HDI Global UK and Ireland maintains profit margin as large losses fall 35%

Insurer HDI Global’s UK and Ireland division has posted earnings before interest and tax of €381m (£326m) across the first half of 2026, a marginal improvement on the €377m (£322m) recorded in the same period one year prior.

This is according to the firm’s latest half-year results, released today (19 August 2026), which revealed that the earnings uptick came despite a minor fall in insurance revenue from €5.1bn (£4.4bn) to €5bn (£4.3bn) between years.

The firm’s net combined operating ratio (COR), however, improved from 91.6% in H1 2025 to 90.7% in the first half of this year, as did its insurance service result – up by 8.1% from €430m (£368m) to €465m (£397m).

HDI Global also reported a significant drop in the large loss payments it made between periods, which fell by 35% to €92m (£79m). Despite this, the firm’s return on equity dipped slightly, down to 16.5% compared to 17.4% in the first half of last year.

Resilience and ambition

Simon Hunt, chief executive at HDI Global UK and Ireland, said: “The first half of 2026 has underlined both the resilience and ambition of our UK and Ireland business.

“We have made a positive start with our new energy and power hub, continued to strengthen our specialty proposition and seen strong external recognition for the expertise of our people, reflected in our growing thought leadership around captives and risk transfer.”

He continued: “Trading conditions remain demanding and we are focused on assessing risks carefully on a case-by-case basis, with underwriting profitability as our main objective.

“We see continued opportunities for profitable growth in areas such as cyber, future of health, multinational business and specialty products, while further developing our energy and power capabilities and supporting clients as their partner in transformation.”