AM Best keeps London Market outlook stable as profits ease into 2026
AM Best said the London Market outlook remains stable, though profitability is expected to soften in 2026 as pricing eases and risk pressures build
🇪🇺 Europe Insurance News
Acrisure UK adds four businesses to deepen specialist broking reach
Acrisure UK Broking acquired Confidas, Heathwoods, Marrs and Smith Greenfield, expanding its specialist strength in commercial, property and private client insurance
Santam Syndicate 1918 hires Nigel Tatlock to lead property buildout
Santam Syndicate 1918 appointed Nigel Tatlock as Head of Property as it expands its Lloyd’s platform and builds out global property underwriting
Reinsurance renewals at 1 April extended the softening seen at 1 January – Howden Re
Howden Re said 1 April renewals extended January’s softening trend, with Japan property-cat rates falling and Hormuz-driven stress staying focused in specialty lines
Zalos raises €3.1 mn to scale AI finance agents for enterprise systems
Zalos secured €3.1mn to expand its Computer Agents for finance teams, targeting large enterprise deployments and on-premise systems without ERP replacement
First Central hires banks for potential £1 bn London IPO
UK insurer First Central is working with Deutsche Bank and UBS on a potential London IPO that could value the company at around £1 bn
UK targets Russian shadow fleet with boarding powers in home waters
The UK will board Russian shadow fleet vessels in its waters, tightening pressure on oil shipments tied to Moscow’s war funding and sanction evasion
Readhunt secures Lloyd’s broker status to expand complex risk access
Readhunt received Lloyd’s broker registration, giving the UK insurance broker direct access to Lloyd’s syndicates for more tailored commercial risk solutions
Niyam wins Lloyd’s approval for Syndicate 2047 launch
Niyam Group received Lloyd’s approval for Syndicate 2047 and named Devesh Srivastava chairman as it builds a reinsurance platform for India
Agent-based AI will change cyber offence and defence, Munich Re says
Munich Re says agent-based AI will change cyber offence and defence, widening attack surfaces, pressuring trust, and raising the pace of cyber threats
Munich Re says cyber insurance needs wider uptake as threats intensify
Munich Re says cyber risks are widening beyond ransomware and calls for stronger resilience, broader cyber insurance uptake, and closer market collaboration
Galtea raises €2.7 mn seed to test AI agents before production
Barcelona-based Galtea secured €2.7 mn to expand its AI evaluation platform, helping enterprises test AI agents with less cost and better production reliability
Lloyd’s keeps Hormuz insurance cover available as war risk rates jump
Lloyd’s will keep insuring Strait of Hormuz voyages, though shipowners stay away as war risk premiums jump and underwriting shifts to case-by-case review
Startup Mandel AI raises €3.6 mn seed to automate supply chain coordination
Sofia-based Mandel AI secured €3.6mn from Y Combinator and others to automate supplier coordination, detect disruptions, and streamline procurement
SpaceTech startup Arkadia Space lands €14.5 mn from EIC to scale green satellite propulsion
Arkadia Space secured €14.5 mn from the EIC Accelerator to scale green propulsion systems for satellites and push commercial rollout in Europe
OpenUp raises €20 mn to expand employee mental health platform in Europe
Amsterdam-based OpenUp secured €20 mn from Smartfin and Rubio to expand across Europe and grow its employee mental health platform
Insurtech Kayna raises €1.5 mn seed round to expand in the UK and US
Irish insurtech Kayna secured €1.5 mn in seed funding to grow in the UK and US and expand embedded insurance for vertical SaaS platforms
Allianz reshuffles Board of Management as Tomas Kunzmann joins in 2027
Allianz announced board changes effective 2027, including Tomas Kunzmann’s promotion, new regional responsibilities, and a CFO mandate extension
Vienna Insurance Group reports record 2025 profit and proposes 12% dividend increase
Vienna Insurance Group posted strong 2025 growth, lifted profit above EUR 1 bn, and proposed a 12% dividend increase as expansion plans continue
Health insurtech Alan reaches $5.83 bn valuation after new $116 mn funding round
French health insurtech Alan raised $116 mn at a $5.83 bn valuation, backing AI investment, international growth, and further platform expansion
Insurtech Loxa closes £2.7 mn seed round to expand retail insurance platform
UK InsurTech Loxa raised £2.7 mn in seed funding to expand across Europe, grow retail partnerships, and broaden product protection coverage
HSB launches AI liability insurance for SMEs amid rising legal risks
HSB introduces AI liability cover for SMEs, addressing gaps in general liability policies linked to AI-driven claims and exposures
Willis partners Qover to scale embedded insurance in UK affinity market
Willis teams with Qover to expand embedded insurance capabilities, combining APIs, analytics, and market access for UK businesses
Certua Life launches as first new UK protection insurer in 20 years
Certua Life enters the UK market with embedded life insurance products, targeting unmet demand through fintech, benefits, and wealth platforms
Lloyd’s posts £10.6 bn profit in 2025, sharpens strategy for returns
Lloyd’s reports £10.6 bn profit, £57.9 bn premiums, and stronger capital in 2025 while launching a five-year strategy to improve returns
Lloyd’s selects 12 insurtech startups for Lab Accelerator Cohort 16 after Pitch Day
Lloyd’s names 12 InsurTech startups for Cohort 16, focusing on efficiency, new products, and Ireland-led resilience themes
Insurance Europe pushes simplification agenda to defend EU competitiveness
Insurance Europe urges EU leaders to cut regulatory burden, strengthen capital markets, and expand insurers’ role in long-term investment
Insurance Europe backs EU Digital Omnibus to cut regulatory load
Insurance Europe outlines its stance on the EU Digital Omnibus package, pushing targeted rule changes to ease compliance and reduce complexity
DFC–Chubb $20 bn reinsurance plan targets Hormuz shipping risk
U.S. DFC and Chubb launch $20 bn maritime reinsurance framework to support oil and LNG shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
Electric vehicles cut crash frequency but push insurance claim costs higher – GDV
New GDV analysis shows EVs cause fewer accidents yet generate 30–35% higher repair costs, shifting auto insurance loss economics
Fintech IuteBank exits bridge structure and resumes full operations in Ukraine
IuteBank, part of the Estonian-based Iute Group, has completed the transition period following the bridge bank process and will begin operating as a regular bank in the Ukrainian market
Encord raises €50 mn Series C as physical AI data demand surges
London-based Encord secures €50 mn to scale AI data infrastructure while Europe pours over €3 bn into models, compute and autonomy stacks
Delphyr raises €1.75 mn to scale AI agents for clinicians
Amsterdam startup Delphyr secures €1.75 mn to cut admin load for clinicians as EU funding in AI healthcare automation accelerates
ISAAC antisismica raised €14 mn for seismic damper tech
Italy’s ISAAC antisismica secures €14 mn to scale active mass damper systems protecting existing buildings from earthquakes without structural changes
Seraphim Space fund tops €84 mn target in oversubscribed close
Seraphim Space exceeds €84 mn early-stage fund target, backed by BBB and NSSIF, as European SpaceTech funding momentum continues
ARIA backs CommonAI with €18 mn for UK inference scaling
UK’s ARIA joins CommonAI with €18 mn grant to launch Scaling Inference Lab, boosting compute efficiency and AI infrastructure delivery
Lloyd’s digital platform Ki posts record 2025 profit as GMP tops $1.11 bn
Lloyd’s digital follow platform Ki reports 50% profit growth to $110.4m in 2025, with improved combined ratios and expanded capacity backing
Gulf hull war rates may jump 50% as marine insurance cover pulled
Marsh and Aon warn marine hull war premiums in the Gulf could rise 25–50% as underwriters cancel policies and reprice transits
Morningstar DBRS warns Gulf conflict may tighten reinsurance
Morningstar DBRS says Iran conflict could push reinsurers to raise attachment points, cut capacity and heighten volatility in marine and aviation lines
Iran strikes disrupt flights as war exclusions hit travel insurance cover
Airlines cancel thousands of flights after U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, but standard travel insurance often excludes war-related disruptions
Marine insurers halt Gulf war risk cover as premiums near 1%
Marine insurers cancel war risk policies in the Gulf after tanker strikes push premiums toward 1% of hull value and strand 150 vessels
K2 International launches Lloyd’s-backed PI unit
K2 International forms K2 Professional Indemnity to write non-US liability business via Lloyd’s syndicates, led by market veteran Richard Smart
War insurance risk cover pulled as Hormuz conflict jolts shipping
Marine insurers are cancelling war risk cover for vessels operating in the Middle East Gulf as the United States–Israel–Iran conflict disrupts tanker traffic
Lloyd’s Market Association and KPMG warn insurers to reset underwriting for climate shift
LMA and KPMG say rising temperatures and disorderly transition risks force insurers to rethink physical and transition underwriting strategies
McKinsey says AI could add $70 bn to insurance revenue
McKinsey outlines how AI, from predictive models to agent systems, is reshaping brokers, MGAs, TPAs and software, with $50 bn–$70 bn revenue upside
Zurich to acquire Beazley in £8.1 bn specialty insurance deal
Zurich agrees £8.1 bn takeover of Beazley to expand specialty insurance footprint, creating a $15 bn gross written premium platform
Financial Conduct Authority sets 2026 insurance priorities, captive reform ahead in the UK
FCA launches first insurance Regulatory Priorities report, outlining captive reform plans, AI oversight and claims scrutiny for 2026
AI adoption rises to 82% as data protection risks persist: Gallagher
Gallagher survey finds 82% of businesses report positive AI impact, yet data protection, hallucinations and legal risk remain leading concerns.
AM Best revised German non-life insurance market outlook to stable
AM Best revised its outlook for Germany’s non-life insurance segment to stable from negative, citing sustained rate increases and improving earnings stability
Lloyd’s List Intelligence to manage Lloyd’s Agency Network
Lloyd’s List Intelligence will assume management of the Lloyd’s Agency Network from April 2026, integrating marine survey expertise with global AIS and analytics capabilities
Agentic AI governance moves to board level as autonomy expands
Agentic AI systems introduce execution risk beyond model output, forcing enterprises to redesign governance, privilege controls and runtime oversight
AI-powered actor breaches 600 FortiGate devices in 55 countries
Financially motivated hacker used commercial AI tools to compromise 600 FortiGate devices via exposed ports and weak credentials, no new exploits involved
1.2 mn accounts exposed after breach of France FICOBA registry
Stolen government credentials exposed data tied to 1.2 mn accounts in France’s FICOBA registry, including IBANs, names and tax identifiers
PERILS sets €467 mn loss for windstorm Goretti across UK and France
PERILS estimates €467mn insured loss from Windstorm Goretti in England, France and Belgium, with France accounting for nearly 75% of claims
Low-growth economy tops emerging risk list in 2025, Gartner says
Gartner reported that a low-growth economic environment remained the top emerging risk in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking the second consecutive quarter in which economic conditions
Global property insurance rates fall 9% in 2025
Global commercial property insurance rates declined 9% in Q4 2025, according to the latest market update from Marsh. The drop marks an acceleration from the 8% decline recorded in Q3
Experian brings auto insurance marketplace to ChatGPT users
Experian launched the Experian Insurance Marketplace app inside ChatGPT, extending its insurance comparison platform into a conversational interface used by millions of consumers
Stockholm startup Agaton raises $10 mn seed to scale AI voice analytics for sales
Startup Agaton emerged from stealth with $10 mn in total seed funding to expand its AI-driven voice analysis platform for enterprise sales teams
Flinn raises $20 mn to automate medtech compliance workflows
Vienna-based Flinn secured $20 mn in follow-on funding to expand its AI-driven regulatory and quality automation platform for medtech manufacturers
European regtech Copla raises €6 mn Series A to scale real-time compliance tech
Regtech startup Copla secured €6 mn in Series A funding to expand its real-time compliance infrastructure for regulated financial services
Clyde & Co’s 2026 survey shows how geopolitical volatility, AI and regulation are reshaping business risk, resilience and operational decision-making
Over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, due to escalating costs, unclear business value or inadequate risk controls
Insurers enter 2026 with longer settlement cycles, rising volumes, and slow AI adoption, increasing costs and operational risk, AutoRek finds
How insurers use AI, parametric models and data to close the global protection gap, support climate finance, and strengthen resilience amid regulatory fragmentation