SME
Ecclesiastical's John Blundell on cracking the cyber code
Cyber crime has hit the headlines but sales are still down. Ecclesiastical's UK general insurance managing director John Blundell explains why the sector needs to break down difficult wordings and better explain both risks and policies to clients to make…
Hiscox stages 'cyber attack' on bike shop
Hiscox recently joined forces with Brompton Bicycle to stage a brick-and-mortar simulation of common hacking practices such as phishing and ransomware to demonstrate the risk of cyber attacks to small businesses.
Brightside MGA Kitsune targets £37m GWP in first 18 months
Exclusive: Brightside's newly-launched managing general agent, Kitsune Associates, is aiming to reach in £20 to 25m in gross written premium in its first year of trading, with plans to potentially reach £37m within 18 months.
Roundtable: Building out from the back office
The hype over new technologies might have the industry excited. But there remains a question of whether these firms’ back offices are fit for purpose to enable them to maximise these customer facing investments. Against this backdrop, Post, in…
Blog: Tackling theft
High-tech and more traditional theft is on the up, so understanding the latest trends is an important step in tackling it, according to Neil Clutterbuck, chief underwriting officer at Allianz Insurance.
Allianz appoints SME director to replace David Martin
Allianz Insurance has appointed Helen Bryant as its new director of SME & corporate partnerships, to replace Zurich-headed David Martin.
Brexit stockpilers face 'huge risk of underinsurance'
Exclusive: Businesses that stockpile goods in preparation for potential Brexit-related disruptions are leaving themselves at risk of being underinsured, brokers have warned.
Analysis: Review of 2018
The spectre of Brexit loomed large over the insurance sector this year, and although the picture is still no clearer in terms of how the UK market will continue to trade with Europe after 29 March 2019, significant merger & acquisition activity was among…
Zego to offer ‘flexible’ business insurance through challenger bank Starling
Zego’s partnership with Starling Bank will see it offer public liability insurance for small enterprises through the mobile-only bank’s marketplace, with a view to making other lines available in the future.
Iprism chair declares turnaround complete after Gable fallout
The chair of underwriting agency Iprism has vowed that it will never work with unrated capacity again having only just got its house in order after the collapse of former partner Gable in 2016.
Analysis: Renovation fires - Learning from history
When extensive renovations are carried out on properties fire poses a risk. Rachel Gordon investigates what insurers are doing to mitigate this happening.
SMEs at risk of underinsurance if IPT rises next week
SME businesses could be forced to scale back insurance cover leaving them at risk of underinsurance, if the government increases insurance premium tax in the Budget next week.
Start-up to bring pay-as-you-go commercial insurance to the UK's SME "heartland"
A new insurtech business launching in the first quarter of 2019 will provide flexible pay-as-you-go commercial insurance to SMEs.
FCA broadens ombudsman service to SMEs
The Financial Conduct Authority has announced its plans to broaden the Financial Ombudsman Service to benefit smaller SMEs.
Interview: Chris Lay, Marsh
Chris Lay enjoyed his time in Canada but Marsh’s new UK and Ireland CEO has no doubt that London is the place to be. “The UK is a priority for Marsh,” he told Cecile Brisson, just before the world’s biggest broker bought off London-based broker Jardine…
Analysis: Chatbots – Where is the love?
‘Chatbot’ has long-become an insurance industry buzzword, but penetration remains low and firms are still grappling with how to use early iterations of the technology. Elsewhere, some chatbot pilots have failed.
Analysis: Application interrogation
People who want to insure their home can’t always answer technical questions about their property. Insurers are calling on digital technologies to overhaul the whole application process
Aston Lark's Peter Blanc on the communication dilemma
As business insurance is increasingly sold online, Peter Blanc, group CEO of Aston Lark, warns against insufficient cover and lack of advice.
Analysis: How Amazon could make waves in claims
With talk abound of a possible Amazon entry into insurance distribution, what could an Amazon entry into claims look like?
Zurich weathers H1 storm claims and returns to profit
Zurich UK has seen operating profit rise 24% in H1, as a focus on commercial enabled the firm to avoid huge weather losses seen elsewhere.
Autonet's Ian Donaldson on how brokers innovate
Brokers have always innovated to survive and will continue to do so, writes Ian Donaldson, CEO of Autonet and Carole Nash, explaining how technology can help cross-selling.
Analysis: Beauty fraud: No pain, no gain
In an era of Instagram brows and duck lip selfies, the beauty industry is thriving. While most customers visit their hairdresser, nail bar or tanning salon to look smoking hot, others see a beauty treatment as a route to a windfall, via a fraudulent…
Insurtech start-up Next raises $83m
US-based insurtech start-up Next Insurance has raised $83m in a Series B funding round led by Redpoint Ventures and including Munich Re.
