The coronavirus emergency has forced the insurance industry to change its focus from managing billions of dollars in natural catastrophe claims to dealing with a hazard that’s invisible but even more destructive.

The April/May edition of Insurance News magazine switches its own focus from bushfires to the unfolding story of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on insurance so far.

Carefully researched articles into this unprecedented event look at how the economic “hibernation” and resulting business slide will put more pressure on brokers to demonstrate value as SME clients seek ways to cut costs.

We also look at how the pandemic has taken the wind out of the sails of the two largest local brokers, and how several months of bushfires, floods and hailstorms have caused extreme financial pain to insurers.

This edition also examines other vital industry issues. As generational change sweeps through the industry, Insurance News shows how the old tradition of “falling into insurance’ is no longer enough. Solving skills shortages has become a key industry challenge.

There’s interviews with Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s global chief Peter Eastwood and the CEO of New Zealand insurer Tower, who is using technology to compete with the Australian-owned market giants. And we look at the rise and rise of Ansvar in Australia.

You can learn how smoke haze, lost bees and needy pumpkins added to lost millions in the agricultural sector, and how insurance can be better equipped to deal with the risk next time; how mergers and acquisitions have come to a sudden stop; and how premium funding is performing in a low interest rate environment.

All that and so much more in Insurance News magazine, the industry’s most popular and widely followed magazine. It’s being mailed out around Australia over the next week, and is available online now.