EAA’s Spotlight: Finish 2024 Strong with 10 Web Sessions for Actuaries

As we approach the end of 2024, the EAA highlights 10 web sessions designed for actuaries, covering crucial topics such as risk management, data science, and the latest industry trends. Led by international experts, these sessions provide a valuable opportunity to stay current and earn your final CPD points for the year.
In addition to these 10 featured sessions, be sure to explore even more training opportunities on the EAA website, where you’ll find additional options to help you stay ahead in the profession.
Make the most of the final months of 2024 with EAA’s web sessions, and get ready for a successful start to 2025!

Web Session 'Cancer Survivors' Right to be Forgotten'

on 23 October 2024 | 10:00-12:00 CEST

This web session aims to give an overview and a deeper understanding of the cancer survivors’ Right to be Forgotten (RTBF) and its current development inside and outside Europe. We will discuss the different parameters of RTBF, such as product scope, disease scope, minimum remission period (timeline) and others. We will also provide solutions how to estimate the actuarial impact depending on these RTBF parameters. Finally, its purpose is to help understanding and navigating the most recent developments and implications of RTBF for L&H insurance.

Web Session: 'System Migrations of Life Insurance Contracts: DON'T JUST MIGRATE'

on 4 November 2024 | 9:00-12:15 CET

During the seminar, the aforementioned will be concretely illustrated based on a migration of a very diverse classic life insurance portfolio (with guaranteed life and/or death performance in various combinations). On the one hand, we will go over the different steps (actuarial and non-actuarial- in a migration project and on the other hand, we will demonstrate how this portfolio can
a) be migrated to a modern generic cash-flow-driven management platform (universal life + unit linked), and
b) at the same time the life insurance policies can also be renewed.
During the seminar participants will understand that the underlying renewal is fundamental to make the migration a real success: both for the insurer and for the policyholders and beneficiaries.

Although the aforementioned will be illustrated from Belgian practice, we believe that this innovative migration strategy is useful, relevant and innovative in many other countries.

Web Session 'Artificial Intelligence Act: The Insurance Fallout - Overview'

on 12 November 2024 | 9:00-12:30 CET

The purpose of this session is to introduce the relevant aspects of regulation, timelines and consequences with respect to the actuarial practice. Starting from the study of relevant articles of the AI Act draft, we will develop an understanding of the impending consequences and likely interpretations of the legal framework. The seminar is structured as follows:

  1. Contents and objects of regulation
  2. Actuarial relevance
  3. Example cases
  4. Implementation advice
  5. Outlook and discussion

Web Session 'Hands-on Adaptive Learning of GLMs for Risk Modelling in R'

14/15 November 2024 | 9:00-15:00 CET

The purpose of this web session is twofold:

First, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the algorithm including its underlying theoretical motivation and its statistical properties.

Second, you will receive a comprehensive executable R programme that implements the algorithm. During the web session we will discuss and apply the code hands-on by means of a case study. You will learn how to run the algorithm for different settings and data. After the web session, you will have an R programme to add to your actuarial toolbox, which you can easily apply to own data and extend or modify according to your needs.

Web Session 'IFRS 17 Risk Adjustment: Practical Approaches & Lessons Learned'

on 20 November 2024 | 10:00-12:00 CET

The session aims to provide participants with a comprehensive introduction regarding the risk adjustment concept under IFRS 17. We will shed light on the general concepts behind risk adjustment and its application within IFRS 17 and illustrate the importance of risk adjustment in measuring, presenting, and disclosing insurance contracts.

The online training will also provide insights into the most commonly used practical methodical concepts. Practical examples and case studies will be used to illustrate the application of risk adjustment within the IFRS 17 framework.

In addition, insights into emerging market views will be shared, and participants will have the opportunity to discuss these topics. Challenges and considerations specific to the European markets will also be discussed.

By formulating the points in this way, participants will gain a clear understanding of the objectives of the training and how it will assist them in navigating the complexities of risk adjustment within the IFRS 17 framework.

Web Session 'Cyber Risk and Insurance'

on 21/22 November 2024 | 10:00-12:00 CET

The purpose of this session is to give an overview of current cyber insurance topics from a practitioner’s perspective. The following agenda items will be covered:

  1. Introduction
  2. Coverage of cyber policies
  3. Challenges in claims and exposure management
  4. Modelling approaches
  5. Risk management
  6. Conclusion and outlook

Web Session 'Mathematical Modelling for Actuaries'

on 28/29 November 2024 | 9:00-17:00 CET

Actuaries are very experienced in modelling financial risks either stemming from population dynamics or from random events. Probability theory and statistics is their daily bread. But there are many other phenomena out in the world without having a direct financial impact but should be understood by actuaries as well. This web session is about models which typically are not covered in full by actuarial exams, but which could bring better insights to risks actuaries have to price. We will show very general approaches to set up models with applications from many different areas, whether it is medicine, construction, meteorology, biology or others. Of course, this web session can only be seen as an introduction into modelling and cannot cover all interesting models, but it should enable participants to find more in literature or develop their own ideas.

In the web session, we will first shed a light on the context of accounting for insurance contracts within the IFRS 17 framework. We will present and discuss the general concepts behind the new model and refer to the application of valuation models like the Variable Fee Approach (VFA) and the Premium Allocation Approach (PAA). The web session will proceed with a discussion of topics specific to individual lines of business. We will close with an overview of methodical most relevant topics for implementation seen in various European markets, share emerging market experience and discuss these with the participants.

Overall, the goal is to enable participants to understand the standard and help transferring the requirements into your specific situation. It is thus intended to prepare participants for model development, implementation, testing, reviewing and consulting with management, accounting and auditors.

Web Session 'CERA 0: A Refresher Course in Financial Mathematics and Risk Measurement'

on 2/3 December 2024 | 9:00-15:45 CET

We offer a series of four training courses and exams (through DAV) to all actuaries who want to deepen their knowledge in Enterprise Risk Management and gain the international ERM-credential CERA.

The web session ‘A Refresher Course in Financial Mathematics’ gives an introduction to modern financial mathematics and derivative pricing. It is designed to prepare actuaries without adequate training in these fields for the quantitative parts of the CERA education. The web session is moreover an ideal learning opportunity for actuaries who want to become acquainted with or refresh their knowledge in these highly relevant fields.

The online course begins with a repetition of basic concepts in probability theory including characteristics of random variables such as moments and quantiles. In order to prepare the analysis of dynamic financial models we introduce the idea of conditional expectations and we discuss stochastic processes in discrete time. The online session continues with an introduction to financial mathematics. We study risk neutral valuation and the hedging of derivatives in discrete-time models. The last part of the web session is devoted to an introduction to financial mathematics in continuous time. Topics covered include stochastic processes in continuous time such as Brownian motion and the Ito formula, the Black Scholes model and the Greeks very basic term structure models and the pricing and hedging of simple stock and bond options. The web session consists of lectures interspersed by short exercise sessions where participants can apply the probabilistic techniques hands-on.

Web Session 'Inflation Risk Management'

on 10 December 2024 | 10:00-12:00 CET

Over the last five years many countries have seen substantial swings in inflation. This volatility, following an extended period of relative stability, has reminded actuaries that unexpected changes in inflation rates can have big implications for organisations that they work for.

Insurers and pension funds wanting to manage inflation risks will typically find it beneficial to approach this task from a range of perspectives. They will likely want to explore recent as well as more historic inflation experiences and the roles played by different actors as well as by broader social and economic trends. They may also want to draw on stylised descriptions of how inflation might be expected to impact assets and liabilities. They then should bear in mind that actual behaviours of many assets and liabilities in past inflationary and deflationary periods have often only loosely corresponded to such stylised descriptions.

Risk management is, of course, ultimately more about seeking to optimise what happens in the future rather than about explaining what went on in the past. So, in this web session we will introduce the contexts referred to above and we will also explore approaches that can be used by insurers to model, manage and hedge risks arising from unexpected changes in inflation rates. In some cases, the inflationary link may be explicit (e.g. if claims include direct inflation indexation clauses). In other cases, the link may be less precise or more indirect, but these risks may still need highlighting and exploring if risk management is to be successful.

The purpose of this web session is to explore how inflation and its uncertain evolution impacts insurers and pension funds and how actuaries can manage the risks involved. It will draw on recent work within the Actuarial Association of Europe and other bodies on inflation risk management.

Web Session 'SCR Interest under Solvency II'

on 11 December 2024 | 10:00-12:00 CET

The purpose is to explain how the current SCR interest has been calibrated based on Principal Component Analysis and the need for changes in a low interest environment. We will then describe the new relative shifted approach and preliminary impact assessments. We will also address the question on the SCR interest up in an inflationary environment and possible solutions.