Australia and New Zealand sit at opposite ends of the international solvency spectrum — as Australia is among the largest in the Asia Pacific region, while New Zealand is smaller in scale and undergoing significant evolution to align with international best practices. During this penultimate episode of “The Standard Formula” series on global prudential solvency requirements, host Rob Chaplin and associate Connor Williamson examine the two countries’ markets and regulatory regimes, regulatory structures, capital standards, governance and reporting requirements, and reinsurance frameworks, among other topics.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡

Name: Robert Chaplin

Title: Partner, Insurance at Skadden

Specialty: Rob primarily focuses on transactional and advisory work in the insurance sector. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and strategic reinsurances. He also counsels on regulatory issues, with an emphasis on Solvency II.

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡

Name: Connor Williamson

What he does: Connor has a wide-ranging financial institutions and regulatory practice, with extensive experience advising insurers, asset and wealth managers, banks, payment institutions, credit rating agencies, non-bank lenders and financial sponsors on transactional and stand-alone advisory matters.

Organization: Skadden

Words of wisdom: “The first point to understand is that New Zealand has its own regulatory regime, and that's actually more different from Australia than you might expect.”

Connect: LinkedIn

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The Standard Formula is a podcast by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.

South Korea's insurance industry is estimated to be the seventh-largest globally, with high market concentration: three life insurers hold approximately 50% of the life insurance market while the top four non-life insurers control about 70% of the non-life market. In this episode of Skadden's yearlong podcast series on global insurance regulatory regimes, host Rob Chaplin and colleague Chiara Iorizzo explore South Korea's robust, multi-layered regulatory framework. Tune in for their detailed analysis of the country’s regulatory and prudential regimes and observations about how the country aligns with global insurance standards.

Name: Rob Chaplin

Title: Partner, Insurance at Skadden

Specialty: Rob primarily focuses on transactional and advisory work in the insurance sector. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and strategic reinsurances. He also counsels on regulatory issues, with an emphasis on Solvency II.

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Chiara Iorizzo

What she does: Chiara advises on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, group restructurings, regulated financings, governance and regulatory matters for private equity sponsors, asset managers, reinsurers, brokers and other financial institutions within the insurance and financial services sector.

Organization: Skadden

Words of wisdom: “If an insurer's KICS ratio falls below the minimum, the FSC has broad powers to take prompt corrective action. This can include requiring the insurer to raise capital, dispose of assets, close sales offices, merge, or transfer business. The regime is designed to ensure that insurers remain financially sound and can meet their obligations to policyholders.”

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Follow us on X and LinkedIn.

☑️ Subscribe to The Standard Formula on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

The Standard Formula is a podcast by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal...

On the latest episode of "The Standard Formula," host Rob Chaplin is joined by associates Dev Jain and Richi Kidiata for a comprehensive tour of Africa’s rapidly evolving insurance landscape. The team delves into the regulatory frameworks of South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya — markets at the forefront of aligning with international best practices and standards such as Solvency II — and breaks down each jurisdiction’s approach to capital and liquidity requirements, risk management and governance, while highlighting recent reforms, local challenges and the growing integration of African insurers into the global financial system.

Name: Robert Chaplin

Title: Partner, Insurance at Skadden

Specialty: Rob primarily focuses on transactional and advisory work in the insurance sector. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and strategic reinsurances. He also counsels on regulatory issues, with an emphasis on Solvency II.

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Richi Kidiata

Organization: Skadden

Name: Dev Jain

Organization: Skadden

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Follow us on X and LinkedIn.

☑️ Subscribe to The Standard Formula on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

The Standard Formula is a podcast by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.