The current macro-economic and financial conditions remain extremely challenging for the European insurance sector. Under the ongoing low yield environment insurers are changing their business models and looking for new investment and business opportunities to improve their profitability and the...

This paper surveys the formation and development of insurance business in Brazil. It describes its very first steps, from the colonial times and imperial era to recent events. Particular attention is given to regulatory changes, showing how they evolved in response to macroeconomic shocks that...

Empirical evidence that migrants send home more remittances after disasters raises the question of whether remittances are used to self-insure, substituting for both formal and informal insurance. We investigate this question using a unique dataset on the usage patterns of financial services by...