What will the results of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) feedback on its consultation around private equity (PE) ownership of insurers mean?
EIOPA’s experts have spent several months digesting industry feedback from its consultation, which closed on 30 April 2026.
The last third of 2026 will be the point where this issue shifts from a discussion paper into something that could become binding supervisory practice across the EU.
This is therefore highly relevant to insurers’ investment teams, which should be paying closer attention now. For instance, a report from January this year by EY said there had been massive growth in private equity-owned insurance in the US.
Between 2018 and 2024, the number of PE-owned carriers grew by 50%, from 90 to 137, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
This is relevant to insurance investment teams because the statement will target the exact asset allocation trend most portfolios have been leaning into for years: the migration toward private credit and illiquid alternatives.
EIOPA was explicit about the consultation’s aim, describing it as “aimed at promoting consistent, high-quality and risk-based supervision across the EU”.
That means that, if national regulators start applying such supervision more aggressively to PE-owned insurers, it could reshape how quickly and how far those insurers can continue shifting their balance sheets towards higher-yielding private assets.
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