Allianz Partners buys nib travel insurance portfolio
Allianz Partners will acquire major parts of nib’s Australia and New Zealand travel insurance portfolio, including TID and a 20-year distribution deal
🇦🇺 Australia & New Zealand Insurance News
Latest insurance news from Australian and New Zealand’s insurers and regulators. Explore auto, home, life, P&C, pet and health insurance, including insurance rates, insights, trends, and breaking insurance news from Australia and New Zealand.
Insurance Council of Australia urges CSLR reform to avoid cross-sector levies
The Insurance Council of Australia says CSLR reforms should target claim cost drivers, limit compensation, and keep general insurance excluded
Heart Foundation and life insurer TAL target heart myths in young Australians
Heart Foundation and TAL are tackling heart health myths among younger Australians, urging prevention before risks build into later-life disease
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission warns finance sector over AI cyber risks
ASIC urged Australian financial firms to strengthen cyber controls as frontier AI tools such as Mythos raise new vulnerability risks
TAL expands Microsoft deal to scale AI and cloud across life insurance
TAL signs a five-year agreement with Microsoft to expand cloud infrastructure, build AI tools, and strengthen workforce skills across its operations
EBR Systems breach highlights rising cyber pressure on Australia’s healthcare sector
A cyber incident at EBR Systems points to a wider rise in targeted attacks across Australia, where healthcare data carries high value and breach fallout often extends well beyond initial disruption
PERILS lifts Victoria bushfire insurance loss estimate to AUD 810 mn
PERILS raised its second industry loss estimate for the January 2026 Victoria bushfires to AUD 810 mn, with a further update due in July
QBE and insurtech Aurora launched an automated underwriting capability for Yacht P&I
QBE and Aurora launched an automated underwriting capability for Yacht P&I, cutting broker submission-to-bind time to under 10 minutes
TAL, Workcom and University of Sydney launch digital mental insurance health claims platform
TAL, Workcom and University of Sydney partner on Pathways project to improve mental health income protection claims and recovery outcomes in Australia
Zurich’s Australian unit to acquire ClearView Wealth for A$408 mn
Zurich’s Australian unit will buy ClearView Wealth for A$408.3m at 65 cents per share, a 21.5% premium, with board and majority shareholder backing
Swiss Re to acquire QBE trade credit and surety unit
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions agreed to acquire QBE Insurance Group’s Global Trade Credit and Surety business, subject to regulatory approvals expected to take several months
Australian Suncorp Group profit slides on A$1.3 bn catastrophe bill
Suncorp Group reported a sharp fall in fiscal first-half earnings after heavy natural catastrophe losses and weaker investment income weighed on results
Insurtech Sixfold raised $30 mn Series B to scale GenAI Underwriter platform
Sixfold has secured $30 mn in Series B funding to expand its AI-driven underwriting platform. Brewer Lane led the round, with strategic backing from Guidewire
Marsh Risk expands Nimbus data center insurance to $2.7 bn capacity
Marsh Risk increases Nimbus facility limits to $2.7bn for large-scale data center construction projects across major global markets
Insurtech BirdsEyeView raises seven-figure funding to scale wildfire risk models
ESA-backed InsurTech BirdsEyeView secured new funding led by 24 Haymarket to expand internationally and accelerate live, AI-driven wildfire risk modelling
Victorian bushfires in Australia trigger 1,386 insurance claims as total losses hit 30%
Insurers logged 1,386 claims from Victoria’s January bushfires, with 30% of property claims total losses, as the ICA activates its catastrophe response
Australia storms across Queensland and New South Wales cause A$2.7 bn insured loss – PERILS
PERILS estimates A$2.663 bn insured losses from late November storms in Queensland and NSW, driven by extreme hail and wind damage
Australia’s competition regulator blocks IAG bid for RAC Insurance
Australia’s competition regulator opposes IAG’s planned takeover of RAC Insurance, warning it would weaken motor and home insurance competition in WA
New Zealand home insurance costs diverge by region and risk
NZ home and contents insurance costs show uneven regional shifts as insurers apply finer risk-based pricing, with Canterbury and Wellington moving differently
PERILS estimates A$1,108 mn loss from Australia convective storms
PERILS sets initial insured loss at $1,108 mn for late-October 2025 severe convective storms across Australia’s east coast
2026 cyber security outlook: federated CISOs, agentic AI, privacy squeeze
A blunt 2026 security forecast on the federated CISO, autonomous AI attacks and defenses, and the accelerating erosion of digital privacy
Australia’s insurtech market to hit $4.2 bn by 2034 with 30% annual growth
Australia’s insurtech market jumps from $3767 mn to a projected $4.2 bn by 2034, driven by digital uptake, AI tools, embedded cover and rising consumer demand
Cyclone Gabrielle machinery dispute shows how strict insurance policy terms bite
A forestry firm loses an $85k claim after moving equipment without insurer consent, raising questions about recovery wording and disaster-response realism
ICA extends catastrophe declaration as storms in Queensland trigger 44k insurance claims
ICA broadens its Cat 255 declaration after severe storms and hail hit Qld and NSW, with 44,600+ claims and insurers deploying support across communities
Australia ranks second globally for extreme weather losses over 45 years
ICA data shows Australia has faced the world’s second-highest per-capita extreme weather losses for 45 years, urging major investment in resilience
CUBE buys Kodex AI to fuse agentic tech into unified compliance stack
CUBE acquires Berlin’s Kodex AI, adding agentic co-worker capabilities and expanding its European footprint across compliance and risk
Australia’s Cyclone Reinsurance Pool lowers premiums but risk mitigation still lags
Australia’s cyclone pool eases premiums in high risk regions, yet insurers push for stronger resilience, data alignment and mitigation investment
IAG handles 10,000+ weather claims after major hailstorms in Australia
IAG processes over 10,000 claims after severe hail and storm damage across Queensland, NSW, and Victoria, activating major recovery operations
EQT and CVC form consortium in A$5.25 bn bid for insurance broker AUB Group
AUB Group allows EQT and CVC to form a consortium to acquire the Australian broker in a deal valued at A$5.25 bn, extending exclusivity talks to early December
Asia-Pacific insurance market growth fueled by reforms, low coverage
Asia-Pacific remains one of the strongest global growth regions for insurance. It’s a region with a relatively young population and still very low penetration
Verisk warns insurers as frequency perils surge, losses hit $152 bn
Verisk reports global insured property losses now average $152 bn as frequency perils surge and severe thunderstorms dominate catastrophe risk
Swiss Re pauses new life insurance deals in Australia as TPD claims soar
Swiss Re halts new business in Australia, citing unsustainable TPD insurance costs, with $1.43bn mental health claims in 2024 straining the financial system
IAG fields 3,000+ storm claims after giant hail hits Southeast Queensland
IAG brands including NRMA and RACQ Insurance are handling thousands of claims after severe hail and storms struck Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
Insurance Australia Group lifts 2026 outlook after $855 mn RACQI acquisition
Insurance Australia Group boosts 2026 profit and premium guidance after completing its A$855M RACQI deal, forecasting up to A$1.75B in reported profit
Australia’s cyclone pool reports $1.12 bn in claims, 3.2 mn buildings covered
Australia’s cyclone pool logged $1.12bn in claims in June 2025 quarter, covering 3.2mn buildings and $644mn in annual premiums across home, strata and SME
Australia’s insurance losses from natural disasters drop 25% in 2025
Insurance losses from Australian natural disasters fell to $1.97bn in 2025, ICA reports, but resilience gaps leave communities and governments at growing risk
Motor Trades Association of Australia warns IAG’s RAC Insurance deal risks shrinking competition
Australia’s motor trade group says IAG’s RAC Insurance takeover would entrench consolidation, raising premiums and reducing consumer choice
Global catastrophe losses mount in H1 2025 with $40 bn LA wildfire hit
H1 2025 saw record $40bn wildfire losses in Los Angeles, heavy US tornado damage, Cyclone Alfred floods in Australia, and a major quake in Myanmar
Insurance Australia Group seals A$855 mn deal for RACQ Insurance
IAG buys 90% of RACQ Insurance for A$855 mn, adding 840 staff and securing a 25-year underwriting partnership in Queensland
Gallagher Re to acquire Steadfast Re, expanding in Australia & Asia Pacific
Gallagher Re, the reinsurance broking arm of Arthur J. Gallagher, has agreed to acquire Steadfast Re, the Sydney-based reinsurance broker launched a decade ago
Australian ASIC cuts 9,240+ pages of rules, pushes simpler compliance for Firms
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has scrapped more than 9,240 pages of regulations since January as part of an overhaul aimed at reducing complexity for businesses
CarTrawler acquires insurtech Koala to expand into travel insurance
Irish travel technology firm CarTrawler has acquired French insurtech startup Koala, marking its first major move into the insurance technology space
Insurtech Naluri secures $5 mn to scale digital health platform in Asia
Naluri, a digital health insurtech provider focused on employee wellbeing, has raised $5 mn in fresh Series B equity, bringing its total Series B funding to $14 mn
PERILS expands severe convective storm loss in Europe, Japan, New Zealand
Reporting will apply to industry losses exceeding €500mn in Europe, ¥100bn in Japan, and NZ$300mn in New Zealand. The scope includes both property and motor insurance lines
FBI and cybersecurity firms warn airlines of Scattered Spider attacks
The FBI and major cybersecurity firms are warning that Scattered Spider, a well-known hacking group, is now targeting the airline and transportation sectors
Australia’s Federal Court fines ACBF A$3.5 mn for misleading claims of Aboriginal ownership
Australia’s Federal Court fined ACBF Funeral Plans A$3.5 mn for falsely representing that the funeral expenses insurance provider was Aboriginal-owned
Australia’s securities regulator appeals Court ruling on HCF Life’s “Preexisting Condition” insurance term
Australia’s securities regulator appealed the Federal Court’s decision dismissing part of its proceedings against HCF Life Insurance Co concerning a “preexisting condition”
Bupa faces Federal Court over misleading conduct, agrees to A$35 mn penalty
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed proceedings in Australia’s Federal Court against insurer Bupa
Insurance Australia Group estimated natural perils costs at A$1.1 bn
Insurance Australia Group Ltd. raised its fiscal-year 2025 guidance as estimated natural perils costs are projected at A$1.08 bn
Mergers and acquisitions insurance claims reached record levels in 2024-2025
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) insurance claims reached record levels in 2024, with the highest total payouts ever recorded
Australian life insurer sanctioned for misleading customers on review rights
The Life Insurance Code Compliance Committee (Life CCC) of Australia sanctioned a life insurer for failing to properly inform 170 customers of their right
United Risk Global finalized its acquisition of Pinnacle Underwriting
United Risk Global has finalized its acquisition of Pinnacle Underwriting, an Australian managing general agent specializing in facultative reinsurance
ACCC clears Allianz’s acquisition of RAAI personal insurance business in South Australia
Australia’s competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), announced it will not oppose the proposed acquisition
PERILS releases 2nd insurance loss estimate for Cyclone Alfred at AUD 2.25 bn
PERILS has published its second insurance industry loss estimate for Cyclone Alfred, which impacted Queensland and New South Wales
Cover Genius and TAL innovate to address underinsurance in Australia
Australian life insurer, TAL, has partnered with leading global insurtech Cover Genius to launch embedded life insurance in Australia
Insurance Australia Group acquires RAC’s insurance business valued at A$1.35 bn
Insurance Australia Group reached an agreement with the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia to acquire RAC’s insurance business in a deal valued at A$1.35 bn
PERILS estimated Cyclone Alfred insurance loss in Australia at AUD 2,568 mn
PERILS has disclosed its initial industry loss estimate for Cyclone Alfred which affected the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales
PERILS released the Industry Exposure Database 2025
PERILS, the company providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has released the PERILS Industry Exposure Database 2025
Insurtech Ignyte launched as a specialty platform for insurance brands
Ignyte Insurance launched as a specialty insurance platform focused on acquiring, expanding, and supporting insurance brands in niche global markets
Australian ASIC sues Hollard Insurance over prolonged claim handling
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has initiated legal proceedings against Hollard Insurance Partners, alleging serious failures
U.S. cyber insurance premiums rose nearly 11% in 2025 as policy volume jumped, but weaker pricing, higher losses, and AI-driven threats added fresh pressure
Finding affordable health insurance in California can be overwhelming. You’re faced with dozens of plan options, unfamiliar terms and questions about whether you qualify for subsidies through Covered California
Insurers enter 2026 with longer settlement cycles, rising volumes, and slow AI adoption, increasing costs and operational risk, AutoRek finds
Global insurance M&A stabilised, as insurers and brokers took a more strategic approach to acquisitions amid falling interest rates and a realignment of strategic priorities