Berkshire Hathaway, the US-based conglomerate with significant insurance and reinsurance operations, has underlined its cautious approach to emerging risk areas, with Vice Chairman of Insurance Operations Ajit Jain highlighting ongoing concerns around cyber underwriting and limited activity in the fast-growing data centre sector.
On cyber, Ajit Jain said demand for cover remains strong globally, but the company has deliberately taken a measured approach to entering the market. He said: “Cyber is something we worry about in the insurance operation at two levels. Firstly there is a huge demand by people in businesses all over the world who are interested in buying protection against some kind of a cyber incident.”
He explained that a key issue for Berkshire Hathaway is the difficulty in confidently modelling aggregate exposure, noting: “Because any risk we take on, the first question we ask ourselves is how bad can bad be, and I’m not sure we can answer that question as well as we should.”
He added that the popularity of cyber insurance in recent years has also influenced the company’s stance, with relatively limited losses leading to falling premiums. “So, we’d hate entering a line of business where prices are coming down. So we are sort of sitting on the sidelines and I’m not sure when, but I’m pretty certain that the day will come when we will have a fairly significant role to play in cyber.”
Ajit Jain also acknowledged that Berkshire Hathaway faces cyber risk internally as a large organisation, saying: “We try and do the best we can. We, I think are as good as anyone else.” He noted the group operates above regulatory requirements, while stopping short of offering absolute assurances.
Addressing data centres, Ajit Jain indicated that current market conditions have limited the company’s participation. He said: “So right now in the insurance sphere the supply is greater than the demand and that makes it very difficult to be able to carve out a deal that rationally is good for the buyer and the seller.” He added that this imbalance has kept Berkshire Hathaway from actively underwriting risks tied to new facilities, including hyperscale data centres.
Despite this, he signalled that the long-term outlook could shift as demand continues to grow, concluding: “But clearly there is a surge in demand and as long as supply doesn’t go crazy, we will get a few days in the sun sometime in the next few years.”
