World

World Bank Treasury and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Successfully Conclude First-Ever Catastrophe Bond

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

The World Bank Treasury and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC)/Asia-Pacific Financial Forum co-organized a virtual workshop on catastrophe bonds for the APEC Regional Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Solutions Working Group, aimed at broadening the understanding and use of the catastrophe bond market in the Asia Pacific Region.

Building economic resilience against shocks is a top priority for the World Bank and the APEC. With most of its members situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, APEC economies are under constant threat of strong earthquakes, tsunamis, super typhoons, and volcanic eruptions. These disasters put governments under a significant fiscal

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Coronavirus daily news updates, September 24: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

Editor’s note: This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Thursday, September 24, as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Click here to see all the most recent news about the pandemic, and click here to find additional resources.

United Nations leaders gathering at a virtual summit this week are hoping a coronavirus vaccine will be affordable to all countries, rich and poor, and some say they’re concerned that the U.S., China and Russia have opted out of the collaborative effort.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Wednesday the White House might reject a plan

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Automation Expansion Challenge: ROI | Automation World

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

Though manufacturers recognize that automation expansion will improve operations, many find that implementing a new or expanded automation strategy comes with its own set of challenges. One such challenge is justifying the return on investment (ROI) to management.

ROI is a performance measure that evaluates the efficiency of an investment and is shown as a ratio between net profit (over time), and the cost of the investment.

“Automation Timeline: The Drive Toward 4.0 Connectivity in Packaging and Processing” states, “In the current COVID-19 climate, a clear and reliable ROI calculation is more important than ever to make the case for

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Coronavirus daily news updates, September 14: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

Editor’s note: This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Monday, Sept. 14, as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Click here to see all the most recent news about the pandemic, and click here to find additional resources.

Throughout Monday, on this page, we’ll post updates on the outbreak and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Sunday are here, and all our coronavirus coverage can be found here.

https://www.seattletimes.com/(Jennifer Luxton / The Seattle Times)

South Carolina’s lieutenant governor contracts COVID-19

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina

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Top 3 Mind-Blowing News From the World of Artificial Intelligence

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

The technologies from sci-fi movies are already around the corner. International corporations and top-notch ML laboratories work every day to make helpful robots a reality. In this post, we are going to talk about some of the most recent news from the world of robotics. Get ready to be surprised!

Japanese agency started to hire robots instead of humans

MusashiAI is a Japanese startup that provides robots as employees to other companies on a rental basis. If the company needs a new mechanical employee, they can address MusashiAI.

Their idea is that hiring robots is much cheaper than employing humans.

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Solving Risk Puzzles in a Complex World

Lenore Staats 2 months ago

Insurance professionals in the surplus lines sector are busy. Busy adapting to a changing business world during COVID-19. Busy adapting to a changing property/casualty market where standard lines insurers are steadfastly shedding undesirable accounts. Busy adapting to a market that is increasingly digital. And busy multiplying their numbers of accounts and premium volume.

While many U.S. businesses continue to lag, the surplus lines insurance industry is experiencing significant growth.

The flow of business into the surplus lines channel is up 20% or more over last year, according to Timothy Turner, chairman and CEO of RT Specialty, Ryan Specialty Group’s wholesale

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Three Things Small-Business Merchants Should Do Now To Prepare For The Post-Pandemic World

Lenore Staats 3 months ago

Jim Magats is the SVP of Omni Payments at PayPal. He writes on the payments industry and advice for merchants on their growth journey.

By now, we’re all aware of the shift from physical to digital commerce that’s happened as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This trend was progressing pre-Covid-19, but the pandemic put the transition to digital commerce on the fast track. A recent UBS report predicted that e-commerce will increase to 25% of U.S. retail sales, a jump from 15% in 2019. Another symptom of the pandemic? The shuttering of small businesses. A McKinsey report

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World Insurance Associates Acquires Novak Agency Insurors of Florida

Lenore Staats 3 months ago

World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), a Top 100 Insurance Agency, announced today that it acquired Novak Agency Insurors of Largo, Florida, on June 1, 2020. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Novak Agency Insurors will be managed out of WIA’s Saint Petersburg office by Gregory D. Leifer, CLU, Principal of World Insurance Associates.

“I look forward to expanding our expertise and reach in Florida and providing Novak Agency clients with additional resources, services, and markets,” said Greg Leifer.

Rich Eknoian, CEO and Co-Founder of World Insurance Associates LLC, stated, “Novak Agency specializes in commercial insurance, which is a nice

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World Insurance Associates Expands to South Carolina with Acquisition of Professional Insurance Consulting, Inc.

Lenore Staats 3 months ago

TINTON FALLS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), a Top 100 Insurance Agency, announced today that it acquired Professional Insurance Consulting, Inc. (PICI), of Fort Mill, South Carolina, on July 1, 2020. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Diane Woods, Owner and President of Professional Insurance Consulting, Inc., founded the independent property-casualty insurance agency in 2005. PICI is commercial lines focused, specializing in pizza shops, non-profit organizations, and the automatic sprinkler industry. The agency prides itself on its ability to provide value-added customer service that meets the unique needs of its personal and commercial lines clients. As

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World Insurance Associates Acquires Virginia’s Lindberg & Associates

Lenore Staats 3 months ago

World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), acquired Lindberg & Associates of Poquoson, Va., on July 1, 2020. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2011, Lindberg & Associates is an independent insurance agency that provides all forms of property and casualty insurance and employee benefits programs. The insurance professionals at Lindberg & Associates have expertise in petroleum Insurance, trade and artesian contractors, equipment dealers, specialty contractors, hotels, motels and property management.

WIA is headquartered in Tinton Falls, N.J., and is a full-service insurance brokerage providing asset and lifestyle protection with risk management, insurance and benefit consulting services for individuals

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World Insurance Associates Acquires Lindberg & Associates Insurance of Virginia

Lenore Staats 3 months ago

World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), a Top 100 Insurance Agency, announced today that it acquired Lindberg & Associates of Poquoson, Virginia, on July 1, 2020. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2011, Lindberg & Associates is an independent insurance agency that provides all forms of property and casualty insurance and employee benefits programs. The insurance professionals at Lindberg & associates have more than 50 years’ experience and expertise in Petroleum Insurance, Trade and Artesian Contractors, Equipment Dealers, Specialty Contractors, Hotels, Motels, and Property Management.

“Our founding principle has always been to treat every customer as you would

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