Commercial insurance buyers are still getting a good deal. Global rates fell an average of 6% in the second quarter of 2026, according to Marsh's latest Global Insurance Market Index - the eighth quarter in a row of declines, and a bigger drop than the 5% seen in Q1. Canada's rates continued to soften too, falling 7% in the quarter.
Property did most of the heavy lifting, down 12% globally. Casualty went the other way entirely, up 2%, thanks almost entirely to what's happening in the US.
Some context helps here. This is now the eighth straight quarter of decline, meaning the softening began around mid-2024, following roughly seven years of rate increases before that. The pattern is a familiar one in insurance cycles: insurers built up capital and profitability during the hard years, new entrants and reinsurers arrived to chase that profitability, and the resulting competition has been pushing prices back down ever since. The open question for the rest of 2026 is less whether rates keep falling and more how long insurers let that continue before underwriting discipline reasserts itself.
Canadian composite rates fell 7% in the quarter, just behind the UK (-8%) but ahead of Europe (-6%) and Asia (-5%). The steepest fallers were India, the Middle East and Africa (-16%), the Pacific (-13%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (-9%). The US, as usual lately, saw the smallest movement of any region, down just 2%.
Canadian property rates dropped 8%, a touch below the five regions that recorded double-digit declines this quarter - IMEA (-19%), the Pacific (-15%), Latin America and the Caribbean (-14%), the US (-13%) and the UK (-11%) - but still a meaningful softening for buyers renewing programs this year.
Marsh points to the same ingredients as recent quarters: insurers are profitable, sitting on plenty of capital, paying less for reinsurance and earning more on investments - all of which is fuelling competition for business.
John Donnelly, Marsh's president of global placement, said price isn't the only lever insurers are pulling anymore: "In many markets, in addition to competing based on price, insurers are seeking to differentiate themselves through broader coverage, expanded policy terms, and lower deductibles. While economic uncertainty has led many buyers to retain premium savings, many organizations are also continuing to invest in alternative risk strategies, including captives."
For risk managers renewing programs this year, the practical takeaway is that there's room to negotiate on more than headline premium. Donnelly's comments point to the same idea: with capacity abundant across property, financial lines and cyber, buyers who only push on price may be leaving broader coverage, lower deductibles or better terms on the table. That's a conversation to have directly with your broker ahead of renewal, rather than something likely to be offered automatically.
Marsh's outlook comes with a big caveat: the weather. "Current market conditions are likely to persist absent a severe northern hemisphere storm season or string of major natural catastrophes," Donnelly said, adding that this leaves buyers with "additional opportunities to improve coverage and refine program design" before things eventually turn.
Canadian brokers have already flagged how quickly the softening has accelerated beneath the headline number.
