In this podcast episode, Michael J. McCord dissects how conventional financial models exclude the underserved communities who need them the most, and what it’ll take to bridge this gap. The discussion spans conversation on technology-driven solutions, supportive regulation, and redesigned systems as tools for creating scalable microinsurance and risk management solutions that have impact beyond simple access to fostering financial resilience and creating real pathways for upward mobility.

In Pakistan, millions of smallholder farmers face recurring losses from climate shocks like floods and droughts. While traditional loan insurance products exist, they often miss the mark—protecting only the lender, not the farmer. In a recent podcast discussion, Michael J. McCord shared the MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman’s approach to using microinsurance as a step towards improving the resilience of smallholder farmers against climate change.

In a special episode of the “Working Through Risk” podcast, our managing director, Michael J. McCord shares how a life-changing experience in Uganda led to the birth of what would become the globally recognized MicroInsurance Centre. From identifying informal financial needs in local communities to launching one of the first voluntary microinsurance products in East Africa, Michael discusses the lessons that shaped our approach to inclusive insurance.

Actuaries are vital to the insurance industry and national economies, but the profession is still emerging in many developing countries. To help change this, Milliman and the United Nations Development Programme have launched GAIN, the Global Actuarial Initiative, which will send Milliman volunteers to meet with regulators, insurers, educators, and students in 27 countries. In this special episode of Critical Point, five Milliman volunteers reflect on the accomplishments of GAIN’s first year, what surprised them on country visits that took them as far as Uzbekistan and Tanzania, and the work ahead.

The MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman (MIC@M) believes insurance is one component of a broader risk management approach that is necessary for low-income populations to successfully manage their financial risks. The MIC@M calls this approach Risk Management 360 (RM360). In this third episode of the three-part vodcast series "360° Perspectives," Farzanah Chowdhury, managing director & CEO of Green Delta Insurance Company, and Michael J. McCord, managing director of the MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman, focus in on gender and women’s empowerment as they relate to risk management for low-income people.

The MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman (MIC@M) believes insurance is one component of a broader risk management approach that is necessary for low-income populations to successfully manage their financial risks. The MIC@M calls this approach Risk Management 360 (RM360). In this second episode of the three-part vodcast series "360° Perspectives," Lorenzo Chan, president & CEO of Pioneer Life, and Michael J. McCord, managing director of the MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman, discuss the importance of customer centricity when addressing the risk management needs of low-income people.

The MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman (MIC@M) believes insurance is one component of a broader risk management approach that is necessary for low-income populations to successfully manage their financial risks. The MIC@M calls this approach Risk Management 360 (RM360). In this first episode of the three-part vodcast series ‘360° Perspectives,’ Microinsurance Master's Bert Opdebeeck discusses this holistic approach to risk management with Michael J. McCord, managing director of the MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman.