The threat of a global pandemic is not a question of “if” but of “when”. A study by Allianz published in 2006 in collaboration with the Rhenish-Westphalian Institute for Economic Research (RWI Essen) examines the global risks of possible pandemics. (The report is in German only.)

The Allianz Group and the OECD published a study in 2005 on the opportunities and risks of nanotechnology. This report shows that nanotechnology will underpin many of the most important technical and industrial advances of the early 21st century. However its huge scope for beneficial developments must not mask any risk from nanotechnology to the people who use it or the environment in which it operates. The insurer calls for diligent risk management to support the industrial use of nanotechnology.