When you trade or invest across borders, your balance sheet is at risk. In commodities, where pre-payment is common as a means of financing production and guaranteeing long-term supply, non-payment or non-delivery can have a devastating commercial effect. We help you protect yourself against these sorts of risks with our political and credit risk insurance team.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Political and Credit Risks

Get in touch (opens a new window)

We focus on the risks associated with cross-border trades and investments

When you trade or invest across borders, your balance sheet is at risk. In commodities, where pre-payment is common as a means of financing production and guaranteeing long-term supply, non-payment or non-delivery can have a devastating commercial effect. We help you protect yourself against these sorts of risks.

We also help you manage political risk. Foreign government actions like war, trade embargoes and expropriation can affect your bottom line, costing you tens or hundreds of millions. They can even cause you to write off your investment completely. The longer your trade or investment agreement, the greater the uncertainty – and the more you need cover.

We arrange insurance coverage that protects you against political and counterparty risks in trade transactions. We work with commodity traders and the banks that finance them, as well as with equity investors who have subsidiaries or physical assets abroad. Clients include the leading banks, construction companies, international commodities traders,  industrial companies, miners, oil producers and exporters.

What we cover

We’re more than an insurance broker – we’re a partner helping you protect your balance sheet.   We investigate the insurance market to find counterparties who’ll take on your political and trade credit risks at a premium you’re comfortable with.

We’ll advocate for you and negotiate hard on your behalf. As well as this, we’ll:

  • Analyse your risk and identify areas where a government action may threaten your investment

  • Study your contracts and recommend changes if needed to make them insurable

  • Suggest ways to structure your risk to reassure underwriters, such as obtaining collateral or guaranties

  • Get underwriters more closely involved with you and your risk to develop a true partnership

  • Advise you on the best way to manage your risk, not just the best insurance to buy

Our Political & Credit Risk Insurance Team

Placeholder image

David Coupland

Senior Vice President
david.coupland@lockton.com
+44 207 933 2445

Placeholder image

Chris Wetherell

Head of FPR Europe Specialty
chris.wetherell@lockton.com
+44 207 933 2658

Placeholder image

James Gearing

Producer Europe Specialty
james.gearing@lockton.com
+44 207 933 1479

News and Insights

Recent developments within the commercial real estate (CRE) market are forcing asset holders to rethink their real estate strategy. To remain agile and attractive to tenants, office property owners are considering whether to refurbish existing stock, or construct new blocks from scratch. However, this is rarely a straightforward decision. Economic pressures, evolution in tenant demands, developments within ESG requirements, and planning considerations are among the most pressing factors that complicate how CRE asset holders seek to retain tenants and protect long-term asset value.Refurbish or rebuild? Considerations for office property owners

Professional services: Key considerations for implementing AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly embedded within professional services, with uses that range from automating routine tasks, to conducting deep-level data analysis. Firms are deploying both third‑party tools and internally‑developed solutions at pace, with adoption growing quickly, particularly among junior staff.

But this embracing of AI within the professional services sector isn’t risk-free. A survey of underwriters conducted by the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) identifies Professional Indemnity (PI) as the insurance line most likely to experience AI-related losses, driven by the potential for erroneous or hallucinated outputs. Despite the clear operational benefits of this technology, the risks associated with AI use are bringing about increased regulatory scrutiny and a heightened need to demonstrate responsible implementation.

Against this backdrop, we’ve set out some key areas of risk that professional services firms may wish to keep in mind when developing and implementing AI tools. Any roll-out of AI must be conducted in a manner that is both responsible and aligned with professional, ethical, regulatory, and insurer expectations.Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly embedded within professional services, with uses that range from automating routine tasks, to conducting deep-level data analysis. Firms are deploying both third‑party tools and internally‑developed solutions at pace, with adoption growing quickly, particularly among junior staff.

But this embracing of AI within the professional services sector isn’t risk-free. A survey of underwriters conducted by the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) identifies Professional Indemnity (PI) as the insurance line most likely to experience AI-related losses, driven by the potential for erroneous or hallucinated outputs. Despite the clear operational benefits of this technology, the risks associated with AI use are bringing about increased regulatory scrutiny and a heightened need to demonstrate responsible implementation.

Against this backdrop, we’ve set out some key areas of risk that professional services firms may wish to keep in mind when developing and implementing AI tools. Any roll-out of AI must be conducted in a manner that is both responsible and aligned with professional, ethical, regulatory, and insurer expectations.

Live music: building resilience against political violence risks

Event cancellation typically stems from adverse weather or the non-appearance of artists and key personnel.

However, stakeholders within the entertainment industry must also recognize the threat of political violence to live productions – particularly as the methods of threat actors evolve. 

Robust risk mitigation of violence at live events requires a holistic approach from all parties. Close collaboration and understanding of all contingencies and protections is critical to ensuring the safety of performers and spectators, alike. Event cancellation typically stems from adverse weather or the non-appearance of artists and key personnel.

However, stakeholders within the entertainment industry must also recognize the threat of political violence to live productions – particularly as the methods of threat actors evolve. 

Robust risk mitigation of violence at live events requires a holistic approach from all parties. Close collaboration and understanding of all contingencies and protections is critical to ensuring the safety of performers and spectators, alike.

Lockton Marine Global War Maps - JWLA-033

Lockton Marine Global War MapsLockton Marine Global War Maps
See all news and insights

We're here to help

We bring creative thinking and an entrepreneurial spirit to the insurance business and are uniquely positioned to help you succeed.

Talk to our team