2026 Global Innovation Awards Highlight Advances in Disaster Finance and Home Resilience
The International Insurance Society (IIS) and Insurance Thought Leadership (ITL), in partnership with Lloyd’s, have announced the winners of the 2026 Global Innovation Awards. The awards recognize organizations developing innovative solutions to some of the insurance industry’s most significant challenges, including disaster recovery, climate risk and property resilience.
This year’s awards highlight the growing role of technology, alternative risk transfer and preventative solutions in helping communities, businesses and homeowners prepare for increasingly complex risks. The 2026 winners demonstrate how innovation can strengthen financial protection, improve disaster preparedness and support faster recovery following catastrophic events.
Aon has been named the 2026 Property & Casualty Innovator of the Year for its Next Gen Disaster Finance initiative, while Liberty Mutual has received the 2026 Predict & Prevent Innovator of the Year award for Liberty+, its digital home resilience platform.
The winners will be formally recognized at the Global Insurance Forum 2026, scheduled for November 15–16 at the Lloyd’s building in London, England.
Aon Recognized for Disaster Finance Innovation
Aon received the Property & Casualty Innovator of the Year award for its Next Gen Disaster Finance: A New Model for Impact-Driven Climate Recovery initiative.
The program focuses on developing new approaches to disaster recovery financing, particularly for regions that can face significant financial pressure following hurricanes and other natural catastrophes. A key component of the initiative is a catastrophe bond created for the Government of Jamaica in partnership with the World Bank.
The $150 million catastrophe bond uses a parametric structure linked to hurricane intensity and location. Unlike traditional insurance arrangements that may require extensive damage assessments before claims can be settled, parametric solutions can provide funding when predefined event conditions are met.
The structure was designed to enable Jamaica to access recovery financing rapidly after a qualifying hurricane. The initiative demonstrated its potential following Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, when the catastrophe bond enabled the country to access recovery funding.
The transaction represents an important development in disaster risk financing. It is the first catastrophe bond sponsored by a Caribbean government and a small island state, demonstrating how alternative risk-transfer mechanisms can help governments manage the financial consequences of extreme weather events.
Strengthening Climate Resilience
Aon’s initiative addresses a growing challenge for governments and communities exposed to climate-related disasters. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other extreme weather events can create significant costs for public authorities, particularly when emergency response and reconstruction require immediate access to capital.
Traditional disaster financing mechanisms may not always provide sufficient funding quickly enough. Catastrophe bonds and other innovative risk-transfer structures can provide an alternative source of financial protection.
The Jamaica transaction illustrates how insurance and capital markets can work together to create financial resilience. By linking payouts to measurable storm characteristics, the structure can provide funds following a qualifying event without relying solely on lengthy traditional claims processes.
The approach could potentially serve as a model for other vulnerable countries seeking to strengthen their financial preparedness for climate-related disasters.
Liberty Mutual Recognized for Home Resilience
Liberty Mutual was named the 2026 Predict & Prevent Innovator of the Year for Liberty+, its digital home resilience platform.
The recognition reflects the insurance industry’s increasing shift from simply responding to losses toward helping policyholders prevent or reduce damage before it occurs. Digital tools can provide homeowners with information and resources to identify vulnerabilities and take practical steps to improve the resilience of their properties.
Home resilience has become increasingly important as severe weather events create greater risks for residential properties. Preventative measures can help reduce potential damage while supporting homeowners in making informed decisions about protecting their homes.
Liberty+ represents this broader approach by using digital capabilities to support homeowners in preparing for potential risks. The platform demonstrates how insurers can combine insurance expertise with technology to encourage preventative action.
Innovation Across the Insurance Industry
The 2026 Global Innovation Awards highlight two different but complementary approaches to managing risk.
Aon’s Next Gen Disaster Finance initiative focuses on financial resilience at the government and community level, providing a mechanism for rapid disaster recovery funding. Liberty Mutual’s Liberty+ platform focuses on property-level resilience, helping homeowners take preventative steps to reduce potential losses.
Together, the initiatives reflect an evolving insurance industry that is increasingly focused on anticipation, prevention and resilience rather than responding only after losses occur.
Innovation in these areas can also help insurers, governments and policyholders adapt to changing risk conditions. As extreme weather events and other emerging risks place greater pressure on traditional insurance and disaster-response systems, new approaches to risk financing and prevention are becoming increasingly important.
Winners to Join Global Insurance Forum Panel
Representatives from Aon and Liberty Mutual will participate in the Global Innovation Awards Panel: Driving Change Through Innovation on November 16 during the Global Insurance Forum 2026.
The session will be moderated by Dawn Miller, Chief Commercial Officer of Lloyd’s and CEO of Lloyd’s Americas. The panel is expected to provide an opportunity to explore how innovative insurance solutions can address emerging risks and create greater resilience across markets.
The Global Insurance Forum will bring together industry leaders and professionals to discuss developments shaping the future of insurance and risk management.
The recognition of Aon and Liberty Mutual underscores the importance of innovation in addressing modern insurance challenges. From catastrophe bonds that can accelerate disaster recovery funding to digital platforms designed to strengthen household resilience, the 2026 Global Innovation Awards showcase how the industry is developing new tools to manage risk more effectively.
As climate-related threats and other complex risks continue to evolve, these innovations demonstrate the potential for insurance to play a broader role in protecting communities, strengthening financial stability and helping policyholders prepare for the challenges ahead.
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