As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 2, 2015

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Waterloo House

100 Pitts Bay Road

Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda

+1-441-278-0400

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Principal Executive Offices)

Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

C T Corporation System

111 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

(212) 590-9070

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

Copies To:

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Endurance is filing this Registration Statement to register 1,025,349 Ordinary Shares authorized for issuance under the 2007 Endurance Equity Plan that were previously registered for use pursuant to the 2012 Montpelier Equity Plan.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The following documents filed with the SEC by the Company, pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

In addition, except as provided below, all documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of an additional post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement that indicates that all securities offered have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents with the SEC.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of the Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in the Registration Statement, or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, modifies or supersedes such prior statement. Any statement contained in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained in a subsequently filed document that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement modifies or supersedes such prior statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of the Registration Statement.

Under no circumstances will any information furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Current Report on Form 8-K be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

The amended and restated bye-laws of the Company provide for the indemnification of the Company’s officers and directors, members of a (duly constituted) committee and any resident representative (and their respective heirs, executors or administrators), each referred to as an indemnified person, against all actions, costs, charges, liabilities, loss, damage or expense to the full extent permitted by Bermuda law (including but not limited to liabilities under contract, tort, fiduciary duties and statute or any applicable foreign law or regulation and all reasonable legal and other costs and expenses properly payable), incurred or suffered by such party by reason of any act done, conceived in or omitted in the conduct of the Company’s business or in the discharge of his/her duties; provided that such indemnification shall not extend to any matter which would render it void pursuant to the Companies Act 1981 (the “Companies Act”) as in effect from time to time in Bermuda.

The Company’s amended and restated bye-laws state that an indemnified person shall be indemnified out of the funds of the Company against all liabilities incurred by him or her by reason of any act done, conceived in or omitted in the conduct of the Company’s business or in the discharge of his or her duties, in defending any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, in which judgment is given in his or her favor, or in which he or she is acquitted, or in connection with the application under the Companies Act in which relief is granted to him or her by the court.

In addition, each shareholder and the Company agree to waive any claim or right of action he or it may have at any time, whether individually or by or in the right of the Company against any indemnified person on account of any action taken by such person in the performance of his duties with or for the Company; provided that such waiver shall not extend to any claims or rights of action which would render it void pursuant to the Companies Act as in effect from time to time in Bermuda, that arises out of fraud or dishonesty on the part of such indemnified person or with respect to the recovery of any gain, personal profit or advantage to which such indemnified person is not legally entitled.

The Companies Act provides that a Bermuda company may indemnify its directors in respect of any loss arising or liability attaching to them as a result of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which they may be guilty. However, the Companies Act also provides that any provision, whether contained in the company’s bye-laws or in a contract or arrangement between the company and the director, indemnifying a director against any liability which would attach to him in respect of his fraud or dishonesty will be void.

Not applicable.

A list of Exhibits filed herewith is contained in the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.

1. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales of the securities registered hereby are being made, a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

2. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Pembroke, Bermuda on the 2^nd day of October, 2015.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints John R. Charman, Michael J. McGuire and John V. Del Col, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments or supplements to this registration statement, whether pre-effective or post-effective, including any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or appropriate to be done with respect to this registration statement or any amendments or supplements hereto in the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and as on the date indicated.

EXHIBIT INDEX