Technology
Das develops Alexa skill to provide assistance with legal issues
Legal expenses insurer Das Group has launched an Alexa 'skill' for the Amazon Echo Amazon’s virtual personal assistant.
Clyde & Co pilots online personal injury arbitration platform
Clyde & Co is piloting an online arbitration system for personal injury claims.
Alibaba invests in safe driving app start-up
Tel Aviv-headquartered motor technology firm Nexar has closed a $30m (£21.4m) round of financing.
Hastings to use automated fraud detection service
Hastings Direct has selected BAE Systems’ Net Reveal solution in order to detect and investigate claims and policy fraud.
Quindell auditor slapped with £700,000 fine
The company responsible for auditing Quindell has been fined £700,000 for failing to “exercise sufficient professional scepticism”.
Ten insurtech start-ups to watch in 2018 - part two
Today we feature a second quartet of businesses with their eye on the disruption prize, all of which will be worth watching out for as the year progresses.
In My Bag targets £500,000 in funding round
Gadget replacement insurtech In My Bag will begin a £500,000 funding round through crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
Ten insurtech start-ups to watch in 2018 - part one
There does not appear to be any slowdown in the number of insurtech start-ups that are aiming to mark their mark on the insurance sector.
Mobile app Honcho takes aim at price comparison websites
A mobile app is aiming to compete with price comparison websites by creating a ‘reverse auction’ market place for car insurance after raising £850k in investment.
Week in Post: Carillion collapse and the executive merry-go-round
It was oddly coincidental that it was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, when Carillion collapsed – placing 20,000 jobs at risk.
Drone usage in insurance claims faces cyber and regulatory challenges
Inconsistent regulations and risk of hacking are among the challenges that need to be overcome as loss adjusters are increasingly using drones to assess insured damage, said Nick Barber, head of property & energy claims - Europe at AIG.
Blockchain pilots will be weighed on their merits
There may be several Blockchain prototypes available for companies to choose from at present but there will be a "narrowing" in terms of successful models later on, a consultant said.
Some insurtech investment doesn't make sense, conference hears
Some investment criteria into insurtech start-ups “don’t make sense over time”, said Neil Harrison, global head of claims at Aon Risk Solutions, warning against “innovation that is going to cause dissatisfaction”.
Marsh threatens to ‘squash’ insurtech Marshmallow over use of name
Insurtech start-up Marshmallow faces a legal challenge from broker Marsh over the use of its name.
Connected cars pose terror risk, conference hears
Connected cars are vulnerable to hacking and therefore pose a terror risk, a conference in Budapest heard.
P2P insurer Insure Pal in talks with UK carriers over white label plans
Insure Pal is in capacity talks with three major UK insurers over a H1 entry into the motor market, its CEO said.
Q&A: Nigel Edwards, EXL
Nigel Edwards, senior vice-president and head of Europe at EXL Services, spoke to Jonathan Swift about the incoming General Data Protection Regulation and its impact on insurers.
Ex-Insure the Box CEO's insurtech to launch in Q2 2018
A telematics solution that uses Amazon Alexa to warn drivers of dangerous driving behaviour will be launched in the second quarter of the year.
Japanese insurer completes buyout of Insure the Box owner
Japanese insurer Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Europe has completed the buy-out of Box Innovation Group, which includes the Insure The Box and Drive Like a Girl brand.
CEO of Insure the Box sets up insurtech
Exclusive: Michael Brockman, group CEO of Insure the Box, has launched an insurtech start-up called Thing Co.
Amazon criticised for trying to 'poach' Lemonade staff
Amazon is attempting to poach staff of insurance start-up Lemonade with "obscene" amounts of money, the CEO of Lemonade claims.
Swiss insurtech Go Flink gears up for relaunch
Swiss insurtech start-up Go Flink is to relaunch and release a range of new products to distribute worldwide.
Blog: Driving efficiency and automation by breaking down data silos
Some underwriters are still reviewing data manually but Rodrigo DeCossio, UK insurance lead at Mark Logic, suggests 2018 might be the year to automate these processes and drive more efficiency in underwriting.
CII hires firm to tighten GDPR compliance
The Chartered Insurance Institute has hired a third party data protection officer services in order to help it become compliant for the incoming General Data Protection Regulation.