Insurance/reinsurance in Cayman Islands

Praised as ‘responsive and very knowledgeable‘, Campbells’ insurance and reinsurance practice handles the formation, licensing and operation of a large percentage of the captive insurance entities established in the Cayman Islands, with particular expertise in captives sponsored by healthcare and not-for-profit entities. Practice head Alan Craig is a key name in the market for dealing with both domestic and international insurers; he specialises in advising reinsurers on establishing in and re-domesticating to Cayman, as well as foreign insurers participating in the domestic market, most notably in relation to M&A and insurance-related capital markets. In March 2021, Alistair Walters  retired, and newly promoted partner Paul Kennedy is now the go-to name for contentious insurance work.

The dedicated team of insurance specialists at Conyers possess an extensive track record across the full spectrum of insurance work, which it handles for a broad client base comprising insurers, reinsurers, captive owners, insurance managers and insurance consultants. Most notably, the department, which is led by Derek Stenson , frequently handles major reinsurer establishments, mergers and migrations, as well as insurance-related M&A, regulatory advisory issues, insurance litigation and insurance-linked securities work. Other noteworthy advisers include counsel Rob Humphries and associate Philippa Gilkes , both of whom are well-versed in regulatory, commercial and transactional matters arising from the insurance and reinsurance sphere.

Walkers fields a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers who collectively have a deep well of experience across regulatory, corporate, structured finance, derivatives, insolvency and litigation issues that emanate from the insurance and reinsurance space. Among the key pillars of the practice are handling the establishment and licensing of life and non-life insurers and reinsurers, financing arrangements, M&A, restructurings, alternative risk transfer structures and regulatory issues. Insurance-linked securities expert Philip Paschalides and global regulatory lead Lucy Frew  head up the group, which also includes Tony De Quintal, who 'is really solid on the regulatory side' where his ‘experience, knowledge and professionalism definitely stand out’.

Integrated into the firm’s corporate department, the insurance practice at Appleby regularly advises on the establishment, licensing, regulatory compliance and business operations of insurance and reinsurance companies, in addition to assisting insurance managers and brokers based in international jurisdictions. As key names to note, Simon Raftopoulos and Jacob MacAdam are particularly active in cross-border finance and corporate deals involving insurance entities, along with reinsurer incorporations.

Maples Group’s insurance team specialises in insurance-related M&A, corporate advisory work and regulatory compliance mandates. Tim Frawley leads the practice, which has experience handling the licensing of insurers, reinsurers, managers and brokers, with a proven record assisting catastrophe bond and other special purpose insurers in particular. The standout name in the firm’s Cayman office for insurance and reinsurance matters is Abraham Thoppil .