Protection does not entail renouncing what is new

In recent years we are experiencing events that bring more and more uncertainty into our lives.

In the post-pandemic era, many tensions that were historically dormant within a geopolitical order that had held for decades have exacerbated, turning into conflicts that now affect several areas of the world. As we see a gradual weakening and delegitimization of the UN, paralyzed by cross vetoes and national interests, and a growth in distrust of international cooperation, the West and the Global South are facing each other with the aim to impose new balances.

International trade, which had served as a bonding agent in globalization processes and fostered the reduction of inequalities between rich and poor countries, now unveils imbalances that have never been fixed, becoming a weapon for confrontation in the new challenge of strategic supplies.

Added to this are the uncertainties associated with an unprecedented election year in history, with almost 70 countries around the world called to elections, corresponding to a population of nearly 4 billion people. Concerns related to the decline in democratic guarantees and strongholds in some parts of the world have been balanced with substantial resilience of democracy in 42 nations, with increased citizen turnout.

Moving from global issues to more daily ones, we can also notice deeply changing patterns in the business world and in the society as a whole. The digital revolution, for example, is opening up scenarios that were unpredictable until just a few years ago. The spread of Artificial Intelligence, before being a driver in financial markets, is first and foremost a deep change that has already entered business processes, with new working tools and possibilities yet to be explored.

Standing in front of a contemporaneity that seems to run at an elusive speed, the Generali Group’s historic magazine has decided to devote itself to an in-depth study of these phenomena, focusing on a word that is very important to us, insurers: the concept of “protection.”

As described in the beautiful cover picture signed by Jacopo Rosati, the word protection has many different meanings. Not only that of “defence,” surely very important and valuable, but also of “rescue,” of “taking care” of the most vulnerable and important things, of “promoting” activities and initiatives.

As global insurers, protection is undoubtedly Generali’s core mission. But protecting against risks should not imply a rejection of the new, of the change.

What we are trying to do thanks to the contributions collected in this publication is to capture the most relevant trends in our society and to investigate their dynamics, by analyzing complex issues and trying to provide a clear picture of the most decisive factors that can have an impact on our lives.

That is why, alongside an analysis of the challenges that democracies are facing, we wanted to address the changes in the business world, the climate transition, the emergence of new risks linked to cyber-security, the questions and uncertainties that come from the younger generations.

In all areas, from geopolitics to relational interactions, we believe that in this historical phase there is a great need for fixed points, for careful observation and, at the same time, for new directions to be taken. Hence the desire to read the concept of “protection” in its broader and inclusive meaning.

Indeed, the current and relatable sense of insecurity should not prevent us from looking at the future trying to grasp the most productive and positive aspects of technological innovation, advances in scientific research and the resourcefulness of new generations. We can face all these challenges through curiosity and a desire to understand the complexity that surrounds us.

And we offer a piece of this journey to our readers with this new release of the Bollettino... Enjoy reading!