Long reads

InterContinentals Hotel Group (IHG) has started the process of obtaining Department of Labor (DoL) approval to write Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefits in the United States.

Geopolitical uncertainty, coupled with the threat or imposition of tariffs, is prompting firms to take a more cautious approach to their operations and risk management strategies.

Chicago-headquartered Jones Lang LaSalle is planning to add employee benefits to its Guernsey-domiciled captive next year, with the firm “constantly considering” adding new risks, according to Ian Ascher, executive director for global risk management at the firm.

Faced with escalating insurance costs, reduced market capacity, and increasingly complex global risks, auto manufacturers are rethinking their approach to risk management and increasingly adopting captives.

A flurry of captive formations from the healthcare sector has 2025 on track for another strong to match or beat new licence numbers of recent years.

The UK is already a very mature market when it comes to captive utilisation. The corporate community has not required a ‘home’ domicile to become, by some distance, the second largest captive owning country.

The United Kingdom has everything in place to provide a captive regime that is prosperous and attractive, but the devil will be in the detail, particularly when it comes to proportionality of future regulation, which will be a “key ingredient” in determining the jurisdiction’s future success. 

Volkswagen decided to redomesticate its Ireland-domiciled captive to Germany because it “makes more sense” to be closer to company’s German headquarters due to the captive soon being required to abide by IFRS 17 reporting standards.