HomeMembers' ExtranetVacanciesContactSign up About usNewsPrioritiesPublicationsEventsStatistics Long-term investment & sustainable finance Sustainability Hub Explore our hub to see how Europe’s (re)insurers are contributing to combatting climate change and its effects and meeting sustainability goals. Ensuring the right investments for customers and for society to thrive The insurance industry is Europe’s largest institutional investor and an important provider of stable, long-term funding for governments and businesses. Investing is a consequence of the insurance business model: policyholders pay premiums upfront, which insurers then invest until the claims and benefits become due. This can be weeks or months in the case of motor policies, but years or even decades for savings and pension products. It is this long-term business model that creates insurers’ ability, and need, to focus on the long-term performance of assets rather than short-term market volatility, and their ability to invest in illiquid assets and avoid procyclical behaviour. European insurers planned to allocate approximately €150bn to sustainable investments by 2020 (2019 Insurance Europe estimate) These advantages allow insurers to use investment returns to benefit customers either directly in their savings and pension products or indirectly through lower premiums on motor or household policies. Insurers are also uniquely positioned to contribute to sustainable economic growth and to help finance the transition to a carbon-neutral, resource-efficient and more sustainable economy. Insurers have been at the forefront of sustainable investment for many years, taking concrete actions and embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in their sustainability initiatives and strategies. The European Green Deal will allow and require insurers to do even more and will make it easier to track progress towards the goal of zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Investment resilience Annual Report article, June 2021 As sizeable, stable, long-term investors, insurers are uniquely positioned to contribute to economic growth in Europe To enable insurers to maximise their investment potential for customers and contribute to sustainable economic growth, the right regulatory conditions need to be in place. It is especially important that regulation captures, and does not undermine, the benefits of insurers’ long-term business model, and does not push insurers towards short-termism or create unnecessary barriers to investing. Webinar: “Climate Resilience” “Insurers were the first movers in sustainable finance.” Sven Giegold MEP Ambitions for Europe Create a greener, more sustainable Europe Ambitions for Europe Finance sustainable EU economic growth Publications Sustainable finance Response to EC consultation on EU Green Bond Standard proposal 29-9-2021 Consultation response Download Long-term investment Response to consultation on EC call for feedback on securitisation 28-9-2021 Consultation response Download Corporate reporting Response to EFRAG consultation on due process procedures for EU sustainability reporting standard setting 27-9-2021 Consultation response Download Sustainable finance Response to EC call for feedback on the Platform on Sustainable Finance draft proposal for an extended taxonomy to support economic transition 13-9-2021 Consultation response Download Sustainable finance Response to EC call for feedback on the Platform on Sustainable Finance draft report on social taxonomy 13-9-2021 Consultation response Download Distribution Response to Retail Investment Strategy consultation 5-8-2021 Consultation response Download Search Long-term investment & sustainable finance archive Contacts Olav Jones Deputy director general/Director, economics & finance +32 2 894 30 13 jones@insuranceeurope.eu Andrea Pintus Senior policy advisor, investments & sustainable finance +32 2 896 48 38 pintus@insuranceeurope.eu © 2021 Insurance Europe Sign upContactPrivacy This website uses cookies On our website we use technical and analytics cookies. These are necessary for our site to work properly and to give us information about how our site is used. SettingsFine by me, I accept