In a fronting arrangement, the licensed insurer (ceding company) that obtains regulatory approval for an insurance product, sells the product, and cedes all or most of the risk to a company that is not licensed to do business in the jurisdiction.
A company whose services are used by a reinsurer, the company accepting direct insurance in its own name and forthwith reinsuring it with the reinsurer.
An Insurer who acts for other (re)insurers by issuing a policy in its own name thereby holding itself directly liable for claims to the insured, although the liability of the Company is reinsured 100% with other insurers.