[1] EXEL Limited was formed in 1986 in the Cayman Islands by 68 Fortune 500 companies following the financial crisis of the early 1980s.

In February 2001, the company acquired Winterthur International, a property and casualty insurance unit that serves large businesses, from Credit Suisse for $600 million.

[6] In March 2008, Mike McGavick was named chief executive officer of the company succeeding Brian O’Hara.

[8][9] In April 2015, the company introduced a new venture capital fund called XL Innovate for technology products in the financial services sector.

[17] In September 2017, the company moved its European headquarters from the United Kingdom to Dublin as a result of Brexit.