Latest Tech Headlines

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

Japan Opens Door to ‘Fintech’ Revolution with Plans to Ease Investment Rules

Mar 29 2016 // A laggard in embracing the ‘fintech’, or financial technology, revolution, Japan is set to ease investment restrictions that could free up the flow of capital in an economy sitting on an estimated $9 trillion...

Prepare for Disruption in High Net Worth Insurance Segment

Mar 28 2016 // ACE’s $28.3 billion purchase of Chubb will create a major disruption in the luxury insurance market. When the integration of the two insurers is complete, the new company is anticipated to control approximately $6...

New Chubb’s O’Brien Traverses High Wire of Integrating High Net Worth Businesses

Mar 21 2016 // Its acquisition of Fireman’s Fund’s business in April, 2015 provided ACE Ltd. with an idea of what’s involved in integrating two leading high net worth insurance businesses. Frances D. O’Brien is...

How Technology May Alter Small Commercial Lines Advantage

Mar 21 2016 // As more small business owners become comfortable buying everything including insurance online, exclusive agent carriers will gain an advantage over independent agency carriers in the highly-fragmented and increasingly...

Automatic Braking, Due by 2022 in U.S. Cars, Could Prevent 20% of All Crashes

Mar 17 2016 // Major automakers will announce Thursday they have agreed to install automatic emergency braking systems in nearly all U.S. vehicles by September 2022, three sources briefed on the plans said. The U.S. National Highway...

Tech Firms Warn of Growing Cyber Risks: From Medical Devices to Sex Toys

Mar 17 2016 // It’s not just computers and mobile phones that are vulnerable to cyber attack, according to software firm Trend Micro. As more devices are hooked up to the internet, it could be anything from medical equipment to...

IronPro Enhances Cyber, Tech Products in Canada

Mar 17 2016 // IronPro, Ironshore’s financial and professional lines unit, is introducing a suite of enhanced cyber and Technology E&O products customized for the Canadian marketplace. IronPro’s cyber and tech products...

Regulations Create Roadblock for Automated Cars Without Human Controls

Mar 14 2016 // Existing U.S. laws pose few barriers to adoption of autonomous vehicle technology so long as cars and trucks stick with existing designs allowing humans to take control, the agency overseeing traffic safety said...

U.K. Eyes Requiring Drones to Fit Anti-Collision Technology for Aviation Safety

Mar 10 2016 // Britain is considering whether civilian drones will have to be fitted with technology intended to prevent collisions with airplanes after a series of near-misses around airports. “The U.K. government and the Civil...

‘Cool’ Austin Icy Toward Uber, Airbnb, Bristling Tech Sector

Mar 9 2016 // Austin, Texas, boasts a reputation as one of most cutting-edge cities in the U.S, but new local regulations on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and rental sites such as Airbnb are stirring discontent in the tech sector,...

The Hartford, Olympians to Advocate ‘Death of Disability’ at SXSW

Mar 7 2016 // New research has placed a spotlight on a gap between what Americans say about themselves and what they think about others when it comes to disability in the workplace and sports. According to the research by The Hartford,...

Piecing Together Homeowners Coverage

Mar 7 2016 // The homeowners insurance line, not often thought of as a bastion of change, is actually quietly evolving beyond the traditional “one-size-fits-all” business. Some of the puzzle pieces that make up homeowners...

Allstate Moving 400 Tech Jobs to Chicago

Mar 3 2016 // Insurance company Allstate has announced plans to open an innovation hub with 400 employees at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. The Northbrook-based company announced that the 45,000-square-foot office space will house...

Self-Driving Car Developers Betting on Senior Citizen Market

Mar 2 2016 // Florence Swanson has lived through every American car from the Ford Model T to the Tesla Model S. Now, at 94, she has stepped into what Google hopes will be the automotive future: self-driving vehicles. After her painting...

Software Provider Vertafore Acquires Canada’s Keal Technology

Feb 29 2016 // Vertafore, the Bothell, Wash.-based insurance software provider, announced the acquisition of Keal Technology, a leading provider of broker and commercial management systems in Canada. The move extends Vertafore’s...

Startup Lemonade Bets Behavioral Science Can Help Insurance Not Suck

Feb 24 2016 // A company that openly berates the current insurance industry as one that sucks believes that adding behavioral science to the mix will help fix it. The New York-based startup Lemonade, which is promising to be a...

Insurance Industry Analyzes Google’s Failed Online Insurance Experiment

Feb 23 2016 // The insurance industry had a lot to say about what Google did wrong a day after the search engine giant said it would be pulling the plug on its year-long Google Compare experiment selling auto insurance online. Many...

Technology’s Full Potential

Feb 22 2016 // Technology has transformed how we operate in almost every facet of our life. It has changed the face of business for every industry. Insurance is no different. Yet, as I look within our industry I see a problem. I see...

Law Enforcement, Private Firms Look to Evolving Drone Defense Industry for Protection

Feb 18 2016 // The drone intruder was roaming around the Rose Bowl Stadium as 94,000 fans cheered, oblivious to the threat. But scientists testing a new security device at the game knew: they detected its radio signals and seized control...

Should Google’s Parent Buy AIG?

Feb 16 2016 // It’s an “audacious” idea, and Citigroup Inc. acknowledges as much. Google’s parent, Alphabet Inc., should buy American International Group Inc. to expand into financial services, and turn the...