risk management. For Insurance

This article is about risk management. For Insurance (blackjack), see Blackjack. For the contract between insurer and insured, see Insurance policy.

Insurance is the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another in exchange for payment. It is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss.
According to study texts of The Chartered Insurance Institute, there are the following categories of risk:^[1]

1. Financial risks which means that the risk must have financial measurement.
2. Pure risks which means that the risk must be real and not related to gambling
3. Particular risks which means that these risks are not widespread in their effect, for example such as earthquake risk for the region prone to it.

It is commonly accepted that only financial, pure and particular risks are insurable.
An insurer, or insurance carrier, is a company selling the insurance; the insured, or policyholder, is the person or entity buying the insurance policy. The amount of money to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage is called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.
The transaction involves the insured assuming a guaranteed and known relatively small loss in the form of payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate (indemnify) the insured in the case of a financial (personal) loss. The insured receives a contract, called the insurance policy, which details the conditions and circumstances under which the insured will be financially compensated.