This interview was originally published in French in La Tribune de l’assurance
The French subsidiary of the Bermudian insurer is ramping up and wants to make its mark on the French corporate liability risk market. Patrick Richard, Head of Casualty and Virginie du Parc Locmaria, Senior Underwriter, present Arch Insurance’s ambitions in France for liability insurance.
What are your ambitions in the French liability market?
Patrick Richard: Historically, the Arch group has been a leader in long-tail lines and has already developed strong expertise in very mature markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom. It was therefore natural to offer a casualty product for the French market. 2025 ended well, the flow of business we received and the results of renewals confirmed this choice. The casualty offering now complements Arch’s underwriting of cyber and financial lines in Paris.
What challenges will you need to overcome to achieve these ambitions?
Virginie du Parc Locmaria: In France, the casualty market is very mature and competitive. We have significant underwriting autonomy, strong capacity, and the financial strength of our parent company Arch Capital Group.
Our agility also allows us to provide brokers with comprehensive solutions for complex projects, thanks to our expertise, particularly in cutting-edge sectors such as tech, aerospace, nuclear, renewable energy, and construction.
We do not wish to be a mere capacity provider, but rather to make a real impact on high-value-added cases.
With which products and services do you plan to approach the casualty market?
VdPL: We are positioning ourselves across a wide range of business in various sectors, both as a primary line in the “upper” SME/mid-market segment, but also on large corporate business in excess for the moment. We remain open to requests from our partners while respecting the overall balance of our line, as our risk appetite is broad. We will also develop our offerings in the regions where we already have numerous contacts, which will complement our positioning in the market overall.
What is your assessment of the ongoing renewals in this market?
PR: The French casualty market remains dynamic despite observed price pressure that has accelerated since this summer. Some players have reduced their commitments in several business sectors, and we have been able to take advantage of these opportunities. We have also tried to fill existing placements with complementary offerings through existing programs. Finally, numerous new accounts in very diverse sectors have allowed us to establish our brand with our preferred brokers. We will also open additional broker codes in 2026 to further expand our footprint.
Regarding the evolution of the line: what observations can you make?
PR: Constraints on policy terms have been less significant this year; the French market remains generally quite disciplined on topics such as Cyber, PFAS, and sanctions clauses. There have been no new perils likely to fundamentally change risk assessment, and inflation has stabilised. Nevertheless, the new European directive on defective products in the digital and AI systems sector will need to be closely monitored next year. The specificities of these technologies, for example regarding the scope of definitions, will be integrated into common law dynamically, due to the rapid developments inherent to these sectors. The challenge for us will be to reconcile innovation with consumer protection while preserving the balance of insurance contracts.
What indicators would reflect Arch’s success in liability within a one-year timeframe? And two years?
PR: We anticipate very strong growth in our portfolio over the next two years, and additional resources will undoubtedly be necessary for this. We want to continue developing a diversified business portfolio, focusing on areas where we can bring real added value to our partners and insureds.
VdPL: Our broker partners will continue to be essential to our ambitions in France. We want to demonstrate that Arch is a relevant player with deep expertise and a strong commitment to collaboration.
PR: Arch positions itself as a long-term player, and in this context, France is a country where we want to play an important role.