Poorer countries are less able to afford the “premiums” that catastrophe bond issuers pay to investors in return for protection. But countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal could benefit from a regional risk-pooling mechanism like the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, a multi-country disaster-relief fund set up in 2007. This is a donor-backed scheme for the rainiest of days, into which Caribbean governments also pay a contribution. The CCRIF includes a lot of countries, which diversifies risk and reduces premiums. It also has clear payment triggers, which means that it dispenses cash immediately after the hurricanes and storms that dog the region.