News
Munich Re tech radar flags AI, cyber, and climate as top strategic themes for reinsurers
Artificial intelligence, cyber resilience, climate analytics, and emerging liability risks are among the most consequential themes for reinsurers, according to Munich Re and ERGO’s newly released Tech Trend Radar 2026, which outlines the technologies they believe will most materially reshape insurance and reinsurance markets over the coming years.
The report argues that many previously “emerging” technologies have now moved into practical deployment, with reinsurers needing to focus less on experimentation and more on implementation, governance, and underwriting adaptation.
Below are some of the most relevant takeaways for the global reinsurance market.
State News
New York City plans to use taxpayer dollars to undercut private insurance market - InvestmentNews
[Ed. note: Sorry New Yorkers, setting rates based on politics instead of actuarial sciences is unsustainable. Lawsuit abuse and fraud are two root causes of high premiums]
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a plan to deploy an undisclosed amount of public money to compete directly with private property insurers - offering cut-price policies to landlords of rent-stabilised and affordable housing buildings, and raising immediate questions about what government-backed competition means for a commercial market already operating under some of the most onerous regulatory conditions in the United States.
The programme, announced Thursday at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council's annual luncheon, would use city capital to issue property and liability insurance policies at premiums 20 to 30 per cent below prevailing market rates.
Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg said the lower cost would be achievable because "the government doesn't have the same profit demands as private insurers." The city aims to cover 20,000 homes by 2027, scaling to 100,000 by 2030.
Lawsuits, fraud and high bills in NY car insurance
To the Editor,
For the average New Yorker an annual car insurance bill is around $4,000, which is a shocking 60% percent higher than the national average. Why so expensive? Partially because our state's laws are an engraved invitation for lawsuit abuse and insurance fraud.
Under New York's "comparative negligence" system, even drivers who are ruled to be mostly at fault in an accident can reap big payouts. Minor injuries can snowball into big lawsuits thanks to vague legal definitions of terms like "serious injury."
These factors would make everyday claims more expensive on their own, but they also create a system easily exploited by bad actors. In 2023, the state recorded 1,729 staged accidents — crashes or other incidents prompted by dishonest drivers looking to cash in on an insurance payout. That is merely the tip of the iceberg: That same year, insurers reported over 38,000 cases of suspected fraud.
The loopholes that invite this fraud make it more expensive for insurers to do business in New York. This helps drive up insurance costs for all drivers, adding hundreds of dollars in premium costs to the average policy. That represents significant money to many families and small businesses.
Tackling fraud and abuse must be a priority. It simply is not fair to ask those doing the right thing to pay more so that others can exploit weak laws for a quick buck.
AI in Insurance
AI threatens 'jobs with dignity,' says Nobel-winning economist
Economist Simon Johnson isn't mincing words about artificial intelligence: Good jobs are at risk, and governments need to be ready.
He knows a thing or two about eras of world-shaking change. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in economics for his work on the long-lasting impact of Europe's former empires on growth, how prosperity can come about and the importance of institutions in managing that process. His work helps explain why some countries are rich and some are poor.
In December, the British-American Johnson was appointed an AI ambassador by the United Kingdom. In that role, he wants to focus on how the benefits of the technology can be more broadly shared.
With policymakers and investors alike gripped by a mix of fear and optimism around AI, we asked Johnson for his views on what's ahead. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
It's going to have a big effect on the economy and the labor market. It's hard to know exactly the form it takes. The current trajectory we're on is one in which there's going to be a lot of automation, and many good jobs will be lost. Any technical transformation also creates jobs, but what we're looking at on this path for the foreseeable future is a net loss of good jobs, jobs with dignity, jobs with good pay. There's an alternative path. So it's not a done deal, but it's looking increasingly dark. INTERVIEW CONTINUES
Trust but Verify: Why Insurers Should Embrace Stronger Governance
Insurers’ resistance to emerging AI governance frameworks may be misplaced, as consistent standards could strengthen trust, transparency, and accountability across the industry.
Recently, an NAIC working group held a public forum to discuss adopting a risk-based regulatory framework for third-party data and model vendors. It quickly became apparent that industry representatives are, shall we say, hesitant to adopt the framework, if not downright opposed.
In my view, that resistance is misplaced. Widespread, consistent guidelines and guardrails for AI models in insurance would increase both trust—and trustworthiness—in how AI is used.
Bringing Transparency to AI
Bolting AI onto existing technology stacks creates risk. Traditional AI capabilities such as machine learning often produce deterministic outcomes; they’ve earned the trust of insurers and other financial institutions because their outputs are typically auditable, traceable, and repeatable.
Franklin Manchester, CPCU, is a principal global insurance advisor at data and AI company SAS
Marsh reports Q1 as rates ease, AI use expands
Marsh is increasingly using artificial intelligence to drive efficiency and reshape operations as it navigates a competitive insurance and reinsurance market, President and CEO John Doyle said during its first-quarter earnings call Thursday.
Mr. Doyle said the company is deploying AI to automate back-office processes, enhance client-facing tools and streamline workflows.
At the same time, Marsh is seeing continued pricing pressure across many lines of business.
“We continue to see a competitive insurance and reinsurance environment,” he said.
Announcements
THE GENERAL INSURANCE® NAMED OFFICIAL AUTO INSURANCE PARTNER OF WWE®
WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment, and The General Insurance®, a leading provider of flexible auto insurance built to give drivers a break when they need it most, today announced a new multi-year partnership naming The General Insurance the first-ever Official Auto Insurance Partner of WWE.
As an Official Partner of WWE, The General Insurance will have a prominent presence across high-profile events and platforms, strategically activating with a new brand campaign anchored by WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley, enhanced match sponsorships at WrestleMania® 42 and SummerSlam®, center ring mat branding during both nights of WrestleMania 42, ring mat branding during episodes of Friday Night SmackDown, and custom social and digital content.
InsurTech/M&A/Finance💰/Collaboration
InsurTech NY: Feathery on AI Transforming Intake
InsurTech NY, Alex Backart from Feathery explains how the company is tackling one of the most time-consuming parts of the insurance process: submission intake.
Backart says Feathery is focused on solving the labour-intensive front end of underwriting, where carriers receive and process incoming submissions. This stage often involves collecting, reviewing, and structuring large amounts of data much of it manually. According to Backart, this is where inefficiencies can quickly build up and slow down response times for customers.
Feathery’s approach is to bring AI directly into this process.
Backart explains that by using AI, the platform helps carriers ingest and organise data more quickly, allowing them to respond to customers faster and with greater accuracy. The goal isn’t just speed, but also improving how information is handled at the earliest stage of the insurance journey. By structuring data earlier, insurers can make better decisions downstream in underwriting and servicing.
Backart also reflects on the importance of events like InsurTech NY.
He describes the conference as a key gathering point for emerging technologies in the insurance space, where companies can see what others are building and how innovation is evolving across the market.
Guidewire Launches ProNavigator, Embedding Expert AI Insights into Insurance Workflows
Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) today announced the launch of Guidewire ProNavigator, an AI assistant embedded in its core applications, InsuranceSuite and InsuranceNow. Introduced in the company’s latest release, Palisades, ProNavigator delivers expert guidance, enables confident decision-making, and accelerates time to value for Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers, equipping underwriters, claims adjusters, billing specialists, and customer service representatives with role-specific AI insights that are governed, secure, and context-aware.
ProNavigator empowers insurers to: - Scale expertise with dependable, accurate information that’s grounded in the insurer’s unique source material, including citations - Maintain strict governance and security models by enforcing role-based access controls (RBACs) to ensure only authorized users can access specific documents or sources - Trust the decisions made and maintain control with audit trails and a human-in-the-loop experience in the flow of work - Reduce time-to-value and the long-term maintenance burden with a production-ready experience from day one, which stays current, release after release
“ProNavigator gives insurance professionals exactly the right information, right when they need it,” said Amy Mollin, Vice President, Product Management at Guidewire. “By embedding it directly into InsuranceSuite and InsuranceNow, we're enabling frontline teams to quickly access accurate answers and confidently make better decisions. It’s AI that just works, helping insurers move smoothly from evaluating AI to successfully adopting it in everyday operations.”
Sompo partners with Zego in $28m funding round
UK digital motor InsurTech Zego has secured $28m (approximately £20.6m) in a new funding round, with Japanese insurance giant Sompo Holdings joining existing investors as part of a wider strategic partnership between the two firms.
The two companies will use the tie-up to jointly explore and develop telematics-based insurance products tailored to the Japanese market. Sompo Holdings participated in the funding round alongside Zego’s existing backers.
The collaboration is underpinned by a mutual belief that data-led, usage-based insurance can produce meaningfully better outcomes for policyholders. Both companies see the approach as a way to reward safer drivers, advance road safety, and introduce more personalised and equitable pricing models.
The deal brings Sompo Group’s local insurance expertise and market knowledge together with Zego’s technology platform and AI capabilities to push forward the next generation of telematics insurance.
Webinars/Podcasts/Interviews
From Documents to Decisions: Why Claims Needs a New Operating Model
The insurance claims industry sits at an inflection point. Medical records are more complex, nuclear verdicts are rising, and the workforce is changing faster than most organizations can adapt. AI promises to help — but most implementations have fallen short.
We sat down with Mark Tainton, senior vice president of data solutions at Wisedocs, to talk about what's actually working, what isn't, and why the industry needs to move from document management to true decision intelligence.
Paul Carroll
The insurance claims industry has been talking about digital transformation for years. What's actually changed in the last 18 to 24 months, and what's still stuck?
Mark Tainton
Having worked in the insurance industry for over 30 years at the intersection of technology and claims operations, I've certainly seen infrastructure change. But the bigger question now is the operating model that can actually leverage that infrastructure. And the operating model is not so much around storing documents in claims management systems or document management systems—it's about how we take advantage of that data asset. We’re essentially moving from document storage into effective decision-making.
Over the last five years, there has been an acceleration in the technology, in particular with large language models. Technology is not the problem.
People
AMA Claim Solutions is proud to announce David Eisman’s appointment as Executive Vice President of Business Development
David Eisman brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across the property claims and vehicle lifecycle ecosystem, with deep expertise spanning estimating platforms, salvage marketplaces, forensic investigation, and enterprise claims services.
His proven ability to drive strategic growth, strengthen client partnerships, and build high-performing sales and account management organizations makes him a tremendous addition to our leadership team.
As AMA continues to expand its impact across the claims ecosystem, David’s leadership will play a critical role in accelerating growth initiatives, deepening partner relationships, and delivering measurable value for our clients.
Please join us in welcoming David to the AMA Claim Solutions team.
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