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International News

Colonial Pipeline has cyber insurance policy, paid hackers nearly $5 Million in ransom

The cover was for at least $15 million.

Cyber insurance typically covers ransom payments and insurers often provide staff to negotiate with the hackers, in addition to IT and public relations services.

Swiss Re CEO Christian Mumenthaler argues that the private insurance market is simply not large enough to offer full cyber protection to vulnerable organisations, due to the systemic nature of cyber risk.

He observed that the cyber insurance market is currently worth around $5.5 billion in premium, compared to “gigantic” yearly losses that extend into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

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Gig-economy riders in Spain must become staff within 90 days under new rule

The decree, which was agreed on with trade unions and business associations, aims to clarify the legal situation of thousands of riders after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled last year that companies must hire them as employees.

A debate on how to regulate workers’ rights in the gig economy is unfolding globally. The European Commission has opened a public consultation period on potential EU-wide rules.

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Apple stopped over $1.5B in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020

Apple said it relies on a sophisticated system that combines machine learning, artificial intelligence, and human review by expert teams to moderate these ratings and reviews to help ensure accuracy and maintain trust.

Since 2020, Apple has processed over 1 billion ratings and over 100 million reviews, and over 250 million ratings and reviews were removed for not meeting moderation standards.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co to acquire Willis Re and WTW’s corporate risk, broking, health and benefits services for $3.57 billion

Gallagher has agreed to purchase a group of businesses from Willis Towers Watson that includes:

Willis Re operations globally, excluding operations in mainland China and Hong Kong;

Global cedent facultative reinsurance, excluding operations in mainland China and Hong Kong;
Corporate Risk and Broking business unit known as Inspace globally and certain business undertaken for Aerospace Manufacturing clients;

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EU regulator to test insurers for prolonged COVID economic hit

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) said it will test 44 insurers and reinsurers for their resilience to the economic consequences of the pandemic and a “lower for longer” interest rate landscape.

Insurers are exposed to the economic environment through the returns they can earn from investing insurance premiums, as well as from the level of demand for their products.

“We are still in the middle of the crisis,” EIOPA Executive Director Fausto Parente told a media conference.

“The insurance sector is for sure not immune.”

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Global renewable energy grew at fastest pace in two decades in 2020 – IEA

New renewable energy capacity in 2020 rose by 45% to 280 gigawatts (GW) last year, the largest year-on-year increase since 1999, even though there were supply chain disruptions and construction delays due to the impact of COVID-19.

China accounted for 50% of renewable energy capacity growth last year and will account for 45% this year and 58% in 2022, the report said.

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