GLOBAL ACCESS WEEK 2026

1200-1245: Silent AI: managing the unseen impact

Just as “silent cyber” revealed hidden vulnerabilities in traditional policy wordings, a new wave of non-affirmative exposure is emerging from artificial intelligence. As AI becomes embedded in everyday business processes losses arising from algorithmic error, bias or failure may fall into coverage grey zones. This session explores whether existing policy language can respond, where gaps are likely to appear, and how claims underwriters' teams can manage the next systemic risk before it materialises.

1315-1400 Sports injuries and concussion claims

As professionals increasingly rely on AI tools to analyse data, draft documents and advise clients, new questions arise over responsibility when those systems fail. This session explores how AI-related errors, bias or misuse are creating fresh exposure across professions - from law and accountancy to engineering and healthcare. Panellists will examine how regulators and courts are approaching fault attribution between human and machine, and what this means for claims handling, PI wordings, underwriting strategy.

0830-1000: The rise of non-traditional financial institutions: emerging risks in a changing market

Private credit, fintech lenders, digital platforms and crypto-linked ventures are transforming financial intermediation... but expanding the map of potential claims. From motor finance redress schemes and Consumer Duty investigations to crypto-asset collapses and fund governance disputes, the risk profile of non-traditional financial institutions is moving faster than regulation or insurance wordings can keep pace. This session explores how these trends are reshaping exposures across FI, D&O and professional liability lines, what early claims are telling us, and how underwriters and claims professionals can adapt coverage, monitoring and reserving strategies in response.

1200-12:45 - D&O: Recent case developments and emerging trends

With regulatory scrutiny intensifying and cross-border shareholder actions on the rise, the D&O landscape continues to evolve rapidly. This session reviews recent case law and settlements shaping directors’ and officers’ liability across key jurisdictions including claims linked to ESG disclosures, insolvency-related actions, and regulatory investigations. Panellists will consider what these developments mean for coverage interpretation, defence strategies and reserving, and how claims and underwriters professionals can anticipate the next wave of exposures driven by activism, transparency obligations and global market volatility.

1315-1400 - The escalating cost of claims: social inflation, litigation funding & punitive damages

Across multiple jurisdictions, the combined forces of social inflation, third-party litigation funding and expanding punitive damages are driving both frequency and severity of high-value claims. This session examines what’s behind the trend from changing public attitudes and claimant-side innovation to the influence of US-style litigation models spreading internationally. Panellists will explore the implications for reserving, policy limits, and claims handling, and discuss how underwriters and insurers can adapt to an environment where the cost of defending and settling claims continues to rise sharply.

Join us as we draw a curtain on Global Access Week 2026 in style with a market wide drinks reception, a great opportunity to speak to friends and colleagues from across the market.