British specialist insurer Hiscox has reported a 9.5% rise in insurance premiums for the first nine months of 2026, driven by strong demand in its retail business. Group insurance contract written premiums reached $4.44 billion for the nine months ended 30 September, up from $4.05 billion in the same period last year, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The retail arm, which insures small businesses and individuals in the United States, Britain and Europe, has been the engine of the group’s recent growth. That expansion has been volume-led, built on selling more policies rather than simply charging higher prices, and it has continued to accelerate through 2026. In the first half of the year, retail premiums grew 8.2% in constant currency, prompting Hiscox to raise its full-year retail growth guidance from 8% to 9%, with double-digit growth targeted by 2028.
The nine-month update extends a strong first half for the group. Insurance contract written premiums rose 10.1% to $3.24 billion in the six months to 30 June, while the undiscounted combined ratio — a key measure of underwriting profitability — improved to 90.4% from 92.6% a year earlier, and adjusted operating profit before tax rose 26.3%.
Retail strength has mattered all the more because conditions elsewhere in the business have been tougher. Rates across Hiscox’s London Market portfolio, which underwrites larger and more complex risks, fell by 5% in the first half, and the group walked away from around 17% of risks in that portfolio as it judged prices inadequate. Its reinsurance arm, by contrast, benefited from a comparatively benign period for natural catastrophes.
Hiscox is headquartered in Bermuda and listed on the London Stock Exchange, with roots dating back to 1901 — 2026 marks its 125th year. It employs more than 3,000 people in 13 countries, and its business is split between retail, the London Market and reinsurance.
For investors, the question now is whether the premium momentum carries through to the full-year result. The Atlantic hurricane season runs until the end of November, and catastrophe losses late in the year remain the most immediate risk to second-half earnings. This report is based on Reuters’ account of the company’s trading update.
Sources: Reuters, “British insurer Hiscox’s nine-month premiums rise on retail demand”, 3 November 2026, https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/british-insurer-hiscoxs-nine-month-premiums-rise-retail-demand-2026-11-03/ ; Hiscox 2026 interim results transcript, 5 August 2026, https://www.hiscoxgroup.com/sites/group/files/2026-08/Hiscox%202026%20Interim%20Results%20Aug%2005%202026%201030%20AM_Transcript_0.pdf ; Insurance Times, “Hiscox upgrades retail growth target as discipline drives profits for HY26”, https://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/news/hiscox-upgrades-retail-growth-target-as-discipline-drives-profits-for-hy26/1459306.article
