma BSCR, adjusted for the impact of the year-end
capital returns and the California wildfires, is 198% 9 (#_ftn9) , well in
excess of the level required for the S&P 'A' rating. This would remain the
case even following an extreme stress scenario.
Liquidity
The Group, at the holding company level, continues to retain a significant
level of liquidity, with fungible assets in excess of $1 billion, comprised of
liquid assets and undrawn borrowing facilities. A full-year 2024 leverage 10
(#_ftn10) for the Group on a pro-forma basis post share buyback of
$175 million is 15.7%, comfortably within the range that the Group chooses to
operate in.
Investments
The investment result for the year was $383.9 million (2023: $384.4 million),
or a return of 4.8% (2023: 5.2%). Group invested assets as at 31 December
2024 were $8.2 billion (2023: $8.0 billion).
Despite geopolitical uncertainty, economic growth was resilient (although
slowing), and inflation stabilised at, or near to, policy targets for many
developed markets, so central banks continued to cut rates in the fourth
quarter. Against this background, US treasury yields ended the year close to
where they started, although tightening credit spreads drove bond yields down,
resulting in an improved performance in the second half of the year.
Returns from coupons, cash and cash equivalents have continued to grow, as
higher yields have earned through. At 31 December 2024, the Group's bond
portfolio reinvestment yield was 4.6% and a duration of 1.8 years. The bond
portfolio remains conservatively positioned, with an average credit rating of
'A'. We have modestly increased the allocation to private credit funds in the
year to diversify the portfolio and incrementally add more stable returns.
Tax
Bermuda's Corporate Income Tax (BCIT) came into effect on 1 January 2025, with
a 15% tax rate applicable. In anticipation of this, the Group recognised a DTA
of $155 million which would mitigate the cash tax impact over ten years.
On 15 January 2025, the OECD published guidance, advising that 80% of the DTA
granted under the BCIT will not be recognised for calculating global minimum
tax (GMT). As a result, the Group is likely to be obligated to pay additional
tax of up to 80% of the DTA, spread over eight years, from 2027. Under current
IFRS requirements, the Bermuda DTA must be maintained while it provides a tax
benefit in Bermuda, but no offsetting deferred tax liability can be recognised
in anticipation of future GMT payable (instead this will be booked as current
tax on an arising basis).
The introduction of BCIT and GMT is expected to increase the Group's effective
tax rate to a range of 15%-20%.
Outlook
Over the last 20 years, our Retail business has grown fivefold organically, to
over $2.5 billion of premium in 2024, yet the structural growth opportunity
ahead remains immense. The expectation of long-term, compounding growth in all
of our Retail markets is unchanged. Our strategy is based on our
entrepreneurial business-building culture, our specialist underwriting, brand
strength and use of technology to provide superb products to our customers
while reducing friction and costs in the process. This allows Hiscox to
capitalise on societal trends, including increasing digital adoption, strong
new business formation, and the emergence of new professions and risks.
In recent years we materially improved our Retail platform, we have added new
leadership, reinvigorated our brand, re-platformed our technology, expanded
our distribution and materially added to our capabilities. All of these are
leading to positive momentum in growth and high-quality earnings. I, along
with the leaders of each of the Retail businesses, look forward to providing
more detail on how we will capture the significant growth opportunity ahead at
our Retail-focused capital markets day in May.
In 2025, I expect positive momentum to continue building while maintaining
underwriting discipline, with Hiscox Retail growth of above 6% in constant
currency. Hiscox London Market is expected to return to growth, given
favourable market conditions, as we benefit from new product launches and as
the one-off impacts of the 2024 binder non-renewal recede. In Hiscox Re &
ILS, the Group will continue to deploy incremental capital into the attractive
market conditions, including some non-catastrophe lines.
Aki Hussain
Group Chief Executive Officer
26 February 2025
Hiscox Ltd full year results
Condensed consolidated income statement
For the year ended 31 December 2024
2024 2023
Note $m $m
Insurance revenue 6 4,672.5 4,483.2
Insurance service expenses 6 (3,331.0) (3,189.3)
Insurance service result before reinsurance contracts held 1,341.5 1,293.9
Allocation of reinsurance premiums 6 (1,209.4) (1,119.4)
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims 6 421.4 317.8
Net expenses from reinsurance contracts held (788.0) (801.6)
Insurance service result 6 553.5 492.3
Investment result 9 383.9 384.4
Net finance expenses from insurance contracts (225.5) (220.7)
Net finance income from reinsurance contracts 73.4 81.0
Net insurance finance expenses (152.1) (139.7)
Net financial result 9 231.8 244.7
Other income 10 113.5 91.1
Other operational expenses 10 (149.4) (125.5)
Net foreign exchange losses (11.2) (27.0)
Other finance costs 11 (53.1) (50.0)
Share of profit of associates after tax 6 0.3 0.3
Profit before tax 685.4 625.9
Tax (expense)/credit 12 (58.2) 86.1
Profit for the year (all attributable to owners of the Company) 627.2 712.0
Earnings per share on profit attributable to owners of the Company
Basic 14 183.2¢ 206.1¢
Diluted 14 178.1¢ 201.5¢
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income
For the year ended 31 December 2024
2024 2023
Note $m $m
Profit for the period 627.2 712.0
Other comprehensive (expense)/income
Items that will not be reclassified to the income statement:
Remeasurements of the net defined benefit pension scheme 19 (4.8) (4.1)
Income tax effect 1.5 (1.7)
(3.3) (5.8)
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to the income statement:
Exchange (losses)/gains on translation of foreign operations (11.9) 25.0
Other comprehensive (expense)/income net of tax (15.2) 19.2
Total comprehensive income for the period (all attributable to the owners of 612.0 731.2
the Company)
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Condensed consolidated statement of financial position
As at 31 December 2024
31 December 2024 31 December 2023
Note $m $m
Assets
Employee retirement benefit asset 19 40.0 44.4
Goodwill and intangible assets 308.8 323.9
Property, plant and equipment 125.6 130.3
Investments in associates 0.8 0.8
Deferred tax assets 12 179.4 180.7
Assets included in disposal group classified as held for sale 10 52.5 59.1
Reinsurance contract assets 13 1,976.8 2,098.3
Financial assets carried at fair value 16 7,077.6 6,574.4
Trade and other receivables 249.0 206.5
Current tax assets 3.3 5.1
Cash and cash equivalents 1,227.0 1,437.0
Total assets 11,240.8 11,060.5
Equity and liabilities
Shareholders' equity
Share capital 38.1 38.8
Share premium 405.6 528.8
Contributed surplus 184.0 184.0
Currency translation reserve (391.1) (379.2)
Retained earnings 3,452.2 2,923.2
Equity attributable to owners of the Company 3,688.8 3,295.6
Non-controlling interest 1.1 1.1
Total equity 3,689.9 3,296.7
Employee retirement benefit obligations 19 - -
Deferred tax liabilities 12 75.8 56.9
Liabilities included in disposal group classified as held for sale 10 52.7 54.8
Insurance contract liabilities 13 6,396.3 6,604.0
Financial liabilities 16 663.5 674.7
Current tax liabilities 19.7 10.9
Trade and other payables 342.9 362.5
Total liabilities 7,550.9 7,763.8
Total equity and liabilities 11,240.8 11,060.5
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Condensed consolidated statement of changes in equity
For the year ended 31 December 2024
Share capital Share premium Contributed surplus Currency translation reserve Retained earnings Equity attributable to owners of the Company Non-controlling interest Total equity
$m $m $m $m $m $m $m $m
Balance at 31 December 2023 38.8 528.8 184.0 (379.2) 2,923.2 3,295.6 1.1 3,296.7
Profit for the year - - - - 627.2 627.2 - 627.2
Other comprehensive income net of tax - - - (11.9) (3.3) (15.2) - (15.2)
Total comprehensive income - - - (11.9) 623.9 612.0 - 612.0
Employee share options:
Equity settled share-based payments - - - - 33.4 33.4 - 33.4
Proceeds from shares issued 0.1 21.3 - - - 21.4 - 21.4
Share buyback* (0.8) (148.3) - - - (149.1) - (149.1)
Deferred and current tax on employee share options - - - - 2.5 2.5 - 2.5
Shares issued in relation - 3.8 - - - 3.8 - 3.8
to Scrip Dividend
Dividends paid to owners - - - - (130.8) (130.8) - (130.8)
of the Company
Balance at 31 December 2024 38.1 405.6 184.0 (391.1) 3,452.2 3,688.8 1.1 3,689.9
*In the year ended 31 December 2024, $149.1 million of shares were purchased
and shares with a nominal value of $0.8 million have been cancelled as part of
the share buyback programme.
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Condensed consolidated statement of changes in equity (continued)
For the year ended 31 December 2023
Share capital Share premium Contributed surplus Currency translation reserve Retained earnings Equity attributable to owners of the Company Non-controlling interest Total equity
$m $m $m $m $m $m $m $m
Balance at 1 January 2023 38.7 517.6 184.0 (404.2) 2,297.8 2,633.9 1.1 2,635.0
Profit for the year - - - - 712.0 712.0 - 712.0
Other comprehensive income net of tax - - - 25.0 (5.8) 19.2 - 19.2
Total comprehensive income - - - 25.0 706.2 731.2 - 731.2
Employee share options:
Equity settled share-based payments - - - - 43.2 43.2 - 43.2
Proceeds from shares issued 0.1 9.6 - - - 9.7 - 9.7
Share buyback - - - - - - - -
Deferred and current tax on employee share options - - - - 2.1 2.1 - 2.1
Shares issued in relation - 1.6 - - - 1.6 - 1.6
to Scrip Dividend
Dividends paid to owners - - - - (126.1) (126.1) - (126.1)
of the Company
Balance at 31 December 2023 38.8 528.8 184.0 (379.2) 2,923.2 3,295.6 1.1 3,296.7
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Condensed consolidated statement of cash flows
For the year ended 31 December 2024
2024 2023
Note $m $m
Profit before tax 685.4 625.9
Adjustments for:
Net foreign exchange losses 11.2 27.0
Interest and equity dividend income 9 (316.4) (237.0)
Interest expense 11 53.1 50.0
Net fair value gains on financial assets 9 (71.5) (170.6)
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 10 60.7 77.1
Charges in respect of share-based payments 49.1 43.2
Realised gain on sale of subsidiary undertaking, intangible assets (0.5) (4.0)
and property plant and equipment
Changes in operational assets and liabilities:
Insurance and reinsurance contracts (12.1) 248.3
Financial assets carried at fair value (479.6) (549.6)
Financial liabilities carried at fair value (0.3) -
Financial liabilities carried at amortised cost 0.7 0.7
Other assets and liabilities (97.0) (15.6)
Cash paid to the pension fund 19 - (24.8)
Interest received 302.4 218.1
Equity dividends received 1.4 1.5
Interest paid (51.9) (48.5)
Tax paid (20.3) (9.6)
Net cash flows from operating activities 114.4 232.1
Proceeds from sale of associate 0.5 9.5
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (5.1) (1.1)
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment 0.1 -
Purchase of intangible assets (34.0) (42.6)
Net cash flows used in investing activities (38.5) (34.2)
Proceeds from the issue of ordinary shares 5.2 9.6
Distributions made to owners of the Company (127.0) (124.5)
Shares repurchased (149.1) -
Principal elements of lease payments (11.7) (14.0)
Net cash flows used in financing activities (282.6) (128.9)
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents (206.7) 69.0
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 1,437.0 1,350.9
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents (206.7) 69.0
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations on cash and cash equivalents (3.3) 17.1
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 18 1,227.0 1,437.0
The notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are an integral
part of this document.
Notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements
1. General information
The Hiscox Group, which is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, comprises
Hiscox Ltd (the parent company, referred to herein as the 'Company') and its
subsidiaries (collectively, the 'The Hiscox Group' or the 'Group'). For the
current period the Group provided insurance and reinsurance services to its
clients worldwide. It has operations in Bermuda, UK, Europe, Asia and USA and
currently has over 3,000 staff.
The Company is registered and domiciled in Bermuda and its ordinary shares are
listed on the London Stock Exchange. The address of its registered office is:
Chesney House, 96 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda.
2. Basis of preparation
The condensed financial statements of the Group have been prepared
in accordance with UK-adopted International Accounting Standards, and Section
4.1 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules and the Listing Rules, both
issued by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The basis of preparation and summary of accounting policies applicable to the
Group's condensed consolidated financial statements can be found in note 2 to
the 2024 Annual Report and Accounts.
The Group's consolidated financial statements from which the condensed
financial statements are extracted have been audited. The auditor's report on
the consolidated financial statements is unqualified and does not contain an
emphasis-of-matter paragraph.
The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going
concern basis. In adopting the going concern basis, the Board has reviewed the
Group's current and forecast solvency and liquidity positions for the next 12
months and beyond. As part of the consideration of the appropriateness of
adopting the going concern basis, the Directors use scenario analysis and
stress testing to assess the robustness of the Group's solvency and liquidity
positions.
In undertaking this analysis, no material uncertainty in relation to going
concern has been identified, due to the Group's strong capital and liquidity
positions providing resilience to shocks, underpinned by the Group's approach
to risk management.
After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the
Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence over a
period of at least 12 months from the date of this report. For this reason,
the Group continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the
condensed consolidated financial statements.
Items included in the financial statements of each of the Group's entities are
measured in the currency of the primary economic environment in which that
entity operates (the functional currency). The condensed consolidated
financial statements are presented in US Dollars millions ($m) and rounded to
the nearest hundred thousand Dollars, unless otherwise stated.
These condensed consolidated financial statements were approved on behalf of
the Board of Directors by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Aki Hussain and
the Group Chief Financial Officer, Paul Cooper. Accordingly, the financial
statements were approved for issue on 26 February 2025.
3. Use of significant accounting judgements, estimates and assumptions
In preparing these condensed consolidated financial statements, management
make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of
accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income
and expense. Estimates and assumptions are continually evaluated and are based
on management's knowledge of current facts and circumstances, and their
expectations of future events.
Significant accounting judgements
The following accounting policies are the critical judgements, apart from
those involving estimations (which are presented separately below), that the
Directors have made in the process of applying the Group's accounting policies
and that have the most significant impact on the amounts recognised in the
consolidated financial statements.
• Consolidation: assessment of whether the Group controls or has
significant influence over an underlying entity, for example, the treatment of
insurance-linked securities funds including consideration of its
decision-making authority and its rights to the variable returns from
the entity.
• Financial investments: classification and measurement
of investments including the application of the fair value option..
• Insurance contracts: determining the assumptions to arrive at the
estimated ultimate cost of claims and the risk adjustment being the
compensation that the Group requires for bearing the uncertainty about the
amount and timing of the cash flows of groups of insurance contracts.
Significant accounting estimates
The following describes items considered particularly susceptible to changes
in estimates and assumptions.
The most critical estimate included within the consolidated statement of
financial position is the measurement of insurance contract liabilities and
reinsurance contract assets, and in particular the estimate of the liability
for incurred claims (LIC). The total gross estimate of LIC as at 31 December
2024 is $6,040.7 million (2023: $6,249.6 million). The total estimate for
reinsurance asset for incurred claims as at 31 December 2024 is $2,046.5
million (2023: $2,217.1 million).
Insurance and reinsurance contracts
In applying IFRS 17 measurement requirements, the following inputs and methods
were used that include significant estimates. The present value of future cash
flows is estimated using deterministic scenarios. The assumptions used in
the deterministic scenarios are derived to approximate the
probability-weighted mean of a full range of scenarios. For the sensitivities
with regard to the assumptions made that have the most significant impact on
measurement under IFRS 17 please refer to note 3 management of risk of 2024
Annual Report and Accounts.
Fair value measurement
The Group carries its financial investments at fair value through profit or
loss, with fair values determined using published price quotations in the most
active financial markets in which the assets trade, where available. Where
quoted market prices are not available, valuation techniques are used to value
financial instruments. These include third-party valuation reports and models
utilising both observable and unobservable market inputs. Valuation techniques
involve judgement, including the use of valuation models and their inputs,
which can lead to a range of plausible valuations for financial investments.
Employee benefit
The employee retirement benefit scheme obligations are calculated and valued
with reference to a number of actuarial assumptions including mortality,
inflation rates and discount rate, many of which have been subject to recent
volatility. This complex set of economic variables can have a significant
impact on the financial statements.
Deferred tax asset
A deferred tax asset can be recognised only to the extent that it is
recoverable. The recoverability of deferred tax assets in respect of carry
forward losses requires consideration of the future levels of taxable profit
in the Group. In preparing the Group's financial statements, management
estimates taxation assets and liabilities after taking appropriate
professional advice. Significant estimates and assumptions used in the
valuation of deferred tax relate to the forecast taxable profits, taking into
account the Group's financial and strategic plans. Please refer to note 12 for
details on the deferred tax assets including the impact of BCIT.
4. Management of risk
The Group's overall appetite for accepting and managing varying classes of
risk is defined by the Group's Board of Directors. The Board has developed a
governance framework and has set Group-wide risk management policies and
procedures which include risk identification, risk management and mitigation
and risk reporting. The objective of these policies and procedures is to
protect the Group's shareholders, policyholders and other stakeholders from
negative events that could hinder the Group's delivery of its contractual
obligations and its achievement of sustainable profitable economic and social
performance.
The Board exercises oversight of the development and operational
implementation of its risk management policies and procedures through the
Risk Committee, and ongoing compliance through a dedicated internal audit
function, which has operational independence, clear terms of
reference influenced by the Board's Non Executive Directors and a clear
upwards reporting structure back into the Board. The Group, in line with the
non-life insurance industry generally, is fundamentally driven by a desire to
originate, retain and service insurance contracts to maturity. The
Group's cash flows are funded mainly through advance premium collections and
the timing of such premium inflows is reasonably predictable. In addition,
the majority of material cash outflows are typically triggered by the
occurrence of insured events, although the timing, frequency and severity
of claims can fluctuate.
The Group maintains explicit reserve uplifts to allow for the impact of high
inflation in recent years. Loss ratios are also closely monitored to ensure
they include an appropriate allowance for future inflation.
Losses from Covid-19 continue to settle well within expectations. As time
passes and legal cases are gradually settled, the outcome becomes more certain
and so the level of risk adjustment above the best estimate can be reduced.
The principal sources of risk relevant to the Group's operations and its
financial statements fall into three broad categories: operational risk,
insurance risk and financial risk. Please refer to the 2024 Annual Report and
Accounts for more information on risk management.
5. Related-party transactions
Transactions with related parties during the period are disclosed in note 30
of the Group's 2024 Annual Report and Accounts.
6. Operating segments
The Group's operating segment reporting follows the organisational structure
and management's internal reporting systems, which form the basis for
assessing the financial reporting performance of, and allocation of resources
to, each business segment.
The Group's four primary business segments are identified as follows:
Hiscox Retail brings together the results of the Group's retail business
divisions in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia. Hiscox UK and Hiscox Europe
underwrite personal and commercial lines of business through Hiscox Insurance
Company Limited, Syndicate 3624 and Hiscox Société Anonyme, together with
the fine art and non-US household insurance business written through Syndicate
33. Hiscox USA comprises commercial, property and specialty business written
by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc., Syndicate 33 and Syndicate 3624;
Hiscox London Market comprises the internationally traded insurance business
written by the Group's London-based underwriters via Syndicate 33, including
lines in property, marine and energy, casualty and other specialty insurance
lines;
Hiscox Re & ILS is the reinsurance division of The Hiscox Group, combining
the underwriting platforms in Bermuda and London. The segment comprises the
performance of Hiscox Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited, excluding the
internal quota share arrangements, with the reinsurance contracts written by
Syndicate 33. The segment also includes the performance and fee income from
the Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) funds, along with the gains and losses
made as a result of the Group's investment in the funds;
Corporate Centre comprises finance costs and administrative costs associated
with Group management activities and intragroup borrowings, as well as all
foreign exchange gains and losses.
All amounts reported on the following pages represent transactions with
external parties only. In the normal course of trade, the Group's entities
enter into various reinsurance arrangements with one another. The related
results of these transactions are eliminated on consolidation and are not
included within the results of the segments. This is consistent with the
information used by the chief operating decision-maker when evaluating the
results of the Group. Performance is measured based on each reportable
segment's profit or loss before tax and combined ratio.
6. Operating segments (continued)
Year ended 31 December 2024 Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox Corporate Total
Retail London Re & ILS Centre
Market
$m $m $m $m $m
Insurance revenue 2,442.9 1,201.4 1,028.2 - 4,672.5
Insurance service expenses (2,081.7) (1,004.2) (245.1) - (3,331.0)
Incurred claims and changes to liabilities for incurred claims (960.6) (619.5) (37.8) - (1,617.9)
Amortisation of insurance acquisition cash flows* (688.6) (262.5) (124.5) - (1,075.6)
Other attributable expenses* (420.2) (122.2) (82.8) - (625.2)
Losses on onerous contracts and reversals (12.3) - - - (12.3)
Insurance service result before reinsurance contracts held 361.2 197.2 783.1 - 1,341.5
Allocation of reinsurance premiums (259.2) (364.9) (585.3) - (1,209.4)
Amount recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims 144.5 309.0 (32.1) - 421.4
Net expense from reinsurance contracts held (114.7) (55.9) (617.4) - (788.0)
Insurance service result 246.5 141.3 165.7 - 553.5
Investment result 200.1 113.3 70.5 - 383.9
Net finance expense from insurance contracts (116.4) (66.1) (43.0) - (225.5)
Net finance income from reinsurance contracts 18.4 25.2 29.8 - 73.4
Net insurance finance expense (98.0) (40.9) (13.2) - (152.1)
Net financial result 102.1 72.4 57.3 - 231.8
Other income 19.5 26.3 64.6 3.1 113.5
Other operational expenses* (68.5) (24.7) (18.5) (37.7) (149.4)
Net foreign exchange losses - - - (11.2) (11.2)
Other finance costs (1.1) (0.3) (1.6) (50.1) (53.1)
Share of profits of associates - - - 0.3 0.3
Profit/(loss) before tax 298.5 215.0 267.5 (95.6) 685.4
Ratio analysis
Claims ratio (%) 39.5 40.1 22.8 - 37.4
Acquisition cost ratio (%) 30.7 29.9 25.8 - 29.9
Administrative expense ratio (%) 18.7 13.9 17.1 - 17.4
Combined ratio (%) 88.9 83.9 65.7 - 84.7
*Total marketing expenditure for the year was $101.1 million(2023:
$85.0 million).
The claims ratio is calculated as incurred claims and losses on onerous
contracts net of reinsurance recoveries, as a proportion of insurance revenue
net of allocation of reinsurance premiums. The acquisition cost ratio is
calculated as amortisation of insurance cash flows, as a proportion of
insurance revenue net of allocation of reinsurance premiums. The
administrative expense ratio is calculated as other attributable expenses, as
a proportion of insurance revenue net of allocation of reinsurance premiums.
The combined ratio is the total of the claims, acquisition and administrative
expense ratios. All ratios are on an own share basis, which reflects the
Group's share in Syndicate 33, and includes a reclassification of LPT premium
from allocation of reinsurance premium into amounts recoverable from
reinsurers as detailed below.
Costs allocated to Corporate Centre, along with other non-attributable
expenses, are non-underwriting-related costs and are not included within the
combined ratio.
6. Operating segments (continued)
As noted above, the claims ratio, expense ratio and combined ratio include a
reclassification of LPT premium from allocation of reinsurance premiums into
amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims. The subsequent
impacts of LPTs within reinsurance expenses and reinsurance income are
analysed on a net basis within the net claims to provide a view of the
underlying development on these contracts, against the corresponding
development of the gross reserves, consistent with the focus on net
performance when assessing underwriting performance. The impact on profit is
neutral, however this reclassification for the ratios removes any volatility
on a year-on-year comparison.
Year ended 31 December 2024 Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox Total
Retail London Re & ILS
Market
$m $m $m $m
Insurance revenue 2,442.9 1,201.4 1,028.2 4,672.5
Allocation of reinsurance premiums (259.2) (364.9) (585.3) (1,209.4)
LPT premium 57.5 41.6 40.1 139.2
Allocation of reinsurance premiums after reclassifying LPT premium (201.7) (323.3) (545.2) (1,070.2)
Adjusted net insurance revenue 2,241.2 878.1 483.0 3,602.3
Incurred claims and changes to liabilities for incurred claims (960.6) (619.5) (37.8) (1,617.9)
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims 144.5 309.0 (32.1) 421.4
LPT premium (57.5) (41.6) (40.1) (139.2)
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims after reclassifying 87.0 267.4 (72.2) 282.2
LPT premium
Adjusted net incurred claims (873.6) (352.1) (110.0) (1,335.7)
Remove benefit from discounting of claims (104.9) (41.1) (15.9) (161.9)
Undiscounted adjusted net incurred claims (978.5) (393.2) (125.9) (1,497.6)
The following ratios reflect the reclassification of LPT premium and remove
the impact of discounting.
Ratio analysis (undiscounted)
Claims ratio (%) 44.2 44.8 26.1 41.9
Acquisition cost ratio (%) 30.7 29.9 25.8 29.9
Administrative expense ratio (%) 18.7 13.9 17.1 17.4
Combined ratio (%) 93.6 88.6 69.0 89.2
The impact on profit before tax of a 1% change in each component of the
segmental combined ratios is shown in the following table. Any further ratio
change is linear in nature.
Year ended 31 December 2024
Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox
Retail London Re & ILS
Market
$m $m $m
1% change in claims or expense ratio 22.4 8.8 4.8
6. Operating segments (continued)
Year ended 31 December 2023 Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox Corporate Total
Retail* London Re & ILS Centre
Market*
$m $m $m $m $m
Insurance revenue 2,327.8 1,185.5 969.9 - 4,483.2
Insurance service expenses (2,060.9) (867.9) (260.5) - (3,189.3)
Incurred claims and changes to liabilities for incurred claims (978.0) (492.1) (55.6) - (1,525.7)
Amortisation of insurance acquisition cash flows (663.6) (255.7) (119.7) - (1,039.0)
Other attributable expenses (406.1) (120.1) (85.2) - (611.4)
Losses on onerous contracts and reversals (13.2) - - - (13.2)
Insurance service result before reinsurance contracts held 266.9 317.6 709.4 - 1,293.9
Allocation of reinsurance premiums (249.2) (337.9) (532.3) - (1,119.4)
Amount recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims 159.7 199.1 (41.0) - 317.8
Net expense from reinsurance contracts held (89.5) (138.8) (573.3) - (801.6)
Insurance service result 177.4 178.8 136.1 - 492.3
Investment result 200.2 113.6 70.6 - 384.4
Net finance expense from insurance contracts (111.0) (61.0) (48.7) - (220.7)
Net finance income from reinsurance contracts 22.0 23.2 35.8 - 81.0
Net insurance finance expense (89.0) (37.8) (12.9) - (139.7)
Net financial result 111.2 75.8 57.7 - 244.7
Other income 16.1 27.2 41.5 6.3 91.1
Other operational expenses (47.8) (18.8) (12.8) (46.1) (125.5)
Net foreign exchange losses - - - (27.0) (27.0)
Other finance costs (0.9) (0.3) (1.1) (47.7) (50.0)
Share of profits of associates - - - 0.3 0.3
Profit/(loss) before tax 256.0 262.7 221.4 (114.2) 625.9
Ratio analysis
Claims ratio (%) 41.8 35.2 20.5 - 37.4
Acquisition cost ratio (%) 31.0 29.9 27.9 - 30.3
Administrative expense ratio (%) 19.0 14.0 19.9 - 17.8
Combined ratio (%) 91.8 79.1 68.3 - 85.5
*Following a change in management structure at the start of 2024, Hiscox
Retail's kidnap and ransom business written in Syndicate 33 is now reported
within the London Market segment. The comparative period has been reclassified
to present on a consistent basis.
6. Operating segments (continued)
The impact of the reclassification of LPT premium is shown in the following
table.
Year ended 31 December 2023 Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox Total
Retail* London Re & ILS
Market*
$m $m $m $m
Insurance revenue 2,327.8 1,185.5 969.9 4,483.2
Allocation of reinsurance premiums (249.2) (337.9) (532.3) (1,119.4)
LPT premium 62.4 7.9 (8.6) 61.7
Allocation of reinsurance premiums after reclassifying LPT premium (186.8) (330.0) (540.9) (1,057.7)
Adjusted net insurance revenue 2,141.0 855.5 429.0 3,425.5
Incurred claims and changes to liabilities for incurred claims (978.0) (492.1) (55.6) (1,525.7)
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims 159.7 199.1 (41.0) 317.8
LPT premium (62.4) (7.9) 8.6 (61.7)
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers for incurred claims after reclassifying 97.3 191.2 (32.4) 256.1
LPT premium
Adjusted net incurred claims (880.7) (300.9) (88.0) (1,269.6)
Remove benefit from discounting of claims (98.5) (39.5) (6.3) (144.3)
Undiscounted adjusted net incurred claims (979.2) (340.4) (94.3) (1,413.9)
The following ratios reflect the reclassification of LPT premium and remove
the impact of discounting.
Ratio analysis (undiscounted)
Claims ratio (%) 46.4 39.8 22.0 41.7
Acquisition cost ratio (%) 31.0 29.9 27.9 30.3
Administrative expense ratio (%) 19.0 14.0 19.9 17.8
Combined ratio (%) 96.4 83.7 69.8 89.8
*Following a change in management structure at the start of 2024, Hiscox
Retail's kidnap and ransom business written in Syndicate 33 is now reported
within the London Market segment. The comparative period has been reclassified
to present on a consistent basis.
The impact on profit before tax of a 1% change in each component of the
segmental combined ratios is shown in the following table. Any further ratio
change is linear in nature.
Year ended 31 December 2023
Hiscox Hiscox Hiscox
Retail* London Re & ILS
Market*
$m $m $m
1% change in claims or expense ratio 21.4 8.6 4.3
*Following a change in management structure at the start of 2024, Hiscox
Retail's kidnap and ransom business written in Syndicate 33 is now reported
within the London Market segment. The comparative period has been reclassified
to present on a consistent basis.
7. Net asset value (NAV) per share and net tangible asset value per share
31 December 2024 31 December 2023
Net asset value (total equity) Net asset value Net asset value Net asset value
per share (total equity) per share
$m cents $m cents
Net asset value 3,689.9 1,086.4 3,296.7 951.1
Net tangible asset value 3,381.1 995.5 2,972.8 857.7
The NAV per share is based on 339,636,268 shares (2023: 346,612,554), being
the shares in issue at 31 December 2024, less those held in treasury and
those held by the Group Employee Benefit Trust. Net tangible assets comprise
total equity excluding intangible assets.
8. Return on equity (ROE)
2024 2023
$m $m
Profit for the year (all attributable to the owners of the Company) 627.2 712.0
Opening total equity 3,296.7 2,635.0
Adjusted for the time-weighted impact of capital distributions, share buyback (136.8) (54.3)
and issuance of shares
Adjusted opening total equity 3,159.9 2,580.7
Return on equity (%) 19.8 27.6
The return on equity (ROE) is calculated by using profit or loss for the
period divided by the adjusted opening total equity. The adjusted opening
total equity represents the equity on 1 January of the relevant year as
adjusted for time-weighted aspects of capital distributions, share buyback and
issuing of shares or treasury share purchases during the period. The
time-weighted positions are calculated on a daily basis with reference to the
proportion of time from the transaction to the end of the period.
9. Net investment and insurance finance result
2024 2023
$m $m
Investment income including interest receivable 316.4 237.0
Net realised gains/(losses) on financial investments at fair value through 1.5 (17.6)
profit or loss
Net fair value gains on financial investments at fair value through profit or 71.5 170.6
loss
Investment return - financial assets 389.4 390.0
Net fair value gains on derivative financial instruments 0.4 1.1
Investment expenses (5.9) (6.7)
Total investment result 383.9 384.4
Net finance (expense)/income from insurance contracts:
Interest accreted (241.6) (228.5)
Effects of changes in interest rates and other financial assumptions 16.1 7.8
Total net finance (expense)/income from insurance contracts (225.5) (220.7)
Net finance income/(expenses) from reinsurance contracts:
Interest accreted 81.4 87.5
Effects of changes in interest rates and other financial assumptions (8.0) (6.5)
Total net finance income/(expenses) from reinsurance contracts 73.4 81.0
Net insurance finance (expense)/income (152.1) (139.7)
Net financial result 231.8 244.7
10. Other income and operational expenses
2024 2023
$m $m
Other income 113.5 91.1
Staff costs 386.6 373.0
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 60.7 77.1
Other expenses 327.3 286.8
Operational expenses 774.6 736.9
Other income includes management fees and is recognised when the investment
management services are rendered to the ILS funds and commissions paid to the
Group-owned Syndicate managing agent by third-party Names.
Operational expenses comprise attributable expenses amounting to $625.2
million (2023: $611.4 million) included within insurance service expense, and
non-attributable expenses amounting to $149.4 million (2023: $125.5 million)
included within other operational expenses.
The Group previously announced its agreement to sell DirectAsia to Ignite
Thailand Holdings Limited, subject to customary conditions and regulatory
approvals. Those conditions were not met within the agreed time period and
that agreement to sell was terminated. On 18 December 2024, the Group divested
the part of the DirectAsia business which was based in Thailand to Ignite
Thailand Holdings Limited and Roojai Holding (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The $2.1
million loss on disposal is included within other expenses. The remaining
DirectAsia business, which is based in Singapore, continues to be classified
as a disposal group held for sale, as a sale is still considered highly
probable within the next 12 months. The disposal group has been valued at its
expected recoverable amount and no impairment charge has been recognised
(2023: $18.5 million). The remaining DirectAsia business is part of the
retail operating segment but the assets, liabilities and results of DirectAsia
are not material to the segment. Assets held for sale include reinsurance
contract assets and cash, while liabilities held for sale include insurance
contract liabilities and trade and other payables.
11. Other finance costs
2024 2023
$m $m
Interest charge associated with borrowings 40.7 39.4
Other interest expenses 12.4 10.6
Other finance costs 53.1 50.0
12. Tax (credit)/expense
The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to enacted tax laws in the
jurisdictions in which they are incorporated and domiciled.
The amounts charged in the consolidated income statement comprise the
following:
2024 2023
$m $m
Current tax expense/(credit)
Expense for the year 44.2 10.0
Adjustments in respect of prior years (9.2) (1.8)
Total current tax expense 35.0 8.2
Deferred tax expense/(credit)
Expense for the year 33.1 (79.6)
Adjustments in respect of prior years (9.9) (13.4)
Effect of rate change - (1.3)
Total deferred tax expense/(credit) 23.2 (94.3)
Total tax expense/(credit) to the income statement 58.2 (86.1)
Over one hundred and thirty countries have agreed to implement a new global
minimum tax (GMT) as Pillar Two of the OECD two-Pillar reform framework. The
GMT uses adjusted consolidated accounting data to calculate the effective tax
rate (ETR) paid on profits by a multinational in each jurisdiction in which it
operates; and then applies a 'top-up tax' on any jurisdictions where the ETR
is below 15%.
The majority of jurisdictions in which the Group operates have substantively
enacted such legislation ('Pillar Two legislation'). The Hiscox Group is
within the scope of these rules, by virtue of the fact that the Group's
consolidated revenue in at least two of the four years prior to 2024 exceeded
€750 million.
This legislation brings into effect the Income Inclusion Rule (IIR) and
Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (QDMTT) from 2024, and the Undertaxed
Profits Rule (UPR) from 2025. The rules in force for 2024 apply top-up taxes
in participating jurisdictions in respect of any profits in subsidiaries for
which the ETR is below 15%. The Group expects any top-up tax payable in 2024
to be immaterial and has therefore not provided for any such current tax.
As a response to the Pillar Two reform, Bermuda has introduced a corporate
income tax (Bermuda CIT) which will apply at a rate of 15% to profits of
certain Bermuda resident entities with effect from 1 January 2025. The Group
expects to be subject to Bermuda CIT. The Bermuda CIT will apply at a rate of
15% on the profits of Hiscox's Bermudian constituent entities. This will have
a consequential effect on the Group's future tax charge.
A deferred tax asset of $154.6 million in relation to the economic transition
adjustment (ETA) required by this legislation is recognised at the end of the
reporting period. On first entering the scope of Bermuda CIT, the ETA requires
each in-scope entity to estimate the fair value of the assets and liabilities
held by the Bermudian business at 30 September 2023 and use this in place of
book value for tax purposes, creating temporary differences. The principal
driver of this temporary difference is the customer relationships intangible
asset which is subject to significant judgement and estimates, including
forecast cash flows, the discount rate and capital allocation charges.
The impact of these changes on the Group's ETR in future periods will be
dependent on the level of taxable profits in those periods for the Group's
Bermuda constituent entities. In January 2025, the OECD published new Guidance
on the interpretation of the Pillar Two income tax model rules, which advises
that deferred tax assets recognised by Bermuda companies as a result of the
ETA should only be creditable for top-up tax purposes until the end of 2026.
Should this Guidance be substantively enacted into legislation in future
periods, the Group expects a corresponding tax liability to arise equivalent
to 80% of the value of the ETA, spread over eight years, from 2027. Under the
existing IAS12 exception for disclosing information about deferred tax impacts
of Pillar Two taxes, however, this would not be recognised as deferred tax but
would instead increase the Group's effective tax rate in future periods.
13. Insurance contract liabilities and reinsurance contract assets
13.1 Net insurance contract liabilities
Net insurance contracts - analysis by remaining coverage and incurred claims
Year to 31 December 2024 Net liabilities for remaining coverage Net liabilities for incurred claims
Excluding Loss Estimates of Risk adjustment Total
loss component component present value of for non-financial
future cash flows risk
$m $m $m $m $m
Opening assets 118.8* - (1,696.3) (520.8) (2,098.3)
Opening liabilities 346.9 7.5 5,427.8 821.8 6,604.0
Net opening balance 465.7 7.5 3,731.5 301.0 4,505.7
Changes in the consolidated income statement
Insurance revenue, net of allocation of reinsurance premiums(†) (3,463.1) - - - (3,463.1)
Insurance service expenses, net of amounts recoverable from reinsurers
Incurred claims and other attributable expenses - (10.4) 2,089.9 57.6 2,137.1
Amortisation of insurance acquisition cash flows 1,075.6 - - - 1,075.6
Adjustments to liabilities for incurred claims relating to past service - - (255.4) (59.4) (314.8)
Losses and reversals of losses on onerous contracts - 12.3 - - 12.3
Effect of changes in non-performance risk of reinsurers - - (0.6) - (0.6)
Total net insurance service expenses 1,075.6 1.9 1,833.9 (1.8) 2,909.6
Insurance service result (2,387.5) 1.9 1,833.9 (1.8) (553.5)
Net finance (income)/expenses from insurance contracts (10.0) - 162.1 - 152.1
Net foreign exchange losses (24.1) - (44.4) (5.6) (74.1)
Total change recognised in comprehensive income (2,421.6) 1.9 1,951.6 (7.4) (475.5)
Investment components 36.3 - (36.3) - -
Transfer to other items in statement of financial position (271.8) - (702.1) (0.7) (974.6)
Net cash flows
Net premium received 3,440.6 - - - 3,440.6
Net claims and other insurance service expenses paid - - (1,243.4) - (1,243.4)
Insurance acquisition cash flows (833.3) - - - (833.3)
Total cash flows 2,607.3 - (1,243.4) - 1,363.9
Closing assets 69.7* - (1,726.2) (320.3) (1,976.8)
Closing liabilities 346.2 9.4 5,427.5 613.2 6,396.3
Net closing balance 415.9 9.4 3,701.3 292.9 4,419.5
*The net liabilities for remaining coverage, excluding loss component,
includes LPT ARC gross of premium payables of $532.3 million at 31 December
2023 and $407.0 million at 31 December 2024.
(†)Includes allocation of LPT premium of $139.2 million.
13. Insurance contract liabilities and reinsurance contract assets (continued)
13.1 Net insurance contract liabilities (continued)
Net insurance contracts - analysis by remaining coverage and incurred claims
(continued)
Year to 31 December 2023 Net liabilities for remaining coverage Net liabilities for incurred claims
Excluding Loss Estimates of Risk adjustment Total
loss component component present value of for non-financial
future cash flows risk
$m $m $m $m $m
Opening assets 186.8* (0.6) (2,282.4) (421.0) (2,517.2)
Opening liabilities 287.4 2.5 5,737.1 667.3 6,694.3
Net opening balance 474.2 1.9 3,454.7 246.3 4,177.1
Changes in the consolidated income statement
Insurance revenue, net of allocation of reinsurance premiums(†) (3,363.8) - - - (3,363.8)
Insurance service expenses, net of amounts recoverable from reinsurers
Incurred claims and other attributable expenses - (7.7) 1,962.5 72.4 2,027.2
Amortisation of insurance acquisition cash flows 1,039.0 - - - 1,039.0
Adjustments to liabilities for incurred claims relating to past service - - (179.5) (24.1) (203.6)
Losses and reversals of losses on onerous contracts - 13.2 - - 13.2
Effect of changes in non-performance risk of reinsurers - - (4.3) - (4.3)
Total net insurance service expenses 1,039.0 5.5 1,778.7 48.3 2,871.5
Insurance service result (2,324.8) 5.5 1,778.7 48.3 (492.3)
Net finance (income)/expenses from insurance contracts (9.1) - 148.8 - 139.7
Net foreign exchange losses 20.5 0.1 52.3 7.4 80.3
Total change recognised in comprehensive income (2,313.4) 5.6 1,979.8 55.7 (272.3)
Investment components 31.8 - (31.8) - -
Transfer to other items in statement of financial position (258.3) - (682.7) (1.0) (942.0)
Net cash flows
Net premium received 3,337.4 - - - 3,337.4
Net claims and other insurance service expenses paid - - (988.5) - (988.5)
Insurance acquisition cash flows (806.0) - - - (806.0)
Total cash flows 2,531.4 - (988.5) - 1,542.9
Closing assets 118.8* - (1,696.3) (520.8) (2,098.3)
Closing liabilities 346.9 7.5 5,427.8 821.8 6,604.0
Net closing balance 465.7 7.5 3,731.5 301.0 4,505.7
*Includes LPT ARC gross of premium receivable $534.1 million at 31 December
2022 and $532.3 million at 31 December 2023.
(†)Includes allocation of LPT premium of $61.7 million.
13. Insurance contract liabilities and reinsurance contract assets (continued)
13.2 Claims development tables
The development of insurance contract liabilities provides a measure of the
Group's ability to estimate the ultimate cost of claims. The Group analyses
actual claims development compared with previous estimates on an accident year
basis.
Insurance contract liability for incurred claims - net of reinsurance
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total
Accident year $m $m $m $m $m $m
Estimate of ultimate claims costs as adjusted for foreign exchange*
at end of accident year: 1,870.7 1,554.1 1,489.8 1,457.4 1,606.7 7,978.7
one period later 1,858.0 1,460.8 1,501.9 1,408.9 6,229.6
two periods later 1,708.0 1,413.3 1,394.0 4,515.3
three periods later 1,673.6 1,385.4 3,059.0
four periods later 1,644.4 1,644.4
Current estimate of cumulative claims 1,644.4 1,385.4 1,394.0 1,408.9 1,606.7 7,439.4
Cumulative payments to date (1,202.8) (973.3) (885.5) (666.8) (353.0) (4,081.4)
Net cumulative liability for incurred claims - accident years from 2020-2024 441.6 412.1 508.5 742.1 1,253.7 3,358.0
Net cumulative liability for incurred claims in respect of accident years 949.3
before 2020
Effect of discounting (313.1)
Total Group liability for incurred claims to external parties included in 3,994.2
balance sheet - net
*The foreign exchange adjustment arises from the retranslation of the
estimates at each date using the exchange rate ruling at 31 December 2024.
The table above excludes reinsurance recoveries related to the retroactive
reinsurance contracts, for example legacy portfolio transfer arrangements
where the financial effect of the underlying claims is still uncertain. These
are included in reinsurance contract asset for remaining coverage.
14. Earnings per share
Basic
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit or loss
attributable to equity holders of the Company by the weighted average number
of ordinary shares in issue during the period, excluding ordinary shares
purchased by the Group and held in treasury as own shares.
2024 2023
Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Company ($m) 627.2 712.0
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue (thousands) 342,273 345,402
Basic earnings per share (cents per share) 183.2 206.1
Diluted
Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the assumed conversion
of all dilutive potential ordinary shares. The Company has one category of
dilutive potential ordinary shares, share options and awards. For the share
options, a calculation is made to determine the number of shares that could
have been acquired at fair value (determined as the average annual market
share price of the Company's shares) based on the monetary value of the
subscription rights attached to outstanding share options. The number of
shares calculated as above is compared with the number of shares that would
have been issued assuming the exercise of the share options.
2024 2023
Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Company ($m) 627.2 712.0
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue (thousands) 342,273 345,402
Adjustment for share options (thousands) 9,841 7,981
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for diluted earnings per share 352,114 353,383
(thousands)
Diluted earnings per share (cents per share) 178.1 201.5
Diluted earnings per share has been calculated after taking account of
6,263,301 (2023: 5,190,855) Performance Share Plan (PSP) awards, 371,118
(2023: 648,208) options under SAYE schemes and 3,206,786 (2023: 2,142,256)
employee share awards.
15. Dividends paid to owners of the Company
2024 2023
$m $m
Final dividend for the year ended:
31 December 2023 of 25¢ (net) per share 86.0 -
31 December 2022 of 24¢ (net) per share - 82.8
Interim dividend for the year ended
31 December 2024 of 13.2¢ (net) per share 44.8 -
31 December 2023 of 12.5¢ (net) per share - 43.3
130.8 126.1
The interim and final dividend for 2023 was paid either in cash or issued as a
Scrip Dividend at the option of the shareholder. The interim dividend for the
year ended 31 December 2023 was paid in cash of $42.7 million and 43,673
shares for a Scrip Dividend. The final dividend for the year ended
31 December 2023 of 25.0¢ was paid in cash of $84.4 million and 108,222
shares for the Scrip Dividend.
The interim dividend for 2024 was paid either in cash or issued as a Scrip
Dividend at the option of the shareholder. The amounts were $42.6 million in
cash and 144,509 shares for a Scrip Dividend.
The Board recommended a final dividend of 29.9¢ per share to be paid, subject
to shareholder approval, on 15 May 2025 to shareholders registered on
25 April 2025. Dividends will be paid in Sterling unless shareholders elect
to be paid in US Dollars. The foreign exchange rate to convert the dividends
declared in US Dollars into Sterling will be based on the average exchange
rate in the five business days prior to the Scrip Dividend price being
determined. On this occasion, the period will be between 20 May 2025 and
27 May 2025 inclusive.
A Scrip Dividend alternative will be offered to the owners of the Company.
When determining the level of dividend each year, the Board considers the
ability of the Group to generate cash and the availability of that cash in the
Group, while considering constraints such as regulatory capital requirements
and the level required to invest in the business. This is a progressive
policy and is expected to be maintained for the foreseeable future.
16. Financial assets and liabilities
i. Analysis of financial assets carried at fair value
2024 2023
$m $m
Debt and fixed income holdings 6,660.9 6,278.9
Equities and investment funds 210.2 205.4
Private credit funds 148.2 54.7
Total investments 7,019.3 6,539.0
Insurance-linked funds 58.3 35.4
Total financial assets carried at fair value 7,077.6 6,574.4
ii. Analysis of financial liabilities carried at fair value
2024 2023
$m $m
Derivative financial instruments 0.0 0.3
Financial liabilities carried at fair value 0.0 0.3
iii. Analysis of financial liabilities carried at amortised cost
2024 2023
$m $m
Borrowings 656.2 667.0
Accrued interest on borrowings 7.3 7.4
Financial liabilities carried at amortised cost 663.5 674.4
Total financial liabilities 663.5 674.7
16. Financial assets and liabilities (continued)
iii. Analysis of financial liabilities carried at amortised cost (continued)
On 24 November 2015, the Group issued £275.0 million 6.125% fixed-to-floating
rate callable subordinated notes due 2045, with a first call date of 2025.
The notes bear interest from, and including, 24 November 2015 at a fixed rate
of 6.125% per annum annually in arrears starting 24 November 2016 up until
the first call date in November 2025, and thereafter at a floating rate of
interest equal to the sum of compounded daily Sterling Overnight Index Average
(SONIA), the reference rate adjustment of 0.1193% and a margin of 5.076%
payable quarterly in arrears on each floating interest payment date.
On 25 November 2015, the notes were admitted for trading on the London Stock
Exchange's regulated market. The notes were rated BBB- by S&P and Fitch.
On 22 September 2022, the Group issued £250.0 million 6% notes due September
2027. The notes will be redeemed on the maturity date at their principal
amount together with accrued interest.
The notes bear interest from, and including, 22 September 2022 at a fixed rate
of 6% per annum annually in arrears starting 22 September 2022 until maturity
on 22 September 2027. On 22 September 2022, the notes were admitted for
trading on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange's Euro MTF. The notes were rated BBB+
by S&P and Fitch.
The fair value of the borrowings is estimated at $672.0 million (2023: $681.0
million). The fair value measurement is classified within Level 1 of the fair
value hierarchy. The fair value is estimated by reference to the actively
traded value on the stock exchanges.
The decrease in the carrying value of the borrowings and accrued interest
during the year comprises the amortisation of the difference between the net
proceeds received and the redemption amounts of $0.7 million (2023:
$0.7 million), the decrease in accrued interest of $0.7 million (2023: $0.1
million), less exchange movements of $10.9 million (2023: plus exchange
movements of $37.9 million). The Group did not draw down any new borrowings
(2023: $nil) or repay any short-term borrowings (2023: $nil) during the year.
iv. Investments at 31 December are denominated in the following currencies
at their fair value:
2024 2023
$m $m
Debt and fixed income holdings
US Dollars 4,998.4 4,517.3
Sterling 835.8 960.9
Euro and other currencies 826.7 800.7
6,660.9 6,278.9
Equities and investment funds
US Dollars 95.5 84.5
Sterling 80.6 84.3
Euro and other currencies 34.1 36.6
210.2 205.4
Private credit funds
US Dollars 117.5 54.7
Sterling 16.5 -
Euro and other currencies 14.2 -
148.2 54.7
Total investments 7,019.3 6,539.0
17. Fair value measurements
In accordance with IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement, the fair value of financial
instruments, based on a three-level fair value hierarchy that reflects the
significance of the inputs used in measuring the fair value, is set out below.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
31 December 2024 $m $m $m $m
Financial assets
Debt and fixed income holdings 1,127.5 5,523.4 10.0 6,660.9
Equities and investment funds - 179.3 30.9 210.2
Private credit funds - - 148.2 148.2
Insurance-linked funds - - 58.3 58.3
Derivative financial instruments - - - -
Total 1,127.5 5,702.7 247.4 7,077.6
Financial liabilities
Derivative financial instruments - - - -
Total - - - -
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
31 December 2023 $m $m $m $m
Financial assets
Debt and fixed income holdings 1,235.2 5,033.5 10.2 6,278.9
Equities and investment funds - 175.4 30.0 205.4
Private credit funds - - 54.7 54.7
Insurance-linked funds - - 35.4 35.4
Derivative financial instruments - - - -
Total 1,235.2 5,208.9 130.3 6,574.4
Financial liabilities
Derivative financial instruments - 0.3 - 0.3
Total - 0.3 - 0.3
The levels of the fair value hierarchy are defined by the standard as follows:
• Level 1 - fair values measured using quoted prices (unadjusted) in
active markets for identical instruments;
• Level 2 - fair values measured using directly or indirectly
observable inputs or other similar valuation techniques for
which all significant inputs are based on market observable data;
• Level 3 - fair values measured using valuation techniques for
which significant inputs are not based on market observable data.
The fair values of the Group's financial assets are typically based on prices
from numerous independent pricing services. The pricing services used by the
investment manager obtain actual transaction prices for securities that have
quoted prices in active markets. For those securities which are not actively
traded, the pricing services use common market valuation pricing models.
Observable inputs used in common market valuation pricing models include, but
are not limited to, broker quotes, credit ratings, interest rates and yield
curves, prepayment speeds, default rates and other such inputs which are
available from market sources.
Investments in mutual funds comprise a portfolio of stock investments in
trading entities which are invested in various quoted and unquoted
investments. The fair value of these investment funds is based on the net
asset value of the fund as reported by independent pricing sources or the fund
manager.
Included within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy are certain government
bonds, treasury bills, corporate bonds having a quoted price in active
markets, and exchange-traded funds which are measured based on quoted prices
in active markets.
The fair value of the borrowings carried at amortised cost is estimated at
$672.0 million (2023: $681.0 million) and is considered as Level 1 in the
fair value hierarchy.
17. Fair value measurements (continued)
Level 2 of the hierarchy contains certain government bonds, US government
agencies, corporate securities, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed
securities and certain commingled funds. The fair value of these assets is
based on the prices obtained from independent pricing sources, investment
managers and investment custodians as discussed above. The Group records the
unadjusted price provided and validates the price through a number of methods
including a comparison of the prices provided by the investment managers with
the investment custodians and the valuation used by external parties to derive
fair value. Quoted prices for US government agencies and corporate securities
are based on a limited number of transactions for those securities and as
such the Group considers these instruments to have similar characteristics
to those instruments classified as Level 2. Also included within Level 2 are
units held in collective investment vehicles investing in traditional and
alternative investment strategies and over-the-counter derivatives.
Level 3 contains investments in limited partnerships, unquoted equity
securities, private credit funds and insurance-linked funds which have limited
observable inputs on which to measure fair value. Unquoted equities, including
equity instruments in limited partnerships, are carried at fair value. Fair
value is determined to be net asset value for the limited partnerships, and
for the equity holdings it is determined to be the latest available traded
price. The effect of changing one or more inputs used in the measurement of
fair value of these instruments to another reasonably possible assumption
would not be significant.
Private credit funds comprise holdings in funds which, in turn, hold debt
investments in private companies that are not quoted on an active market. The
fair value of the private credit funds is determined based on the net asset
values reported by the investment managers. The underlying loan values, on
which the investments are based, are valued by the investment managers using a
discounted cash flow model. The inputs to the valuation are cash flows,
risk-free rate and a credit spread. The cash flow projections are determined
by the loan terms and the risk-free rate is the overnight rate for the issuing
currency; these are all observable inputs. The credit spread applied is based
on synthetic rating analysis, whereby an equivalent corporate bond rating
is assigned to a private loan based on structural analysis of the issuer's
statement of financial position and performance since investment. This is an
unobservable input but is not deemed to be significant. Given the Group's
knowledge of the underlying investments and the size of the Group's investment
therein, the Group would not anticipate any material variance between the
statements and the final net asset values reported by the investment managers.
At 31 December 2024, the insurance-linked funds of $58.3 million represent
the Group's investment in the unconsolidated Kiskadee funds (2023: $35.4
million).
The fair value of the Kiskadee funds is estimated to be the net asset value as
at the end of the reporting period. The net asset value is based on the fair
value of the assets and liabilities in the fund. The majority of the assets of
the funds are cash and cash equivalents. Significant inputs and assumptions in
calculating the fair value of the assets and liabilities associated with
reinsurance contracts written by the Kiskadee funds include the amount and
timing of claims payable in respect of claims incurred and periods of
unexpired risk. The Group has considered changes in the net asset valuation of
the Kiskadee funds if reasonably different inputs and assumptions were used
and has found that a 12% change to the fair value of the liabilities would
increase or decrease the fair value of funds by $2.2 million.
In certain cases, the inputs used to measure the fair value of a financial
instrument may fall into more than one level within the fair value
hierarchy. In this instance, the fair value of the instrument in its entirety
is classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the
fair value measurement.
The Group's policy is to recognise transfers into and transfers out of fair
value hierarchy levels at the end of the relevant reporting period during
which the transfers are deemed to have occurred. During the year, investments
of $nil (2023: $26.0 million) were transferred from Level 2 to Level 3 due to
insufficient observable data being available, as a result of reduced trading
volumes.
The table below sets forth a reconciliation of opening and closing balances
for financial instruments classified under Level 3 of the fair value
hierarchy:
2024 2023
$m $m
Balance At 1 January 130.3 139.7
Fair value losses through profit or loss (4.5) (11.5)
Foreign exchange (losses)/gains (0.8) 4.8
Purchases 136.6 -
Settlements (14.2) (28.7)
Transfers - 26.0
Closing balance 247.4 130.3
Net unrealised (losses)/gains in the period on securities held at the end of (4.0) 3.5
the period
The closing balance at year end comprised $10.0 million debt and fixed income
holdings (2023: $10.2 million), $30.9 million equities and investment funds
(2023: $30.0 million), $148.2 million private credit funds (2023: $54.7
million) and $58.3 million insurance-linked funds (2023: $35.4 million).
18. Condensed consolidated cash flow statement
The purchase, maturity and disposal of financial assets and liabilities,
including derivatives, is part of the Group's insurance activities and is
therefore classified as an operating cash flow.
Included within cash and cash equivalents held by the Group are balances
totalling $156 million (2023: $181.0 million) not available for immediate use
by the Group outside of the Lloyd's syndicate within which they are held.
Additionally, $32.6 million (2023: $108.1 million) is pledged cash held
against Funds at Lloyd's, and $19.5 million (2023: $10.1 million) is held
within trust funds against reinsurance arrangements.
19. Employee retirement benefit obligations
The table below provides a reconciliation of the movement in the Group's net
defined benefit (surplus)/liability recognised in the Group's statement of
financial position:
2024 2023
$m $m
Group defined benefit surplus at beginning of year (44.4) (20.9)
Third-party Names' share at beginning of year (5.0) (4.3)
Net defined benefit surplus at beginning of year (49.4) (25.2)
Defined benefit income included in the income statement (2.1) (1.7)
Contribution by employer - (24.8)
Total remeasurements included in other comprehensive income 4.8 4.1
Other movements 1.1 (1.8)
Net defined benefit surplus at end of year (45.6) (49.4)
Third-party Names' share at end of year 5.6 5.0
Group defined benefit surplus at end of year (40.0) (44.4)
Remeasurements include changes in actuarial assumptions, predominantly the
application of a higher discount rate (2023: lower discount rate) being
applied to the scheme liabilities and the decrease (2023: increase) in the
fair value of the scheme assets. The contributions paid by the company were
$nil in 2024 (2023: $24.8 million).
Other movements include the defined benefit cost recognised in operating
expenses and exchange gains/losses.
A triennial valuation was carried out as at 31 December 2023 and resulted in a
surplus position of £3.7 million ($4.7 million) on a technical provisions
basis. The previous recovery plan has therefore now fallen away and no further
deficit recovery contributions are due.
While management believes that the actuarial assumptions are appropriate, any
significant changes to those could affect the statement of financial position
and income statement. For example, an additional one year of life expectancy
for all scheme members would increase the scheme obligations by £4.2 million
($5.3 million) at 31 December 2024 (2023: £5.4 million ($6.9 million)), and
would increase/reduce the recorded net deficit/surplus on the statement of
financial position by the same amounts.
A Court of Appeal legal ruling in July 2024 (Virgin Media Limited v NTL
Pension Trustees II Limited) decided that certain pension scheme amendments
were invalid if they were not accompanied by the correct actuarial
confirmation. Pensions industry stakeholders have called on the Department for
Work and Pensions to provide clarity and further legal actions are expected in
this area. The Group continues to believe that the pension scheme deed,
including relevant amendments remains valid and has set the IAS19 assumptions
accordingly. The Group will monitor any further developments and assess any
impact on the Group's pension scheme.
20. Events after the reporting period
There are no material events that have occurred after the reporting date.
Alternative performance measures
The Group uses, throughout its financial publications, alternative performance
measures (APMs) in addition to the figures that are prepared in accordance
with UK-adopted international accounting standards. The Group believes that
these measures provide useful information to enhance the understanding of its
financial performance. The APMs are: combined, claims and expense ratios,
return on equity, net asset value per share and net tangible asset value per
share, insurance contract written premium, net insurance contract written
premium and prior-year developments. These are common measures used across the
industry, and allow the reader of the report to compare across peer companies.
The APMs should be viewed as complementary to, rather than a substitute for,
the figures prepared in accordance with accounting standards.
Combined, claims and expense ratios
The combined ratio is calculated as the sum of the claims ratio and the
expense ratio. Claims are discounted under IFRS 17 which can introduce
volatility to the ratios if interest rates move significantly during a period,
therefore ratios are also presented on an undiscounted basis. The combined,
claims and expense ratios are common measures enabling comparability across
the insurance industry, and are used by the Group to measure the relative
underwriting profitability of the business by reference to its costs as a
proportion of the insurance revenue net of allocation of reinsurance premiums.
The calculation is discussed further in note 6, operating segments.
Return on equity
The ROE is shown in note 8, along with an explanation of the calculation. Use
of ROE is common within the financial services industry, and the Group uses
ROE as one of its key performance indicators. While the measure enables the
Group to compare itself against other peer companies in the insurance
industry, it is also a key measure internally where it is used to compare the
profitability of business segments, and underpins the performance-related pay
and pre-2018 share-based payment structures.
Net asset value (NAV) per share and net tangible asset value per share
NAV per share and net tangible asset value per share are shown in note 7,
along with an explanation of the calculation. Net tangible asset value
comprises total equity excluding intangible assets. The Group uses NAV per
share as one of its key performance indicators, including using the movement
of NAV per share in the calculation of the options vesting of awards granted
under PSPs from 2018 onwards. This is a widely used key measure for management
and also for users of the financial statements to provide comparability across
peers in the market.
Insurance contract written premium (ICWP) and net insurance contract written
premium
ICWP is the Group's top-line key performance indicator, comprising premiums on
business incepting in the financial year, adjusted for estimates of premiums
written in prior accounting periods, reinstatement premium and non-claim
dependent commissions.
The tables below reconcile the ICWP back to insurance revenue and net
insurance contract written premium back to net insurance revenue.
Writing insurance policies is the Group's primary function and this measure
allows a written premium measure alongside the earned premium basis adopted by
the Group under the premium allocation approach for insurance revenue under
IFRS 17.
2024 2023
$m $m
Insurance contract written premium 4,766.9 4,598.2
Change in unearned premium included in the liability for remaining coverage (94.4) (115.0)
Insurance revenue 4,672.5 4,483.2
2024 2023
$m $m
Net insurance contract written premium 3,675.6 3,555.8
Change in unearned premium included in the liability for remaining coverage (94.4) (115.0)
Change in reinsurance provision for unearned premium included in asset for (118.1) (77.0)
remaining coverage
Net insurance revenue (Insurance revenue less allocation of reinsurance 3,463.1 3,363.8
premiums)
Prior-year developments
Prior-year developments are a measure of favourable or adverse development on
claims reserves, net of reinsurance, that existed at the end of the prior
year.
The prior-year development is calculated as the positive or negative movement
in ultimate losses on prior accident years during the year on an undiscounted
basis adjusted for LPT premium.
Prior-year developments are a useful measure as they enables users of the
financial statements to compare and contrast the Group's performance relative
to peer companies and to understand the consistency of the Group's
conservative approach to reserving.
The LPT premium reclass captures the LPT reinsurance recoveries due to changes
in ultimate losses related to the covered business which is recognised in the
reinsurance asset held for remaining coverage.
Prior-year development recognised for the year amounts to $145.5 million
(2023: $122.8 million) and comprises:
2024 2023
$m $m
Adjustment to liabilities for incurred claims relating to past service, net of 314.8 203.6
reinsurance recoveries (on a present value basis)
Adjustment for discounting impact (30.1) (19.1)
Adjustment for LPT premium and experience adjustment (139.2) (61.7)
145.5 122.8
1 (#_ftnref1) Alternative performance measure definitions used by the Group
are included within the consolidated financial statements.
2 (#_ftnref2) 2023 excluding Bermuda deferred tax asset (DTA). ROE of 27.6%
and earnings per share of 206.1¢ including Bermuda DTA.
3 (#_ftnref3) Estimated for 2024.
4 (#_ftnref4) Total estimated cost of returns (interim dividend, final
dividend and $175 million buyback) as a percentage of opening adjusted equity.
5 (#_ftnref5) K&R business written through Syndicate 33 has been
transferred from Hiscox USA to Hiscox London Market. 2023 financials have been
restated to report on a consistent basis.
6 (#_ftnref6) Undiscounted 2024 accident year estimate of ultimate claims
cost, net of reinsurance
7 (#_ftnref7) As measured by an independent third party across the UK,
Europe and US Retail businesses.
8 (#_ftnref8) Allows for the reclassification of LPT recoveries into claims.
9 (#_ftnref9) Does not include expected capital generation in 2025.
10 (#_ftnref10) Leverage defined as borrowings over borrowings and
shareholder equity.
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