The European Life Settlement Association

What The European Life Settlement Association does

The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) is a UK-based nonprofit trade association founded in 2009, headquartered in Weymouth, that serves as the principal industry body representing the European life settlement sector. The organization counts 38+ member firms across its membership roster, which spans institutional investors, brokers, trustees, fund managers, and service providers active in life settlements and adjacent longevity/mortality markets. ELSA's core function is to convene the industry, set professional standards, and provide intelligence and networking infrastructure to its members.

ELSA's products and services are organized around four pillars: (1) industry standards, including its Code of Practice and a Master Agreement for Tertiary Transactions that members formally adopt; (2) editorial content delivered through the Longevity and Mortality Investor magazine (rebranded in October 2025 from Life Risk News, launched May 2022), a bimonthly publication with a growing library of 222+ articles; (3) events, anchored by the annual LMI Conference (rebranded from the Life ILS Conference, scheduled for May 2026 with AM Best participation) and the International Life Settlement Forum; and (4) member education through webinars and knowledge resources. The technical architecture is content- and event-driven rather than technology-platform driven — there is no underlying software platform, data infrastructure, or proprietary technology disclosed.

The business model is membership-funded: ELSA generates revenue through recurring membership fees from its 38+ member firms, one-time conference and event ticket sales (conference tickets priced at approximately £345+VAT), and publication/advertising revenues from the magazine. The organization operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and has no external funding rounds as a nonprofit. Strategic partnerships with AM Best, EY, Conning, ArentFox Schiff, Coventry Capital, HSCM, Orrick, and Bayes Business School extend ELSA's reach and credibility, while recent rebrand activity signals a deliberate mission expansion from pure life settlement into broader longevity, mortality, pension risk transfer, and equity release coverage.

Name

The European Life Settlement Association

Legal name

European Life Settlement Association

Website

https://elsa-sls.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) is a UK nonprofit trade association founded in 2009, serving 38+ member firms in the European life settlement industry through industry standards (Code of Practice, Master Agreement), the Longevity and Mortality Investor magazine, and the annual LMI Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Weymouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ELSA generates revenue through membership fees. Membership enables firms to participate in establishing industry standards, creating resources, and producing events, as well as exclusive benefits not available to non-members. Membership categories include European-based asset managers, service providers, and non-European firms with European clients in the life settlement space.
2. Conference and Event Tickets: ELSA charges admission for the Longevity and Mortality Investor Conference (annual, London) and the International Life Settlement Forum. Early bird tickets were priced at £345 + VAT for the 2026 LMI Conference. Complimentary attendance is provided for ELSA members and LMI Conference delegates.
3. Publication Revenues: ELSA publishes the Longevity & Mortality Investor magazine (12 issues annually), which is distributed to industry participants. The publication covers capital market participation in longevity and mortality risk markets and serves as a revenue-generating resource for the association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) is a nonprofit trade association that sets industry standards for the European life settlement market through its Code of Practice and Master Agreement for Tertiary Transactions. It convenes the industry via the annual Longevity and Mortality Investor Conference (London), the International Life Settlement Forum, and ELSA Webinars, and publishes the monthly Longevity & Mortality Investor magazine, Fact Sheets, and FAQs for members, regulators, investors, and media.

Product overview

The European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) operates as an industry association rather than a unified software product. Its portfolio consists of publications, events, and industry standards. The core publication is the 'Longevity & Mortality Investor' digital magazine (rebranded October 2025 from 'Life Risk News'), which covers capital market participation in longevity and mortality risk. Supporting these are the annual 'Longevity and Mortality Investor Conference' (formerly Life ILS Conference), the 'Code of Practice' standards document, the 'Master Agreement For Tertiary Transactions', educational webinars, the International Life Settlement Forum, and fact sheets. These offerings work together to promote transparency and industry standards for the European life settlement market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Longevity and Mortality Investor: A digital magazine and website covering capital market participation in longevity and mortality risk investing, formerly known as Life Risk News until October 2025.
• Longevity and Mortality Investor Conference
• International Life Settlement Forum

Products and services

• Longevity & Mortality Investor A monthly digital magazine covering capital market participation in longevity and mortality risk, including life settlements, pension risk transfer, equity release, life ILS, and clinical and population mortality. Available to members, regulators, investors, and media.
• Longevity and Mortality Investor Conference Annual flagship industry conference held in London covering capital markets participation in longevity and mortality risk, with keynote presentations, panel sessions on state of the market, consultants' panels, legal and structuring sessions, and longevity benchmarking discussions.
• Code of Practice ELSA's primary standards-based document governing member conduct and industry best practices in the European life settlement market. All ELSA members sign up to the Code of Practice, with associated certification.
• Master Agreement for Tertiary Transactions Standardized agreement document facilitating tertiary market transactions in the European life settlement industry, providing a common documentation framework for members.
• International Life Settlement Forum Annual forum hosted by ELSA immediately preceding the LMI Conference, focusing on policy supply and litigation challenges in the life settlement market.
• ELSA Webinars Web-based educational sessions covering topics such as COVID-19 impact on mortality, state of the market, policy origination, ESG, and the future of life risk. Sessions feature expert panels from member firms and industry participants.
• Fact Sheets Information resources published by ELSA providing accurate information to investors, regulators, and media about the European life settlement industry, including the Q1 2025 Fact Sheet.

Quantifiable outcome

• 222 news and resource items published across multiple content categories
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AM BestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026AM Best, a specialist insurance rating agency, participates in ELSA's annual Longevity & Mortality Investor Conference. Emmanuel Modu, Managing Director of Global Reinsurance and Insurance-Linked Securities at AM Best, speaks at the 2026 LMI Conference on life settlement transaction ratings, ILS structures, and emerging risks. This participation signals increasing specialist investor attention and evolving credit and structured finance approaches in European life settlement-backed securities.
• EY (Ernst & Young)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026EY serves as Venue Host for the Longevity & Mortality Investor Conference 2026, held at EY's Canary Wharf offices in London. EY's sponsorship and venue provision supports the annual flagship conference.
• ConningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConning, an insurance asset management firm, partnered with ELSA to produce the joint report 'Unlocking Value: Insights into Life Settlements Investment Trends.' The report examines institutional investor attitudes toward the life settlement asset class and is published under ELSA's Longevity and Mortality Investor brand.
• Longevity and Mortality Investor (LMI) PublicationcoreOthersELSA publishes the Longevity & Mortality Investor magazine (rebranded from Life Risk News in October 2025). The publication covers capital market participation in longevity and mortality risk, including pension risk transfer, life settlements, equity release, life ILS, and mortality analytics. ELSA is both publisher and primary distributor.
• Longevity HoldingscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLongevity Holdings serves as Prime Sponsor of the LMI Conference 2026, alongside EY as Venue Host. Longevity Holdings is a member of ELSA and a regular contributor to conference programming.
• ArentFox SchiffminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArentFox Schiff serves as a Conference Leader sponsor of the LMI Conference 2026, contributing to panel sessions and industry discussions at the annual event.
• Coventry CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoventry Capital serves as a Conference Leader sponsor of the LMI Conference 2026, contributing to panel sessions and industry discussions at the annual event.
• Hudson Structured Capital Management (HSCM)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHudson Structured Capital Management serves as a Conference Partner sponsor of the LMI Conference 2026, contributing to panel sessions on life ILS and structured finance topics.
• Orrick Herrington & SutcliffeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrrick Herrington & Sutcliffe serves as a Conference Partner sponsor of the LMI Conference 2026, providing legal and structuring expertise to conference programming.
• Bayes Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor David Blake of Bayes Business School delivers the keynote presentation at the LMI Conference 2026. His presentation covers the longevity market's origins, evolution, and future potential as an investable asset class over 25 years of market development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Investment Association (UK): The Investment Association is the UK trade body representing investment managers, many of whom are potential institutional investors in life settlement and longevity-linked products. It is a comparable member-driven association serving a related segment of UK-based asset managers and engages with overlapping regulatory topics.
• The Geneva Association: The Geneva Association is the leading international think tank on insurance and longevity-related economic topics. It publishes research relevant to ELSA's members — particularly around demographic risk, pension structures, and longevity-linked capital markets — and engages many of the same institutional stakeholders.
• Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA): AIMA is the global trade association for the alternative investment industry. Several ELSA members — including life settlement fund managers and life ILS sponsors — operate within AIMA's broader alternative investment ecosystem, and AIMA addresses many of the same institutional, regulatory, and operational standards questions for non-traditional asset classes.
• Society of Actuaries: The Society of Actuaries is a global professional body for actuaries, including those working in mortality modelling, longevity analytics, and life insurance. It overlaps with ELSA's membership base and publishes research that supports the actuarial underpinnings of the European life settlement market.

Broad incumbents

• Insurance Europe: Insurance Europe is the pan-European insurance and reinsurance federation representing all major insurance sectors. While far broader than ELSA, it serves an overlapping European institutional audience and competes for mindshare with regulators and policymakers on issues that intersect with ELSA's life settlement agenda.
• Reinsurance Association of America (RAA): The RAA is the leading US trade association for the reinsurance industry, including life reinsurance and mortality-linked structures. It operates at broader scale than ELSA but serves many of the same institutional constituencies and addresses overlapping mortality and longevity risk topics.
• Association of British Insurers (ABI): The ABI is the UK's leading trade association for the insurance and long-term savings industry. While covering a much wider remit than ELSA, it engages with many of the same UK-based asset managers and service providers, and addresses overlapping regulatory and standards questions affecting life insurance and longevity products.

Regional players

• ARIAS International: ARIAS (Arbitration & Reinsurance International Association) is a US-based organisation that addresses dispute resolution and best practices in insurance and reinsurance transactions. It is relevant to ELSA members given the importance of contractual standards (e.g., ELSA's Master Agreement) in tertiary life settlement transactions.
• Bermuda International Long Term Insurers and Reinsurers Association (BILTIR): BILTIR represents long-term insurers and reinsurers based in Bermuda — a major domicile for life settlement and longevity-linked vehicles serving European investors. It is a natural counterpart organisation given the cross-border capital flows between Bermuda structures and European life settlement assets.

Direct peers

• Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA): LISA is the US trade association for the life settlement industry — the closest direct peer to ELSA globally. LISA fulfils the same standards-setting and convening role for the US market that ELSA does for Europe, and LISA is actually listed as an honorary member of ELSA, confirming the two organisations' parallel positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-life-settlement-association
• Xx.com/elsa_sls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The European Life Settlement Association