It was great to see how so many companies showed incredible adaptability during COVID-19. While initially, we thought a lot of the insurance market would be at a loss as to what to do next, instead they were able to show resilience relatively quickly and technology was the enabler of that.

In 2021 we saw a large increase in remote working and reduced face-to-face interactions. This naturally resulted in increased traffic into call centres. One surprising effect of this was the reduction in fraudulent calls to the agent due to increased waiting times. However, it seems that fraudsters are starting to return to normal working habits just like the rest of us. The last couple of months have shown a steady increase in fraudulent calls. Based on this observation and past experience, in 2022 we can expect fraudsters to return to targeting call centres at the high rates of the pre-pandemic years.

In 2021, businesses experienced greater public scrutiny of their environmental, social and governance policies, with growing public concern over climate change, human rights abuses linked to business activities and the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 perpetuating associated risks. Corporate decision-makers will need to consider strengthening the integrity of their organisations by aligning their stated intentions and actions with the concerns of internal and external stakeholders.

Willis Towers Watson has secured the insurance placement of the Hambros Perks Acquisition Company, the first listing of a SPAC on the London Stock Exchange.

Masks have once again been made mandatory in shops and on public transport, as the government responds to the arrival in the UK of a new COVID variant of concern, Omicron. In place from this week, the new measures will not apply to any hospitality setting.

MetLife UK has seen an increase of 250% in Long-COVID claims in Q3. An estimated 1.2 million people in the UK have reported suffering with Long-COVID in the past four weeks – up from 1.1 million in October, representing a jump of nearly 10%.