Blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, is being touted as potentially transformational in industries as divergent as financial services and shipping. What is it about blockchain that is so compelling? How might it have an impact on underwriters, brokers, and risk managers? This session will explain how blockchain works, and will examine its potential uses in risk management and insurance.

• Cristina Dolan, Founder & CEO, InsideChains

This session will look at the various sources of liability for individuals and companies who create, market, buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies, and will examine the insurance industry‘s response.

• David Bradford, Founder & EVP for Strategy and Strategic Partnerships, Advisen [Moderator]
• Joe DiPasquale, CEO, BitBull Captial
• Casey O’Neill, Of Counsel, White Collar Crime & Regulatory Defense Group, Fenwick & West LLP

Even before many risk and insurance professionals get comfortable with blockchain, new technologies are springing up to replace it. This session will look at the strengths and weaknesses of blockchain for network security, risk management, and insurance purposes, and will discuss how new distributed ledger technologies may overcome some of blockchain’s shortcomings and accelerate the pace of change.

• Michael Connor, CEO & Co-Founder, Silicon Valley  Insurance Accelerator [Moderator]
• Matt Ahrens, Head of Security, Coalition
• Jonathan Manzi, CEO and Co-Founder, Beyond

Some blockchain advocates believe the technology may eventually be the foundation of highly secure systems. How would these systems differ from today’s best security technologies? What are the obstacles to implementing blockchain-based security solutions on a large scale?

• Michael Bruemmer, Vice President, Data Breach Resolution & Consumer Protection, Experian [Moderator]
• Evgueni Erchov, Associate Director, Cyber Investigations, Kivu Consulting Inc.
• Dave Sikora, CEO, ALTR

Under what circumstances might things go wrong with blockchain-based applications?  Who is liable when something happens? Panelists will discuss various actual and hypothetical liability scenarios, suggest how courts might apportion liability across a distributed network, and examine the implications for risk managers and underwriters.

• Kristina Kronenberger, AVP, CRC Insurance Services, Inc. [Moderator]
• Daniel J. Healy, Partner, Anderson Kill
• Roman Itskovich, Founder & CRO, At-Bay

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Distinguished Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Vishaal ‘V8’ Hariprasad, President and CTO, Arceo.ai

This popular session will present a panel of risk managers the opportunity to discuss the cyber issues that concern them, and to offer their observations as to how well the insurance industry is meeting their needs.

• Ryan Griffin, Senior Vice President, Cyber/E&O Practice, JLT Specialty USA [Moderator]
• W. David Little, Senior Vice President, Global Risk Management, Las Vegas Sands Corp.
• Brandon Pace, Interim General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary, Lending Club

Cyber insurance should be viewed as part of an overall cybersecurity program. Does it therefore make sense to package cyber insurance with network security solutions? Panelists will discuss the pros and cons of comprehensive security and insurance packages, and will look at some of the programs that are now available in the market.

• Steven H. Anderson, Vice President, Product Leader – Cyber, QBE North America[Moderator]
• Jarrett W. Kolthoff, CEO, SpearTip
• Shawn Ram, Head of Insurance, Coalition

More than a billion dollars is expected to flow into innovative insurance technology (InsurTech) companies in 2018. While most of those investment dollars will benefit companies in the personal lines market, cyber companies are seen as desirable opportunities by a growing number of investors. What types of new cyber-related technologies and business models are the most appealing to investors? How might these cyber InsurTech companies disrupt the competitive landscape?

• Erin Ayers, Editor, Advisen [Moderator]
• Nick Shalek, Partner, Ribbit Capital
• Raj Shah, Co-Founder & CEO, Arceo.ai

Cyber insurance policies are often complex and they can be challenging for non-cyber insurance professionals to understand. Inevitably there is confusion as to what is actually covered, and how cyber policies interact with other policies that may provide limited cyber coverage. This session will shed light on potential gaps and overlaps between cyber and other policies. It also will examine coverage issues associated with new and challenging exposures such as business email compromise schemes and cyber-related bodily injury and property damage.

• Catherine Rudow, VP- Cyber Insurance Nationwide E&S Specialty [Moderator]
• Dan Burke, Vice President, Cyber Specialist, Woodruff Sawyer
• Liz Limjuco, Vice President Cyber Center of Excellence, Marsh USA
• John Menefee, CyberRisk Product Manager, Travelers

All eyes have been on Europe and the implementation of GDPR, the sweeping EU privacy law which affects all companies that do business with EU citizens. California lawmakers passed the California Consumer Protection Act, and lawmakers and regulators in many parts of the world are expected to implement similar regulations in the coming years. Panelists will explain existing privacy regulations, discuss the types of new laws that are likely to be passed in the short and medium term, and provide insights as to how they will likely impact U.S. companies and their insurers.

• Michelle Visser, Partner, Orrick [Moderator]
• Jeffrey Batt, Cyber Insurance Practice Leader, M&T Insurance Agency
• Adam Connolly, Special Counsel, Cooley LLP
• Nate A. Garhart, Special Counsel, Farella Braun + Martell LLP
• Ryan Spelman, Senior Director, Business Development, Center for Internet Security

Most cyber insurance policies provide some measure of business interruption protection, but not all coverage is created equal.  Meanwhile, the property insurance market has been providing business interruption coverage for many years – but in recent months has been less willing to offer cyber coverage triggers.  This session will discuss the differences and similarities of cyber business interruption coverage in these very different insurance markets, and using recent claim examples, explore what both can learn from the other.

• Lauri Floresca, Senior Vice President & Partner, Cyber Liability, Woodruff Sawyer [Moderator]
• Ben Hobby, Partner, BTVK Advisory
• Kenneth K. Suh, Media and Tech Lead, The Beazley Group
• Richard Sunny, VP/Operations Claims Manager, FM Global

An often-discussed catastrophic scenario is a major cloud provider going down for an extended period of time. How likely is that scenario? What systems do cloud providers use to mitigate that risk? What is the potential business and financial impact? How would insurance likely respond? Panelists will answer those questions and more.

• Sean Hoar, Partner, Lewis Brisbois [Moderator]
• Pascal Millaire, CEO, CyberCube
• James F. Reed, Assistant Vice President, E&O Division, Allied World
• Philip Rosace, Sales Consultant, Guidewire Cyence Risk Analytics

NAIC reports that 170 U.S. insurers booked cyber premium in 2017, much of it from package policies. Is this situation sustainable?  What does the future of cyber insurance look like?

• Christiaan Durdaller, Executive Vice President, INSUREtrust [Moderator]
• Erica Davis, Managing Broker, JLT Re
• Lauren Webb, Cyber Class Underwriter, Barbican Insurance Syndicate at Lloyd’s of London