•Annualized return on average common equity ("ROACE") of 19.4% and annualized operating ROACE of 17.2%

•Combined ratio of 90.4%

•Underwriting income of $184 million, an increase of $55 million, or 42%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024

•Book value per diluted common share of $77.20, an increase of $3.38, or 4.6%, compared to September 30, 2025

•Net income available to common shareholders of $979 million, or $12.35 per diluted common share, and operating income of $1.0 billion, or $12.92 per diluted common share

•Return on average common equity ("ROACE") of 17.3% and Operating ROACE of 18.1%

•Combined ratio of 89.8%

•Underwriting income of $725 million, an increase of $154 million, or 27%, compared to December 31, 2024

•Book value per diluted common share of $77.20, an increase of $11.93, or 18.3%, compared to December 31, 2024

•Total capital returned to common shareholders of $1.0 billion, including common share repurchases of $888 million pursuant to our Board-authorized share repurchase program, and common share dividends of $139 million

Pembroke, Bermuda, January 28, 2026 - AXIS Capital Holdings Limited ("AXIS Capital" or "AXIS" or "the Company") (NYSE: AXS) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025.

Commenting on the 2025 financial results, Vince Tizzio, President and CEO of AXIS Capital, said:

•Net income available to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $979 million, a decrease of $73 million, or 7%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024

•Operating income(1) for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $1.0 billion, an increase of $72 million, or 8%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024

•Underwriting income(2) for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $725 million, an increase of $154 million, or 27%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024

•Net investment income of $767 million for the year, compared to $759 million, an increase of $8 million, or 1%, principally due to income from cash and higher returns on alternative investments

•Book yield of fixed maturities was 4.6% at December 31, 2025, compared to 4.5% at December 31, 2024. The market yield was 4.7% at December 31, 2025

•The effective tax rates of 13.7% for the quarter and 17.7% for the year were due to pre-tax income in our Bermuda, U.K., U.S., and European operations. Corporate income tax of 15% applied to Bermuda pre-tax income effective January 1, 2025

•Total capital returned to common shareholders of $1.0 billion for the year, including common share repurchases of $888 million pursuant to our Board-authorized share repurchase program, and common share dividends of $139 million

•Book value per diluted common share was $77.20 at December 31, 2025, an increase of $3.38, or 4.6%, compared to September 30, 2025

•Book value per diluted common share increased by $11.93, or 18.3%, for the year, driven by net income, and net unrealized investment gains, partially offset by common share repurchases, and common share dividends of $1.76 per share

* Amounts may not reconcile due to rounding differences.

1 Operating income (loss) and operating income (loss) per diluted common share are non-GAAP financial measures as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders and earnings (loss) per diluted common share, respectively, and a discussion of the rationale for the presentation of these items are provided later in this press release.

2 Consolidated underwriting income (loss) is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliation to net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is provided later in this press release.

3 All comparisons are with the same period of the prior year, unless otherwise stated.

4 The current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses is calculated by dividing the current accident year losses less pre-tax catastrophe and weather-related losses, net of reinsurance, by net premiums earned less reinstatement premiums.

5 Current accident year loss ratio, catastrophe and weather-related losses ratio, current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses, current accident year combined ratio, and current accident year combined ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses are non-GAAP financial measures as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measure, net losses and loss expenses ratio and combined ratio, together with a discussion of the rationale for the presentation of these items, are provided later in this press release.

6 Amounts presented on a constant currency basis are non-GAAP financial measures as defined in SEC Regulation G. The constant currency basis is calculated by applying the average foreign exchange rate from the current year to prior year amounts. The reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, together with a discussion of the rationale for the presentation of these items, are provided later in this press release. Variances that are unchanged on a constant currency basis are omitted from the narrative.

Consolidated Underwriting Highlights3

•Gross premiums written increased by $234 million, or 12%, to $2.2 billion with an increase of $199 million, or 12% in the insurance segment, and an increase of $36 million, or 13% in the reinsurance segment.

•Net premiums written increased by $158 million, or 13% ($152 million, or 12%, on a constant currency basis(6)), to $1.4 billion with an increase of $149 million, or 14% in the insurance segment, and an increase of $9 million, or 5% in the reinsurance segment.

•Pre-tax catastrophe and weather-related losses, net of reinsurance, were $30 million ($23 million, after-tax), or 2.0 points, related to the Insurance segment, including $17 million or 1.1 points attributable to Hurricane Melissa. The remaining losses were primarily attributable to other weather-related events.

•Net favorable prior year reserve development was $30 million (Insurance: $23 million; Reinsurance: $7 million), compared to $16 million in 2024.

•Gross premiums written increased by $639 million, or 7%, to $9.6 billion with an increase of $564 million, or 9% in the insurance segment, and an increase of $75 million, or 3% in the reinsurance segment.

•Net premiums written increased by $364 million, or 6%, to $6.1 billion with an increase of $377 million, or 9% in the insurance segment, partially offset by a decrease of $12 million, or 1% in the reinsurance segment.

•Pre-tax catastrophe and weather-related losses, net of reinsurance, were $159 million ($127 million, after-tax), (Insurance: $156 million; Reinsurance: $3 million) or 2.8 points, including natural catastrophe and weather-related losses of $137 million or 2.4 points, primarily attributable to California Wildfires, Hurricane Melissa and other weather-related events. The remaining losses of $22 million or 0.4 points were attributable to the Middle East Conflict.

•Net favorable prior year reserve development was $87 million (Insurance: $67 million; Reinsurance: $20 million), compared to $24 million in 2024.

•Gross premiums written increased by $199 million, or 12% ($193 million, or 11%, on a constant currency basis), attributable to most lines of business.

•Net premiums written increased by $149 million, or 14%, reflecting the increase in gross premiums written in the quarter, together with decreased cession rates in liability and professional lines, partially offset by an increased cession rate in accident and health lines.

•The current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses is consistent with recent quarters.

•The underwriting-related general and administrative expense ratio increased by 1.1 points, mainly driven by an increase in performance-related compensation costs, together with costs associated with the expansion of underwriting teams and investments in information technology, partially offset by an increase in net premiums earned.

•Gross premiums written increased by $564 million, or 9% ($553 million, or 8%, on a constant currency basis), attributable to all lines of business with the exception of cyber lines.

•Net premiums written increased by $377 million or 9%, reflecting the increase in gross premiums written in the year, together with decreased cession rates in liability, property and professional lines, partially offset by an increased cession rate in accident and health lines.

•Gross premiums written increased by $36 million, or 13%, primarily attributable to new business in motor lines, and credit and surety lines, together with premium adjustments in credit and surety lines, partially offset by premium adjustments in professional lines.

•The current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses is consistent with recent quarters.

•The acquisition cost ratio increased by 1.3 points, primarily related to adjustments attributable to loss-sensitive features in credit and surety, accident and health, and agriculture lines.

•Gross premiums written increased by $75 million, or 3% ($94 million, or 4%, on a constant currency basis), primarily attributable to new business and premium adjustments.

•Net premiums written decreased by $12 million, or 1% (an increase of $6 million, or 0.4%, on a constant currency basis), reflecting increased cession rates to our strategic capital partners consistent with recent periods.

•Net investment income decreased by $9 million, or 5%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, primarily attributable to lower income from cash and fixed maturities resulting from lower cash and fixed maturity assets due to the LPT transaction with Enstar that was completed in the second quarter.

•Net investment gains (losses) recognized in net income (loss) for the quarter was primarily related to net unrealized gains on equity securities and net realized gains on the sale of fixed maturities.

•Change in net unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities, pre-tax of $21 million ($21 million excluding foreign exchange movements) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) in the quarter was due to an increase in the market value of our fixed maturities portfolio, compared to change in net unrealized gains (losses), pre-tax of $(229) million (($153) million excluding foreign exchange movements) recognized during the fourth quarter of 2024.

•Book yield of fixed maturities was 4.6% at December 31, 2025, compared to 4.5% at December 31, 2024. The market yield was 4.7% at December 31, 2025.

7 Change in net unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities is calculated by taking net unrealized gains (losses) at the period end less net unrealized gains (losses) at the prior period end.

8 The average cash and investments balance is the average of the monthly fair value balances.

9 Pre-tax total return on cash and investments excluding foreign exchange movements is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliation to pre-tax total return on cash and investments, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, also included foreign exchange (losses) gains of $1 million and $(104) million for the quarters ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively and foreign exchange (losses) gains of $130 million and $(63) million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

We will host our fourth quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. (EST). The earnings conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-883-0383 (U.S. callers), 1-866-605-3850 (Canada callers), or 1-412-902-6506 (international callers), and entering the passcode 3051121. A live, listen-only webcast of the call will also be available via the Investor Information section of our website at www.axiscapital.com. A replay will be available for one week by dialing 1-855-669-9658 (U.S. and Canada callers), or 1-412-317-0088 (international callers), and entering the passcode 7568721. The webcast will be archived in the Investor Information section of our website.

In addition, an investor financial supplement for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 is available in the Investor Information section of our website.

AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global specialty underwriter and provider of insurance and reinsurance solutions. The Company has shareholders’ equity of $6.4 billion at December 31, 2025, and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore and Canada. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a financial strength rating of "A+" ("Strong") by Standard & Poor’s and "A" ("Excellent") by A.M. Best. For more information about AXIS Capital, visit our website at www.axiscapital.com.

To facilitate comparison of information across periods, certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to the current year's presentation. These reclassifications did not impact results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.

10 Underwriting-related general and administrative expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliation to general and administrative expenses, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, also included corporate expenses of $33 million and $43 million for the quarters ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Underwriting-related general and administrative expenses and corporate expenses are included in the general and administrative expense ratio.

11 Underwriting-related general and administrative expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliation to general and administrative expenses, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, also included corporate expenses of $116 million and $130 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Underwriting-related general and administrative expenses and corporate expenses are included in the general and administrative expense ratio.

12 Bermuda deferred tax benefit in 2025 is due to the derecognition of deferred tax liabilities related to Bermuda corporate income tax. Bermuda deferred tax benefit in 2024 is due to the recognition of deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities related to Bermuda corporate income tax.

13 Tax expense (benefit) associated with the adjustments to net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders. Tax impact is estimated by applying the statutory rates of applicable jurisdictions.

14 Annualized operating return on average common equity ("operating ROACE") is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in SEC Regulation G. The reconciliation to annualized ROACE, the most comparable GAAP financial measure is presented in the table above, and a discussion of the rationale for its presentation is provided later in this press release.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. This press release or any other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company may include forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in or incorporated by reference in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "plan", "believe", "predict", "potential", "aim", "will", "target", "intend" or similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature or their negative or similar terminology.

Forward-looking statements made in this press release, such as those related to our performance, pricing, growth prospects, the outcome of our strategic initiatives, our expectations relating to our ability to successfully implement and manage technology initiatives – including artificial intelligence, our expectations about the current trade and geopolitical environment on our business, economic and market conditions, and other statements that are not historical facts, reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Taxation Risk: change in tax laws.

We present our results of operations in a way we believe will be meaningful and useful to investors, analysts, rating agencies and others who use our financial information to evaluate our performance. Some of the measurements we use are considered non-GAAP financial measures under SEC rules and regulations. In this press release, we present underwriting-related general and administrative expenses, consolidated underwriting income (loss), current accident year loss ratio, catastrophe and weather-related losses ratio, current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses, current accident year combined ratio, current accident year combined ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses, operating income (loss) (in total and on a per share basis), annualized operating return on average common equity ("operating ROACE"), amounts presented on a constant currency basis and pre-tax, total return on average cash and investments excluding foreign exchange movements which are non-GAAP financial measures as defined in SEC Regulation G. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures, which may be defined and calculated differently by other companies, help explain and enhance the understanding of our results of operations. However, these measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP").

The reconciliation of consolidated underwriting-related general and administrative expenses to general and administrative expenses, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Segmental Data' section of this press release.

Foreign exchange losses (gains) in our consolidated statements of operations primarily relate to the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on our net insurance-related liabilities. However, we manage our investment portfolio in such a way that unrealized and realized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our investment portfolio, including unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our equity securities, and foreign exchange losses (gains) realized on the sale of our available for sale investments and equity securities recognized in net investment gains (losses), and unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our available for sale investments in other comprehensive income (loss), generally offset a large portion of the foreign exchange losses (gains) arising from our underwriting portfolio, thereby minimizing the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on total shareholders' equity.

As a result, we believe that foreign exchange losses (gains) in our consolidated statements of operations in isolation are not a meaningful contributor to our underwriting performance. Therefore, foreign exchange losses (gains) are excluded from consolidated underwriting income (loss).

Interest expense and financing costs primarily relate to interest payable on our debt and Federal Home Loan Bank advances. As these expenses are not incremental and/or directly attributable to our underwriting operations, these expenses are excluded from underwriting-related general and administrative expenses, and therefore, consolidated underwriting income (loss).

We believe that the presentation of underwriting-related general and administrative expenses and consolidated underwriting income (loss) provides investors with an enhanced understanding of our results of operations by highlighting the underlying pre-tax profitability of our underwriting activities. The reconciliation of consolidated underwriting income (loss) to net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Segmental Data' section of this press release.

Current accident year loss ratio represents net losses and loss expenses ratio exclusive of net favorable (adverse) prior year reserve development. We believe that the presentation of current accident year loss ratio provides investors with an enhanced understanding of our results of operations by highlighting net losses and loss expenses associated with our underwriting activities excluding the impact of volatile prior year reserve development. The reconciliation of current accident year loss ratio to net losses and loss expenses ratio, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Underwriting Highlights' section of this press release.

The reconciliation of catastrophe and weather-related losses ratio and current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses to net losses and loss expenses ratio, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Underwriting Highlights' section of this press release.

Current accident year combined ratio represents underwriting results exclusive of net favorable (adverse) prior year reserve development. We believe that the presentation of current accident year combined ratio provides investors with an enhanced understanding of our results of operations by highlighting the profitability of our underwriting activities excluding the impact of volatile prior year reserve development. The reconciliation of current accident year combined ratio to combined ratio, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Underwriting Highlights' section of this press release.

Current accident year combined ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses represents underwriting results exclusive of net favorable (adverse) prior year reserve development and net losses and loss expenses associated with natural catastrophes, man-made disasters, other significant catastrophe events and other weather-related events.

We believe that the presentation of current accident year combined ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses provides investors with an enhanced understanding of our results of operations by highlighting the profitability of our underwriting activities excluding the impact of volatile prior year reserve development and by separately identifying net losses and loss expenses associated with catastrophe and weather-related events due to the inherently unpredictable nature of the occurrence of these events, the potential magnitude of these losses and the complexity that affects our ability to accurately estimate ultimate losses associated with these events.

The reconciliation of current accident year combined ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses to combined ratio, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Consolidated Underwriting Highlights' section of this press release.

Foreign exchange losses (gains) in our consolidated statements of operations primarily relate to the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on net insurance-related liabilities. However, we manage our investment portfolio in such a way that unrealized and realized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our investment portfolio, including unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our equity securities and foreign exchange losses (gains) realized on the sale of our available for sale investments and equity securities recognized in net investment gains (losses) and unrealized foreign exchange losses (gains) on our available for sale investments in other comprehensive income (loss), generally offset a large portion of the foreign exchange losses (gains) arising from our underwriting portfolio, thereby minimizing the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on total shareholders' equity. As a result, we believe that foreign exchange losses (gains) in our consolidated statements of operations in isolation are not a meaningful contributor to the performance of our business. Therefore, foreign exchange losses (gains) are excluded from operating income (loss).

Bermuda deferred tax benefit in 2025 is due to the derecognition of deferred tax liabilities related to Bermuda corporate income tax, pursuant to the Corporate Income Tax Act amendment (No. 2) 2025 that is effective December 11, 2025. Bermuda deferred tax benefit in 2024 is due to the recognition of deferred tax assets net of deferred tax liabilities, pursuant to the Corporate Income Tax Act 2023 that is effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2025. Bermuda deferred tax benefits are not related to the underwriting process. Therefore, this income is excluded from operating income (loss).

We believe that showing net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders exclusive of after-tax net investment gains (losses), foreign exchange losses (gains), reorganization expenses, interest in income (loss) of equity method investments and Bermuda deferred tax asset reflects the underlying fundamentals of our business. In addition, we believe that this presentation enables investors and other users of our financial information to analyze performance in a manner similar to how our management analyzes the underlying business performance. We also believe this measure follows industry practice and, therefore, facilitates comparison of our performance with our peer group. We believe that equity analysts and certain rating agencies that follow us, and the insurance industry as a whole, generally exclude these items from their analyses for the same reasons. The reconciliation of operating income (loss) to net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliation' section of this press release.

We also present operating income (loss) per diluted common share and annualized operating ROACE, which are derived from the operating income (loss) measure and are reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, earnings (loss) per diluted common share and annualized return on average common equity ("ROACE"), respectively, in the 'Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliation' section of this press release.

We present gross premiums written and net premiums written on a constant currency basis in this press release. The amounts presented on a constant currency basis are calculated by applying the average foreign exchange rate from the current year to the prior year amounts. We believe this presentation enables investors and other users of our financial information to analyze growth in gross premiums written and net premiums written on a constant basis. The reconciliation to gross premiums written and net premiums written on a GAAP basis is presented in the 'Insurance Segment' and 'Reinsurance Segment' sections of this press release.

Pre-tax, total return on average cash and investments excluding foreign exchange movements measures net investment income (loss), net investment gains (losses), interest in income (loss) of equity method investments, and change in unrealized gains (losses) generated by average cash and investment balances. We believe this presentation enables investors and other users of our financial information to analyze the performance of our investment portfolio. The reconciliation of pre-tax, total return on average cash and investments excluding foreign exchange movements to pre-tax, total return on average cash and investments, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, is presented in the 'Investments' section of this press release.

 

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited's ("AXIS Capital" or the "Company") underwriting operations are organized around its global underwriting platforms, AXIS Insurance and AXIS Re. The Company has determined that it has two reportable segments, insurance and reinsurance.

•All financial information contained herein is unaudited, except for the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2024 and consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

•Amounts may not reconcile due to rounding differences.

•Unless otherwise noted, all data is in thousands, except for ratio information.

•NM - Not meaningful is defined as a variance greater than +/-100%; NA - Not applicable

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. This document or any other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company may include forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in or incorporated by reference in this document are forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "plan", "believe", "predict", "potential", "aim", "will", "target", "intend" or similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature or their negative or similar terminology.

Forward-looking statements made in this document, such as those related to our performance, pricing, growth prospects, the outcome of our strategic initiatives, our expectations relating to our ability to successfully implement and manage technology initiatives – including artificial intelligence, our expectations about the current trade and geopolitical environment on our business, economic and market conditions, and other statements that are not historical facts, reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Risks Related to Taxation: change in tax laws.

[a]    Operating income (loss), operating income (loss) per diluted common share, annualized operating return on average common equity ("operating ROACE"), current accident year loss ratio, catastrophe and weather-related losses ratio, current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses and tangible book value per diluted common share are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by Regulation G. The reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders, earnings (loss) per diluted common share, annualized return on average common equity ("ROACE"), net losses and loss expenses ratio and book value per diluted common share, respectively, and a discussion of the rationale for the presentation of these items are provided above/later in this document.

[b]    Annualized ROACE is calculated by dividing annualized net income (loss) available (attributable) to common shareholders for the period by the average common shareholders’ equity determined using the common shareholders’ equity balances at the beginning and end of the period.

[c]    Annualized operating ROACE is calculated by dividing annualized operating income (loss) for the period by the average common shareholders’ equity determined using the common shareholders’ equity balances at the beginning and end of the period.

[d]    Operating income (loss) per diluted common share is calculated by dividing operating income (loss) for the period by weighted average diluted common shares outstanding.

[e] The current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophe and weather-related losses is calculated by dividing the current accident year losses less pre-tax catastrophe and weather-related losses, net of reinsurance, by net premiums earned less reinstatement premiums.

[f]    Underwriting-related general and administrative expenses and corporate expenses are included in the general and administrative expense ratio.

[g]    Total cash and invested assets represents the total cash and cash equivalents, fixed maturities, equity securities, mortgage loans, other investments, equity method investments, short-term investments, accrued interest receivable and net receivable (payable) for investments sold (purchased).