Markets Insider (1/16/2019)
Insured losses from major natural catastrophes in 2018 totalled roughly $71.5 billion, only slightly more than the annual average since 2011, but the third-highest total during the eight-year period, according to the Summary of Natural Catastrophe Events 2018 report, published today by Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Towers Watson, the leading global advisory, broking and solutions company (NASDAQ:WLTW).

Business Wire (1/15/2019)
In the wake of mega data breaches and privacy scandals, major IT outages and the introduction of tighter data protection rules in the European Union and other countries, cyber risk is now a core concern for businesses in 2019 and beyond.

Insurance Journal (1/15/2019)
Cyber insurance is trending upward, the industry is growing, and the technology around it is evolving at a very quick pace. While predictions are always hard to make, here are five trends that are likely to catapult the cyber insurance industry forward, creating fertile ground for growth in 2019. (See the graphic below, compiled by Munich Re, which highlights the escalating threats from cyber risks).

Continuity Central (1/16/2019)
A recent survey by Deloitte has shown that organizations are concerned about several extended enterprise risks, including supply chain, financial, regulatory, legal, and strategic. Organizations need to manage these areas centrally, leading to an expectation that 'extended enterprise risk management' (EERM) will be a 2019 priority.

CNBC (1/15/2019)
Federal prosecutors unveiled charges in an international stock-trading scheme that involved hacking into the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR corporate filing system. The scheme allegedly netted $4.1 million for fraudsters from the U.S., Russia and Ukraine. Using 157 corporate earnings announcements, the group was able to execute trades on material nonpublic information.

Economia (1/16/2019)
The business world has reacted to yesterday's Brexit deal vote, which was rejected by 230 votes, the largest defeat for a government in UK history. Prime minister Theresa May now has three days to come up with a plan B, at the same time as later tonight facing a motion of no confidence brought by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Continuity Central (1/15/2019)
Radware has published its 2018-2019 Global Application and Network Security Report, which looks at the impacts of cyber attacks and the measures that businesses have taken to prepare for and respond to them. The top impact of cyber attacks, as reported by respondents, is operational/productivity loss (54 percent), followed by negative customer experience (43 percent).

Reuters (1/14/2019)
The U.S. Federal Reserve is wary of giving "fintech" firms such as OnDeck Capital Inc (ONDK.N) or Kabbage Inc. access to the country's financial infrastructure, putting the central bank at odds with other regulators looking to bring them into the fold.

Risk & Insurance (1/15/2019)
While the shale bonanza put the U.S. back on the global market as a major oil and gas producer, it is also straining the country's aging pipeline infrastructure. Midstream companies are scrambling to get oil to market while at the same time dealing with recurring losses, some of them major headlines.

Bloomberg (1/11/2019)
For years, accounting and risk management have struggled to stay in sync. Limitations in IAS 39 have seen firms unable to consistently and accurately reflect their risk-management activities in financial statements. While accounting has emphasised the nitty gritty of company finances, risk management has traditionally focused on future prospects. IFRS9 will go a long way towards clarifying the role and outcome of risk management in accounting.

The Wall Street Journal (1/15/2019)
Disruptive technology change can be daunting, and yet "new technologies that may have overwhelmed organizations a decade ago when they were first introduced now drive everyday business without any fuss or fanfare," says Bill Briggs, global CTO at Deloitte Consulting LLP. "And the technologies we're focused on now—including cognitive, blockchain, and digital reality—will likely have the same feeling of comfort, familiarity, and even inevitability in the near future."

We are pleased to announce the RIMS 2019 Annual Conference & Exhibition keynote speakers. Join us in Boston on April 28 – May 1 and hear from our two talented keynote speakers, author, professor Erin Meyer and tennis legend, activist Billie Jean King. RIMS 2019 will offer more than 100 hours of industry-leading education addressing the latest in claims management, cyber and technology risk, enterprise risk management, insurance and more. Discounted member registration rates expire February 15.

This new RIMScast episode features Jason Brown, Chair of the Technical Committee that oversaw the changes made to the ISO 31000 standard. Mr. Brown is also the National Security Director for Thales in Australia and New Zealand. He provides valuable insight in this special episode; discussing the most important changes that were made to the ISO 31000 standard in 2018, the key elements that were retained and other projects that the Technical Committee will be working on in the future. He also offers his advice for risk management professionals interested in standards and how they can get involved on those committees.