Data Insights
Japanese insurer to cut staff with AI system
Japans Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance reportedly plans to reduce the headcount in its payment assessment department by introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to improve operating efficiency.
Aegon completes Cofunds acquisition from L&G
Aegon has completed the acquisition of Cofunds from Legal & General following regulatory approval.
Comment Wire: Who dares wins in 2017
Looking back on 2016, these have been exciting, thrilling, but also scary times for the global life and health insurance industry.
Protection insurance trends in 2016 and outlook for 2017
Kevin Carr, chief executive of Protection Review, reviews the key trends that have shaped the protection insurance market in 2016 - and forecasts many positive developments for the sector in 2017, such as simpler products and more use of technology including apps and e-signatures
Comment Wire: InsurTech trends to watch out for in 2017
Stewart McEwan, senior analyst, general insurance, at Verdict Financial, analyses the trends Startupbootcamps 10-strong cohort reveal for insurance in 2017.
Research Wire: Social media best practice for life and health insurers
Patricia Davies, head of content, general insurance, at Verdict Financial, tells Life Insurance International why life and health insurers should be proactively engaging with social media to promote awareness and engage with existing and new customers.
RedArc Nurses launches post hospital service for employees via insurers
RedArc Nurses has launched a post hospital service that aims to assist employees when they are discharged from hospital, but still need additional support.
babylon health: Just what the digital doctor ordered
Digital doctor, babylon health, offers life insurers significant opportunities to better engage consumers, improve risk prevention and attract millennials, according to a senior panel of insurance executives.
Capgemini: new insurance products for the sharing economy in 2017
New insurance products will be introduced for the sharing economy in 2017 and the use of wearables and other Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices will be increasingly incentivized next year according to Capgemini.
Comment Wire: Verdict on Insure A Thing
Danielle Cripps, an analyst in the general insurance team at Verdict Financial, explains why a new concept by Insure A Thing, a new InsurTech start-up that only charges customers after claims have been notified, has the potential to disrupt the traditional operational model of insurance.
UnderwriteMe selected by three more intermedaries
Protection technology business, UnderwriteMe, has been chosen by three intermediaries: Assured Futures, Tuto and Future Proof
Royal London agrees screening deal with Square Health
Square Health has agreed a deal with Royal London to provide doctor and nurse screening services for the insurer.
Time for insurers to tap into market for offering wearable tech cover
Patricia Davies, head of content, general insurance, at Verdict Financial, says although wearable devices may be viewed as desired pieces of kit, Verdict Financials 2016 UK Insurance Consumer Survey reveals only 32.2% of those who own a wearable device have actually insured it. This signals a missed opportunity for insurers.
Digitalisation drives new wave of insurance M&A deals
Almost 50% of insurers expect to acquire new technologies through M&A activity in the next three years, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey.
5 life and health insurers that are embracing innovation
Mahendra Nambiar, vice president, global insurance solutions and innovation lead at Capgemini, highlights life insurance players that recognise the increasing importance of value-added services as a package with the core insurance product. He also notes those insurers that are embracing innovation and exploring areas such as chatbots.
US D2C life InsurTech, Ladder, launches
Ladder, the California-based InsurTech start-up and online life insurance provider that by-passes agents, has officially launched.
AXA PPP survey: UK workers open to health tech monitoring
An AXA PPP healthcare survey shows that 57% of the British workforce would be open to monitoring their health with technology at work, as long as their employer supplied a device to do so.
Comment wire: InsurTech trends that challenge traditional purchasing
Stewart McEwan, senior analyst, general insurance at Verdict Financial, explains that a feature of Startupbootcamps 2017 cohort is a challenge to the status quo of how insurance is purchased.
UK insurance group targets savings through speech analytics project
Insurance provider BGL Group has deployed speech analytics software across its UK contact centre network in an initial project focused on servicing the companys insurance book customers.
Comment wire: International competition is stifling UK insurtech
Thomas McCourtie, analyst, general insurance at Verdict Financial, argues that UK insurers must look to partner with new and emerging tech groups in order to avoid falling behind their international competitors, which he says, are innovating at a much faster rate.