Münchener Rück AG

Munich Re was founded in 1880 by Carl Thieme amid a flurry of other reinsurance companies set up independently of primaries. In those early days, most reinsurers typically focused on a few strong customers. Thieme focused on a broader set of cedents to drive stronger growth in premiums. This coincided with a strategy of risk diversification and a preference to partner rather than take on a one-sided transfer of risk. In the 1890s, Munich Re introduced the first machinery insurance. After Thieme and Wilhelm von Fink founded Allianz, this was the main channel to sell insurance on machinery. We believe the approach of partnering with insurers and preferring to avoid one-sided risk, in conjunction with combining inspection and insurance services, remains at the heart of the firm.