Risk Transfer
Updated: 26 November 2024
What Does Risk Transfer Mean?
A risk transfer occurs when one party pays a specified amount to another party in exchange for the second party assuming a risk on their behalf.
The insurance industry is fundamentally based on risk transfer: by purchasing an insurance policy, the policyholder shifts the financial risk to the insurer.
Insuranceopedia Explains Risk Transfer
People often engage in risk transfer by purchasing insurance when they anticipate that managing certain risks on their own could be too costly. For instance, healthcare expenses can be overwhelming and unpredictable, leading many individuals to buy health insurance policies to help cover and manage these potential costs.