disrupters News

SoftBank Invests in Online Startup Lender Kabbage (Which Might Sell Insurance)

SoftBank Group Corp. has plowed $250 million into online lender Kabbage Inc., the latest in a flurry of big bets on mature startups by the Japanese technology company. Kabbage will use the new money to expand its lending products for …

Zurich Acquires UK Online Rental Car Insurance Provider, Halo

Zurich, together with its travel insurance unit Cover-More, has completed the acquisition of Halo, a specialist, UK-based online rental car insurance platform. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Zurich said it is becoming increasingly active in the fast-growing …

Autonomous Cargo Ships Expected to Revolutionize (Disrupt) Shipping

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest mining company, is studying the introduction of giant, automated cargo ships to carry everything from iron ore to coal as part of a strategic shift that may disrupt the $334 billion global shipping industry. …

Investments in Insurtech Expected to ‘Keep Booming’ in 2017: KPMG Report

Investor interest in insurtech is expected “to remain hot across all regions of the world” during 2017, following strong growth in 2016, according to a report published by KPMG. In the coming year, most insurtech investments likely will focus on …

Insurance CEOs More Concerned Than Others About Disrupters: PwC

Insurance CEOs are more concerned than leaders in other industries about combined disruptive threats to their revenue growth prospects, according to findings from the 20th annual “PwC Global CEO Survey.” PwC polled 95 insurance CEOs from 39 countries, who expect …

Hong Kong Agents, China Insurers Face Tech-Related Disruptions: 2017 Predictions, Part 4

The twin forces of regulation and technology will see the emergence of new distribution models in 2017. This sounds like a commonly heard disrupter scenario for the U.S. and European markets, but it’s actually a prediction for the future of …

Fintech Startup Gets German Banking License – with Plans to Offer Insurance

N26, a Berlin startup that offers financial services directly to consumers, said Thursday it’s received a German banking license that will let it offer a fuller range of products across Europe. The company, whose mobile app lets European consumers maintain …

Insurers Ignore FinTech Revolution at Their Long-Term Peril: PwC

While 90 percent of insurers fear they will lose business to a FinTech start-up, only 43 percent say they have put FinTech at the heart of their corporate strategies, according to report published by PwC. As customers demand personalized insurance …

China’s Ping An Joins Global Blockchain Consortium, Led by Fintech Firm R3

China’s second-biggest insurance company, Ping An Group, has become the first Chinese member of a global consortium led by fintech firm R3 which is working on ways blockchain technology can be used in financial markets, the companies said on Tuesday. …