Latest InsurTech Headlines

All the headlines from our InsurTech Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Smartphone Makers Reject Obama Call for Restrictions to Curb Distracted Driving

Nov 28 2016 // U.S. highway safety officials called on smartphone makers to add features that would keep motorists from using functions linked to a surge in deaths due to distracted driving, a proposal that drew immediate opposition from...

XL Catlin Appoints Branch as Chief Executive of Insurtech Team, Accelerate

Nov 28 2016 // XL Catlin announced the appointment of Vincent Branch as Chief Executive for Accelerate, its new expert team focused on innovation and insurtech. Accelerate is led by XL Catlin’s former chief underwriting officer for...

Insurtech Startups Attract Growing List of Traditional Insurer Partners

Nov 28 2016 // Listening to Andrew Rear talk about insurers, you wouldn’t think he works for one that’s been around for 136 years. The 46-year-old head of Munich Re’s Digital Partners unit has said the industry is...

Insurtech Startup Trov Launches in UK, Offering On-Demand Coverage

Nov 23 2016 // The on-demand economy, which uses smartphone technology to immediately fill consumer needs, has changed the way people order food, a car, or a place to stay. Now, technology startups are targeting the next business...

Munich Re Partners with InsurTech Start-Up Wrisk

Nov 22 2016 // Insurtech company Wrisk Ltd., which was founded earlier this year, has entered into an agreement with Munich Re’s Digital Partners business unit. Under the agreement, Munich Re companies become the exclusive carrier...

How Smart Building is Changing Construction

Nov 21 2016 // With “smart” building becoming the gold standard in today’s commercial construction world, builders, building owners, workers and insurers are dealing with new technologies and risks. These smart...

P/C Insurance Execs See Growth Coming from Technology Innovation, New Products

Nov 21 2016 // Technology innovation will provide the biggest growth opportunities for reinsurers in the year ahead, according to a survey by Guy Carpenter & Co. The survey polled executives from insurance and reinsurance companies,...

How Independent Agents Feel About Growth, Technology and Disruption

Nov 21 2016 // Property/casualty independent insurance agents are more optimistic this year than they were in 2015. Nearly half (49 percent) of agencies responding to an industry survey say they are “very optimistic” about...

How Tech Can Turn the Tide of Flood Insurance

Nov 21 2016 // As residents of coastal Louisiana, New York and New Jersey have discovered, a house with a sea view can carry a serious and soggy downside. In terms of storms and their severity, a building’s location has never...

Fintech Firms Alibaba, Tencent Support China’s New Cyber Law Despite Foreign Opposition

Nov 18 2016 // China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. rallied behind Beijing’s recently imposed cyber security law on Thursday, following criticism of it from overseas technology rivals. The...

Next Big Car Safety Feature Could be This Smartphone Camera App

Nov 16 2016 // Drivers in San Francisco, Manhattan and Tel Aviv may soon have another safety tool at their disposal: a mobile app that alerts them to dangers ahead in the road. Nexar Ltd., an Israeli startup whose app records video from...

How SEC Scrutiny of Unicorns Could Affect Private Company D&O Insurance

Nov 15 2016 // Underwriters of directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance should keep an eye on the increased scrutiny of “unicorn” technology firms by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for...

Safety Advocates Frustrated that Accident-Prevention Technologies Remain Optional

Nov 15 2016 // Computerized sensors that warn drivers they’re about to rear-end another vehicle or prevent other types of accidents are available on models made by every major auto manufacturer. The problem, according to a U.S....

Drone Makers Shift to Commercial Uses as Consumer Market Crashes

Nov 14 2016 // The fledgling drone industry is in the throes of change as weak consumer demand and falling prices drive startups to shift their focus to specialized business applications. 3D Robotics – an early drone startup that...

P/C Insurance Execs See Growth Coming from Technology Innovation, New Products

Nov 10 2016 // Technology innovation will provide the biggest growth opportunities for reinsurers in the year ahead, according to a survey by Guy Carpenter & Co. The annual survey polled executives from insurance and reinsurance...

Recent Cyber Attacks Reveal Dangers, Vulnerabilities of Internet of Things

Nov 8 2016 // Recent cyber attacks harnessing everyday devices such as cameras, video recorders, printers, routers and speakers are a wake-up call to the hidden dangers of the Internet of Things. The problem for the device makers,...

Closing Quote: Want Innovation? Ask the Right Questions

Nov 7 2016 // Innovation is a hot topic, with websites, researchers, authors and consultants sharing insights and revelations about how businesses can be more innovative in a continually challenging economy. While innovative businesses...

3 Ways Auto Insurers Should Adapt to Drivers’ Changing Road Habits

Nov 7 2016 // For a historically slow-moving industry, changes are occurring at a rapid rate in today’s auto insurance world. Drivers’ road habits are shifting and auto insurers should adapt to the changing behavior behind...

Startup Auto Insurer Root Targets Good Drivers with Smartphones

Nov 7 2016 // Root officially debuted in the U.S. market on October 25. The fledgling auto insurer, just 18 months old, relies on telematics and a customer’s smartphone to deliver what it says will be significantly cheaper rates...

Berkshire’s Workers’ Compensation Product Carries Risks of Innovation

Nov 4 2016 // David Miller is a stickler for safety at the Goodwill stores he runs in central California. So when Applied Underwriters offered his nonprofit a deal on insurance for workplace accidents if he could minimize injuries, he...