Brewing Solutions: Closing Asia's Specialty Protection Gap
Asia has the largest insurance 'protection gap' in the world. Of the USD 65bn of non-life losses recorded in 2023 in Asia, only 9% were insured. It's a hugely pressing issue that may define the APAC insurance industry in the 21st century.
We invite you to join us for an exclusive speaking event with Dickson Wong, Director at the Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP). GAIP are the leading experts on the study of the Asia protection gap, and working with industry, educational institutions, governments and business, it seeks to build long-term risk resilience in Asia via narrowing Asia's protection gaps.
Dickson will share insight into the scale and scope of the Asia protection gap, how the industry, finance and governments are trying to address the problem. Along with senior executives from Canopius, we will also discuss the specialty (re)insurance's industry's role in addressing 'gaps within gaps' and how innovation in the specialty market could be crucial in solving one of the biggest challenges in the market today.
In this session we will explore:
- The scale and drivers of the specialty protection gap in Asia
- How cascading risks demand a holistic approach to underwriting
- The role of insurers, brokers, and businesses in closing the gap
- Practical insights and potential solutions to build resilience across the region
Join us as we bring together experts and market leaders to debate how we can respond to this challenge and develop the smart, collaborative solutions Asia needs.
We invite you to join us for an exclusive speaking event with Dickson Wong, Director at the Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP). GAIP are the leading experts on the study of the Asia protection gap, and working with industry, educational institutions, governments and business, it seeks to build long-term risk resilience in Asia via narrowing Asia's protection gaps.
Dickson will share insight into the scale and scope of the Asia protection gap, how the industry, finance and governments are trying to address the problem. Along with senior executives from Canopius, we will also discuss the specialty (re)insurance's industry's role in addressing 'gaps within gaps' and how innovation in the specialty market could be crucial in solving one of the biggest challenges in the market today.
In this session we will explore:
- The scale and drivers of the specialty protection gap in Asia
- How cascading risks demand a holistic approach to underwriting
- The role of insurers, brokers, and businesses in closing the gap
- Practical insights and potential solutions to build resilience across the region
Join us as we bring together experts and market leaders to debate how we can respond to this challenge and develop the smart, collaborative solutions Asia needs.
Location
Begonia Junior Room 3012, Marina Bay Sands
Date & Time
November 4, 2025, 4:30 - 6:30pm
About Dickson Wong
Dickson is currently a Director at the Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP). With over 15 years of experience in the general insurance industry across Australia and Asia, Dickson is a seasoned actuary specialising in risk and actuarial areas. Throughout his career, he has supported numerous financial institutions, providing insights and solutions to complex risk challenges.
Prior to joining GAIP, Dickson was part of the leadership team of the Risk and Modelling Services division across South East Asia at a global consultancy firm, overseeing a team of over 100 professionals regionally. In this role, he drove complex risk engagements for global, regional, and local insurers and reinsurers, covering topics such as due diligence, modelling, pricing, risk and capital management, data analytics, stress testing, and, more recently, climate-related issues.
Dickson is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia and holds a degree from the University of New South Wales.
Canopius: Brewing Solutions
We have transformed our SIRC space into a Singaporean coffeehouse.
The Specialty Protection Gap is not a problem any one organisation can solve alone —
it requires open dialogue and shared ideas. That’s why Canopius is framing this
discussion around the concept of the coffeehouse: a place where conversations spark solutions.
Our Coffee Heritage
In the 17th and 18th centuries, English coffeehouses were public and social places where
people met for conversation and commerce. During the Enlightenment in Europe and Asia,
coffee became a new way to engage with people. It stimulated conversation, debate and
collaboration. Like-minded people would find time to meet, listen and share ideas. A simple
hot beverage became one of the most powerful catalysts for innovation in the early modern world.
One such venue was Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse by the River Thames, which became the
British centre of marine intelligence. By the 18th century it was where merchants and
financiers met and agreed protections for their vessels and cargo. Lloyd’s coffeehouse
became the heart of the early maritime finance industry and the birthplace of modern insurance.
Coffee is not just central to our industry’s innovation — it’s in our name. Nathaniel Canopius,
after whom our company is named, is reputed to have brewed the first cup of coffee in
England in 1637, inspiring the coffeehouse revolution.
More than 350 years on, we still meet over coffee to listen, solve problems and share ideas
across a table. We’re proud that our industry and our name reflects a centuries-old catalyst
for practical innovation that remains just as relevant today.
Today, we’re bringing this tradition forward — from London’s coffeehouses to
Singapore’s kopitiams — creating spaces for collaboration and insight.
The Specialty Protection Gap is not a problem any one organisation can solve alone —
it requires open dialogue and shared ideas. That’s why Canopius is framing this
discussion around the concept of the coffeehouse: a place where conversations spark solutions.
Our Coffee Heritage
In the 17th and 18th centuries, English coffeehouses were public and social places where
people met for conversation and commerce. During the Enlightenment in Europe and Asia,
coffee became a new way to engage with people. It stimulated conversation, debate and
collaboration. Like-minded people would find time to meet, listen and share ideas. A simple
hot beverage became one of the most powerful catalysts for innovation in the early modern world.
One such venue was Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse by the River Thames, which became the
British centre of marine intelligence. By the 18th century it was where merchants and
financiers met and agreed protections for their vessels and cargo. Lloyd’s coffeehouse
became the heart of the early maritime finance industry and the birthplace of modern insurance.
Coffee is not just central to our industry’s innovation — it’s in our name. Nathaniel Canopius,
after whom our company is named, is reputed to have brewed the first cup of coffee in
England in 1637, inspiring the coffeehouse revolution.
More than 350 years on, we still meet over coffee to listen, solve problems and share ideas
across a table. We’re proud that our industry and our name reflects a centuries-old catalyst
for practical innovation that remains just as relevant today.
Today, we’re bringing this tradition forward — from London’s coffeehouses to
Singapore’s kopitiams — creating spaces for collaboration and insight.
Canopius Coffeehouse menu - Today's specials
4:30 pM
First Press
Introduction from Neil Robertson, Group Chief Executive Officer, Canopius
Begin the session with a warm welcome and scene-setting. Neil Robertson will outline the importance of collaboration in addressing Asia’s Specialty Protection Gap and introduce the theme of the Canopius Coffeehouse: sparking ideas through open dialogue.
4:40 pM
Signature Pour
Keynote insights from Dickson Wong, Director at Global Asia Insurance Partnership (GAIP)
Our signature serving: expert insights into the scale and complexity of the Specialty Protection Gap in Asia, from cascading risks to the need for innovative underwriting solutions.
5:15 pM
Shared Blend
Interactive Q&A: Refills & Discussion
Where perspectives mix and ideas flow. Join an open dialogue to explore how insurers, brokers, and businesses can collaborate to close the gap and build resilience.
5:35 pM
Warm Connections
Networking drinks and nibbles
Round off the session with informal networking. Continue the conversation over refreshments in our coffeehouse-inspired space — designed to encourage collaboration, fresh thinking, and new partnerships.
From the Coffeehouse Archives...
If you missed our session last year at SIRC with our guest speaker, Maximilian Hess, on futureproofing business against multigenerational shifts you can watch here.
Earlier Brews of Insight...
In 2023, Peter Hill took us through the effects of climate change and the way insurance business models are adapting.
Join the Conversation
Insurance was born in the coffeehouse. At SIRC 2025, we invite you to continue that tradition:
come together, share ideas, and help close the specialty protection gap in Asia.
come together, share ideas, and help close the specialty protection gap in Asia.
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