Methods and apparatus, including computer systems, are provided for securitizing a mortality risk. A premium is received by an issuer from a counterparty, and the issuer provides coverage of a mortality risk to the counterparty. An investment is received by the issuer from an investor, and the issuer provides a risk instrument to the investor. The risk instrument provides a contingent return of the investment to the investor, where if a first condition is satisfied then the entire investment is returned, if a second condition is satisfied then none of the investment is returned, and if neither the first nor the second conditions are satisfied then a portion of the investment is returned. The first and second conditions are related to the mortality risk.