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Eco/Invest/Demography

German population slightly lower as virus hits immigration

Some 83.1 million people lived in Germany at the end of June, with the population declining by 40,000, or 0.05%, in the year’s first half, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
The statistics office pointed to a sharp decline in net immigration starting in March, when the pandemic hit Europe, and lasting through May a period that accounted for a population decline of 59,000. Most countries shut down public life and many, including Germany, largely shut their borders.

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World economy in deep recession in 2020, growth to be -4.4%: IMF

Gopinath said for emerging market and developing countries, excluding China, IMF has a downgrade with growth projected to be – 5.7 percent in 2020 and then a recovery to 5 percent in 2021.

With this, the cumulative growth in per capita income for emerging-market and developing economies, excluding China, over 2020-21 is projected to be lower than that for advanced economies, she said.

Gopinath said that the considerable global fiscal support of close to $12 trillion and the extensive rate cuts, liquidity injections, and asset purchases by central banks helped save lives and livelihoods and prevented a financial catastrophe.

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Facebook will ban ads discouraging people from getting vaccines

Facebook is working with public health partners like the World Health Organization and UNICEF on messaging campaigns to increase immunization rates, they added.

Anti-vaccine content and misinformation about the new COVID-19 vaccines have flourished on social media platforms including Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers told Reuters earlier this year.

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Lloyd’s headquarters to be transformed into a workplace for the future:CEO

“The Lloyd’s building is almost 35 years old, so how can it be the right environment for the market to operate?For the first time, we have both a virtual capability and a real capability operating simultaneously at Lloyd’s. We’ve also set some ideas on the table to metaphorically rip up the underwriting room and decide what it should look like in the 21st century, and what the marketplace should look like in the 21st century,” said Neal while speaking at a Virtual Reinsurance Renewal Season fireside chats.hosted by Dominic Christian, global chairman of Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions, 

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Asia Pacific health care benefit cost expected to jump by 8.5% in 2021, Willis Towers Watson survey

The 2021 Global Medical Trends Survey, the largest of its kind, found that medical insurers in APAC project health care benefit costs will take a sudden drop in 2020 before rebounding to 8.5% in 2021, up from 6.2% this year and 7.5% in 2019.

Markets including China (9.3%), India (10%), Indonesia (12%), Malaysia (12.5%), New Zealand (20%), Philippines (8.8%), Singapore (8.2%), Thailand (8%) and Vietnam (10.2%) will see an increase in excess of  8%  next year.
According to the study, cancer (79%), cardiovascular diseases (76%), and conditions affecting musculoskeletal and connective tissue (42%) are the top three conditions currently affecting medical costs in APAC, with cancer and cardiovascular diseases expected to remain so in the near future.

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Swiss Re and Daimler launch new company Movinx, to transform automotive & mobility insurance business

Both  shareholders of the 50/50 joint venture will leverage their complementary expertise to establish a new business model.
The aim is to develop fully digital automotive and mobility insurance products that both fulfill changing customer needs and offer best-in-class service quality. The first insurance products and services are planned to launch in France in 2021.

In the coming years, further market entries are planned across Europe, in the Americas, and in Asia.
Pravina Ladva, Swiss Re’s Digital Transformation Officer, said: ”We believe that partnering with Daimler Insurance Services and establishing Movinx will take us to the next level in innovating mobility insurance. Our joint long-term ambition is to unlock an ecosystem interplay where insurance supports the introduction of new technologies such as advanced driving assistance systems and autonomous cars as well as new business models in the mobility area.”

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Mumbai hit by massive power outage

The failure was caused by “technical problems” during maintenance work, the energy minister of Maharashtra said in a video message. Power has now been restored to many areas of the city, officials and witnesses said.
The state government has asked the suppliers to provide uninterrupted power to hospitals, many of which are treating COVID-19 patients.

Hospitals and other institutions in India have over the years banked on emergency diesel power generators as a backup due to frequent outages caused by demand outstripping supply, though the situation is improving now.

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