Subordinated Debt vs Reinsurance — Which Risk Creates the Capital Need?

A concise briefing on why subordinated debt and reinsurance address fundamentally different sides of the K-ICS capital equation—and why the first question should be which risk is creating the capital need.

Key Takeaways

  • Subordinated debt increases available capital; reinsurance can reduce required capital through substantive risk transfer.
  • The relevant comparison begins with the underlying risk—not with the financing instrument itself.
  • For CFOs and CROs, the first question is: “Which risk is creating the capital need?”

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