News
Aon trial uses stablecoins to settle insurance premiums
Aon said Monday that it has completed a “proof-of-concept transaction” using U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins to pay insurance premiums, part of an effort to explore how digital assets could be used in insurance services.
The brokerage worked with Coinbase Global, a cryptocurrency exchange, and Paxos Trust, a blockchain and stablecoin company, to settle premiums for their insurance programs using stablecoins across blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Solana, the brokerage said in a statement.
The initiative was led by Aon’s digital asset practice and follows the creation of a U.S. regulatory framework for stablecoins under the 2025 GENIUS Act.
Aon said the project is intended to assess how regulated stablecoin payments could be incorporated into insurance services while maintaining governance and risk management standards.
Berkshire’s Abel Vows to Use All His Pay to Buy Firm’s Stock
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chief Executive Officer Greg Abel said he will use all of his take-home pay to acquire the conglomerate’s stock for as long as he’s in the role.
To that end, Abel bought up about $15.3 million of the shares this week, according to a regulatory filing. He said his commitment to continue doing so after the firm releases its annual results each year will add up to “hundreds of millions” of share repurchases over the course of his career.
“Absolute alignment with our shareholders, our partners, our owners is critical,” Abel said in an interview with CNBC Thursday. “I already have some shares, but the goal was to continue to demonstrate alignment with them.”
Berkshire also restarted share buybacks on Wednesday, with Abel saying that came after executives had determined that the “intrinsic value” of those shares was above their market price. The move sent Berkshire’s stock climbing as much as 2.3% in New York Thursday after the announcement.
Surplus Lines Market Growth Cools as Competition Intensifies - Risk & Insurance : Risk & Insurance
The excess and surplus lines insurance market’s premium growth decelerated sharply in 2025, dropping to 9.7% through the third quarter from 13.5% the prior year, according to analysis by AM Best, as reported by Risk & Insurance.
The big picture: The slowdown reflects intensifying competition across key risk classes, even as E&S carriers continue absorbing complex risks — particularly in commercial property, cyber and directors and officers liability — that traditional admitted carriers increasingly sidestep. The market is entering a period of normalization after years of robust expansion.
By the numbers:
- Premium growth in the first nine months reached 20.5% in 2022, 15.5% in 2023, and 13.5% in 2024 before cooling to 9.7% in 2025.
- Nine of 10 largest surplus lines writers expanded business through Q3 2025, but six saw only single-digit growth.
- Berkshire Hathaway was the lone decliner among top carriers, posting a 12.4% drop in direct premiums written compared with the year-earlier period.
- MS&AD US Insurance Group surged into the top 10 rankings with 42.6% premium growth driven by program business.
Another Chip Shortage Is Coming — This One Will Hit ADAS Parts
AI demand for memory chips is pushing up prices and stretching lead times on the ADAS modules and sensors collision shops replace most.Shops waiting on cameras, radar sensors, and control modules for late-model vehicles should expect the problem to get worse before it gets better.
A shortage of dynamic random-access memory chips — DRAM, the semiconductor that powers ADAS systems, digital cockpits, and infotainment units — is tightening supply and driving up costs across the automotive industry.
The cause is AI: data centers building out artificial intelligence infrastructure are consuming enormous quantities of memory chips, and the manufacturers that produce them are chasing that higher-margin business instead of prioritizing automotive supply.
The result for collision shops is longer parts waits and higher costs on the modules and sensors that ADAS-equipped vehicles need to be restored to pre-loss condition. MORE
Financial Results
Greenlight Re reports record underwriting income in 2025 - Reinsurance News
Cayman Islands-based reinsurer Greenlight Capital Re has posted a net income of $74.8m for 2025, up from $42.8m in 2024, while gross premiums written increased 11% to $773.3m.
Greenlight Re’s net premiums earned also rose 7% to $661.1m in 2025, while net underwriting income expanded to $35.7m, compared with an underwriting loss of $8.2m in the prior year.
Reflecting the improved underwriting performance, the reinsurer’s combined ratio improved to 94.6%, from 101.4% in 2024.
Meanwhile, investment results declined year-on-year, with total investment income of $60.2m, compared with $79.6m in the previous year.
In Q4 2025 alone, Greenlight Re reported net income of $49.3m, compared with a net loss of $27.4m in the same period of 2024.
Quarterly gross premiums written rose 12% to $161.3m, while net premiums earned increased 12% to $165.6m.
The firm generated net underwriting income of $13m in Q4 2025, compared with an underwriting loss of $18m in Q4 2024, driving a combined ratio of 92.1%, versus 112.1%.
AI in Insurance
Study: AI May Be Tempering Insurer Hiring
The share of insurance companies planning to maintain their current staff size over the next 12 months has reached a 15-year high—while just 7% of insurers plan to reduce headcount in 2026.
Aon and The Jacobson Group’s Q1 2026 Insurance Labor Market Study found that 43% of industry respondents expect to hold staffing steady. That figure is up 10 percentage points from January 2025.
Jeff Rieder, head of benchmarking for Aon’s strategy and technology group, shared those findings during a Feb. 19 webinar. He pointed to several possible factors behind the trend, including a historically profitable 2025, strong investment performance and companies fully experiencing productivity gains from recent technology system investments. ARTICLE
From generative AI to agentic AI, here's what businesses need to know
For the last two years, the conversation around artificial intelligence has mostly revolved around the breakthroughs and maturing of generative AI.
As months go by and models evolve they more and more become a trustable destination for knowledge and reasoning augmentation.LLMs draft emails, summarize documents, break down problems. Tools layered on top of those constantly-improving models generate images, code software and publish marketing copy.
The insatiable demand for inference computing is growing as announcements from the big technology players pile on about record investments, infrastructure deals, chips and services partnerships. As frenzy builds up, the debate has sounds strangely familiar: Is AI overhyped? Is it a bubble? Will it disrupt, replace, displace jobs? Those questions miss the real shift already underway.
Generative AI was only the long-awaited opening act. The next phase, AI with Agency, also more commonly known as agentic AI, is where the transformation accelerates. For the industries of risk management, the difference between the two matters more than most people currently realize.
Announcements
illumend Launches Insurance Broker Referral Partner Program to Strengthen Client Risk Management and Drive Smarter Renewals
** illumend™**, the next-generation AI platform redefining how companies manage third-party risk and insurance compliance, today announced the launch of its Insurance Broker Referral Partner Program. This new program enables insurance brokers to offer clients an AI-first solution for managing certificates of insurance (COIs) and policy endorsements, strengthening the broker's role as a strategic risk advisor.
Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) face a growing knowledge gap in commercial insurance. According to industry surveys, 90% of small business owners lack confidence that their companies are adequately insured; 51% say their business is less than "very prepared" to handle potential risks; and 96% failed to achieve a passing grade when tested on basic insurance knowledge.
"Too often, brokers are pulled into compliance chaos they didn't create," said Kristen Nunery, founder and CEO of illumend. "Our Broker Referral Partner Program gives them a structured way to change that. By equipping their clients with AI-powered compliance intelligence, brokers gain year-round visibility into third-party risk, cleaner documentation and stronger renewal positioning. It allows them to deliver more value without adding administrative burden, so they can deepen client relationships and differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market."
Commentary/Opinion
Insurers can’t afford to keep relying on legacy tech, study says
Legacy tech is holding insurers back and they can't afford to keep kicking the can down the road if they want to keep up.The legacy technology systems that many insurers rely on are holding them back. Still, it’s unsustainable for insurers to keep kicking the can down the road long-term, according to a new study published by Baringa.
“There’s a massive constraint in terms of their ability to get their current legacy environment to respond in terms of pace, in terms of value for money, but also in terms of how they think about being able to capitalize on a more modern architecture stack and what does that look like,” Roy Jubraj, partner of financial services, Baringa said.
Outdated legacy tech is one of the main barriers preventing insurers from capitalizing on AI and other technology advancements and from being able to deliver the level of service customers increasingly demand.
But Jubraj, one of the study’s authors, said it is not all “doom and gloom” for insurers, as there are many options for them to transition to more modern frameworks. The main point he emphasized was that insurers can’t afford to hold onto legacy tech “too long.”
“With the progression of technology and, importantly, the progression of data, I think insurers and organizations across the globe need to take the leap of faith and start thinking about how they update their capabilities and legacy environments in a way that is a lot more progressive,” Jubraj said.
“It can become very, very constraining in terms of those legacy environments not necessarily supporting the business and the business ambition in today’s environment. So, I don’t think you can hold on for too long.”
State News
Insurers cut Florida rates on strong earnings
Florida’s five largest private-passenger auto insurers are reducing rates by an average of 8% this year, state insurance commissioner Mike Yaworsky announced, as strong earnings and declining loss ratios reshape the state’s auto insurance market.
The five carriers -** Progressive, Berkshire Hathaway, State Farm, Allstate, and USAA** - together account for 78.6% of Florida’s private-passenger auto market, according to BestLink data based on 2024 direct premiums written.
Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) reported that the state recorded the lowest personal auto liability loss ratio in the nation in both 2024 and 2025, reaching 52.5% last year - the lowest in 15 years.
Auto physical damage loss ratios have also dropped sharply, falling from 112% in 2022 to 49.5% in 2025, regulators said. Both the OIR and insurers credited 2023 legislative reforms for reducing legal costs and driving these improvements.
Recommended Events
Insurtech America Symposium – EmpowerHER
*** A conference for insurance innovators, by insurance innovators***
The InsurTech America Symposium (IAS 2026) marks the evolution of our flagship event into a truly national gathering. April 13 & 14
Formerly known as the InsurTech Hartford Symposium, the rebrand reflects the scale of today’s audience—bringing together insurance and insurtech leaders from across the United States for meaningful connection, collaboration, and innovation.
Hosted at the Connecticut Convention Center, IAS 2026 takes place in a strategically located venue that offers easy access, walkability, and proximity to major airports—making it simple to arrive, connect, and make the most of your time at the event.
EmpowerHER: Beyond Boundaries
EmpowerHER is where bold women across insurance and insurtech come to turn influence into enterprise impact—through real conversations on AI, capital, leadership, and large-scale transformation. From curated networking and C-suite insights to tactical sessions on customer innovation, mentorship, and breaking silos, every moment is designed for action, not inspiration alone.
April 13 - Hartford Convention Center