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Podcast

Risk in Context Podcast: Uncovering the Benefits of Political Risk Insurance

In this episode of our Risk in Context podcast, Marsh’s Julie Martin and Stephen Kay and Alexia Ash, director for risk quantification at IHS Markit, discuss the findings of the study and how this information can help businesses as they consider their investments in developing countries.
A raised fist of a protestor at a political demonstration

Political risk insurance can provide financial security for businesses making investments in foreign countries, helping to protect them against monetary losses stemming from government actions. Although political risk insurance (PRI) has been available for several decades, efforts to quantify the value of PRI are new.   A recent study by Marsh and S&P Global evaluated the potential benefits of PRI.

In this episode of our Risk in Context podcast, Marsh’s Julie Martin and Stephen Kay and Alexia Ash, director for risk quantification at S&P Global, discuss the findings of the study and how this information can help businesses as they consider their investments in developing countries.

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Key takeaways

Predicting country risk can be challenging.

Insufficient data has often contributed to difficulties understanding the extent of political risk in a country and the value that political risk insurance can add to a project.

Political risk insurance can provide added value.

Rather than being an expense, the study indicates that political risk insurance can enhance the internal rate of return of an insured project.

Quantification can aid funding efforts.

Data-based insights into the value of political risk insurance for individual projects have the potential to broaden investment interest and expand the pool of potential buyers for a foreign project.

About our speakers

Stephen Kay

Stephen Kay

Managing Director, Global Infrastructure BD Leader, Credit Specialties

  • United States

Stephen Kay is a managing director in Marsh Specialty’s Credit Specialties practice. His expertise includes political risk and structured credit products for banks, capital market investors, and corporates, including Basel II-compliant credit products.

Alexia Ash

Alexia Ash

Director for Risk Quantification, S&P Global

  • Netherlands

Alexia Ash leads the economics and country risk quantification team at S&P Global. She is responsible for quantitative inputs and projects that require translation across risk metrics and benchmarks. She is also a quantification expert within the country risk team, where she helps develop scores methodology.