2022 FULL-YEAR Annual Report – Shareholders' letter
Annual Report 2022 Letter to shareholders
Letter to shareholders
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Group Chief Executive Officer |
Chairman of the Board of Directors |
Dear Shareholders,
A terrible war in
by the solid fourth-quarter performance delivered by our main businesses and by
our very strong capital position. Our outlook for 2023 has greatly improved.
But frst, let us review some key factors that shaped 2022. On the macroeconomic front, the year was strongly influenced by concerns over both inflation and a global economic slowdown. After decisive action by central banks to curb inflation by raising interest rates, the economic environment remains volatile. Though inflation in some
regions has slightly eased, it is likely to remain higher than in recent decades for a prolonged period. Important questions linger: Will major economies avoid a recession? If not, how long will a downtulast, and how deep will it be?
Moreover, if central bankers halt interest rate hikes prematurely, before inflation returns to target levels, savers will be hurt as rising prices eclipse investment returns.
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This, coupled with the spectre of slowing economies, raises the potential for a widening inequality gap and a weakening of social cohesiveness.
To adjust to this macroeconomic backdrop and ensure we are well prepared for what lies ahead,
Financial markets, long buoyed by rock- bottom interest rates, were also affected by the sudden change in monetary policy as well as uncertainty created by the tragic war in
US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) we have to book mark-to-market adjustments on fnancial investments in our income statements each quarter, in contrast to our European competitors that report under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This resulted in approximately
In spite of these headwinds,
business, predominantly in the frst quarter of 2022. As COVID-19 moves to endemic status, however, mortality is down in many regions, helping retuL&H Re to a solid full-year proft.
Natural catastrophes again made their presence felt, be it through major storms such as Hurricane Ian, one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall in the US, or through smaller perils, such as floods and hailstorms, which together caused signifcant damages. Overall, natural catastrophes caused an estimated
net of favourable prior-year development.
Amid these challenges, we've kept an unwavering focus on executing the Group strategy and remain committed to the natural catastrophe business, which has been proftable over the long term even as we experience annual fluctuations.
Our strong emphasis on portfolio quality and repricing risks to improve shareholder returns while continuing to support clients is bearing fruit, as evidenced by the successful
We remain confdent that
its 160th year after its founding in 1863, is well positioned to succeed and fulfl its
"Our strong emphasis on portfolio quality and repricing risks to improve shareholder returns while continuing to support clients is bearing fruit."
- This includes prior-year and current year reserves in the form of IBNRs.
- Net of reinstatement premiums of
USD 0.2 billion .
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Letter to shareholders
"As we face up to the challenges of a volatile world,
central mission of making the world more resilient. As we face up to the challenges of a volatile world,
2022 Group and business performance As a result of the factors we described, Group net income amounted to
While retuon investments declined
to 2.0% from 3.2%, impacted by the decline in global equity markets and the associated mark-to-market adjustments, the recurring income yield increased to 2.6% in 2022 from 2.2% in 2021, beneftting from reinvestments in a rising interest rate environment. This has resulted in a favourable acceleration of reinvestment returns. In the fourth quarter, the recurring income yield rose to 3.0%, while the fxed income reinvestment yield reached 5.1%.
P&C Re posted net income of
The
L&H Re reported a net income of
Corporate Solutions' net income declined to
95% for 2022. Corporate Solutions is strengthening partnerships with clients, as we help them manage complex,
- Normalised combined ratio assumes average large natural catastrophe loss burden and excludes prior-year reserve development.
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interconnected risks that require a digital transformation to leverage data via our Risk Data & Services platform.
Our capital position has remained very strong, with the Group Swiss Solvency Test (SST) ratio at 294% as of
Taking a comprehensive approach to sustainability
In Asset Management, we set a target to reduce the carbon intensity of our corporate bond and listed equity portfolio by 35% by 2025 and have already achieved a 42% reduction relative to the
base year 2018. We continue to hold on to our longer-term goal of exiting coal-based assets by 2030 for listed equity and corporate bond portfolios.
In Underwriting,
in
by mid-century. As part of the thermal coal policy that
While the war in
this tragic conflict should in no way lead to the softening of net-zero targets. At the heart of
Building societal resilience also remains in focus, supporting climate change adaptation, enhancing the world's ability to recover from disasters and fostering the fnancial inclusion that comes with expanded insurance access. In order to make insurance more affordable, available and accessible,
"Building societal resilience also remains in focus, supporting climate change adaptation, enhancing the world's ability to recover from disasters and fostering the fnancial inclusion that comes with expanded insurance access."
- Net zero means that for every tonne of GHG emissions that cannot be avoided, an equivalent amount of CO2 needs to be removed from the atmosphere and stored permanently.
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Attachments
Disclaimer


2022 FULL-YEAR Extracts from Swiss Re's 2022 Annual Report Presentation
2022 FULL-YEAR Annual Report – Financial Report
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