Jet2 cancels La Palma flights from Manchester and London Stansted
Jet2 cancels flights and holidays to La Palma from Manchester and London Stansted. Services end October 30, with affected passengers offered refunds or rebooking
🇬🇧 UK Insurance News
Healthtech Sava Technologies raises £27 mn in Series B for glucose microsensor launch
London-based Sava Technologies raises $36 mn in Series B funding led by Ascensia to commercialize its wearable glucose microsensor, starting in Europe
Tiger kills man at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, animal will not be euthanised
A Siberian tiger named Altai fatally attacked a man at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10. Police are investigating, and the tiger will not be euthanised
Athena Re secures Lloyd’s coverholder approval for cyber insurance
London-based insurance MGA Athena Re receives Lloyd’s coverholder approval to launch a cyber insurance binder and expand its specialty insurance portfolio
Pen Underwriting acquires Ornella, doubling Irish insurance business
Pen Underwriting acquires Ornella Underwriting, doubling its Irish insurance operations and expanding commercial motor, fleet, home and specialty coverage
UK P&I and TT Club approve $750 mn marine insurance merger
UK P&I and TT Club members approve a merger creating United Transport Mutual, with $750 mn in annual premiums, $888 mn in free reserves and global marine coverage
Tokio Marine HCC and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance invest $300 mn in IFC fund
Tokio Marine Group commits $300 mn to a new IFC emerging markets private credit fund managed by BlueOrchard, targeting up to $2 bn in institutional investments
UK winter 2026-2027: El Niño and polar vortex interaction raise risk of snow
UK winter forecasts suggest El Niño and polar vortex disruption could increase the risk of snow, freezing temperatures and storms, but uncertainty remains
Aon forecasts 9% rise in global medical costs in 2027
Aon forecasts global medical costs to rise 9% in 2027, with regional trends ranging from 7.5% in Europe to 12.2% in the Middle East and Africa
UK FCA proposes 90-day withdrawal notice for illiquid investment funds
UK FCA proposes a 90-day redemption notice for funds holding illiquid assets, with monthly withdrawals and a 185-day limit on notice and settlement periods
Nettle raises $4.8 mn to expand AI-powered insurance loss control
Nettle secures $4.8 mn in oversubscribed seed funding led by MTech to expand its AI loss control platform, accelerate risk inspections and grow in the US and Europe
Lloyd’s List Intelligence launches satellite spoofing check
Lloyd’s List Intelligence adds satellite-confirmed spoofing to Seasearcher, linking AIS anomaly detection with imagery to give maritime teams stronger evidence
Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc calls for AI skills update and warns on flood risk
Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc urges new insurance AI standards while warning that homes built in flood zones risk becoming uninsurable
Aviva operating profit rises 24% after Direct Line acquisition
Aviva reports a 24% rise in first-half operating profit to £1.3 bn as Direct Line integration lifts general insurance premiums and earnings
Insurtech ManyPets launches ChatGPT plugin for pet insurance quotes
ManyPets launches a ChatGPT plugin offering indicative pet insurance prices as the UK insurer expands its use of AI across customer services
Go.Compare launches short-term learner driver insurance comparison
Go. Compare launches a short-term learner driver insurance comparison service with Comparison Creator and a dedicated panel of specialist insurers
GoShorty launches temporary taxi and named driver impound insurance cover
GoShorty adds temporary taxi insurance and named driver options to its car and van impound policies as it expands specialist motor cover
Genworth Financial responds to AXA loss in UK PPI appeal against Santander
Genworth comments on the UK Court of Appeal ruling against AXA in its Santander PPI case and says potential recoveries weren’t included in capital plans
Lloyd’s Lab selects 10 insurtech startups for Cohort 17 Accelerator
Lloyd’s Lab selects 10 companies for Cohort 17, focusing on market efficiency, new insurance products and experimental technologies during a ten-week programme
UK polar vortex snow weather forecast as El Niño raises risks
El Niño raises the chance of wetter, stormier UK weather, but forecasts do not support widespread snow or a prolonged freeze
ASOS hacked in data breach affecting UK and Australia
ASOS is investigating unauthorised activity after hackers sent customers a message claiming access to Snowflake. Names and contact details may be exposed
ANV Group completes acquisition of Assured Underwriting Group
ANV Group Holdings completes its acquisition of Assured Underwriting Group, a specialist MGA serving tour operators across the UK and Europe
British Airways BA295 returns to Heathrow after emergency over Ireland
British Airways flight BA295 to Chicago returned to Heathrow after declaring an emergency over Ireland and descending from 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet
UK electric vehicle (EV) registrations hit record through 2026
UK battery EV registrations rose 36.3% to 99,199 in September, taking 28.3% of the new car market as total registrations reached 350,518
UK urged to act over prediction market Polymarket bets on HSBC and Lloyds failure
UK authorities face calls to act after Polymarket drew $77,507 in positions on whether major banks including HSBC and Lloyds will fail in 2026
UK gang jailed over £30 mn cash smuggling operation to Dubai
Members of a UK criminal gang have been jailed for smuggling almost £30 mn in cash to Dubai through Manchester, Birmingham and Brussels airports
FintechZoom Markets World Indices: Nasdaq leads global rebound
FintechZoom Markets World Indices track gains in the S&P 500, Nasdaq and European stocks as weak US jobs data shifts rate expectations
DriveWealth breach exposes data of Revolut trading customers
DriveWealth disclosed a September breach exposing personal data of some Revolut customers who used its US stock trading infrastructure
Zurich completes £8.1 bn acquisition of Lloyd’s insurer Beazley
Zurich Insurance Group completes its £8.1 bn acquisition of Lloyd’s insurer Beazley, creating what it says is the world’s largest specialty insurer
KPMG research finds 77% of insurers fear AI inaction will hurt competitiveness
KPMG research finds 77% of insurers fear AI inaction will hurt competitiveness, while most spending still targets routine work and efficiency
92% of insurers use AI to cut costs, but only 25% target growth – KPMG
KPMG finds 92% of insurers use AI to improve productivity and cut costs, while only 25% apply it to new products, services and revenue growth
Lloyd’s Veterans Charity awards £850K to 9 groups supporting veterans’ mental health
Lloyd’s Veterans Charity awards £850,000 to nine organisations supporting veterans’ mental health and employment across the UK
ANV acquires Car Care Plan from AmTrust Financial Services
ANV Group completes its acquisition of UK vehicle warranty MGA Car Care Plan from AmTrust, adding operations across Europe, the US, Turkey and China
RAF Fairford terror probe puts UK terrorism insurance in focus
Five arrests near RAF Fairford put UK terrorism insurance in focus as police examine explosives, possible Iran links and risks to nearby businesses and property
Sprive raises £7.7 mn Series A to expand mortgage fintech app
Sprive raised £7.7 mn in Series A funding after reaching 567,000 users, £42 bn in supported mortgages and an annual revenue run rate above £18 mn
Truro Bonfire Night cancellation puts event insurance costs in focus
Truro cancelled its Bonfire Night for a second year as security, crowd controls and event costs made a 5,000-person fireworks display unaffordable
Connect Ventures raises $55 mn first close for $80 mn Fund V
Connect Ventures secured $55 mn for Fund V, targeting $80 mn to back European pre-seed startups across AI, infrastructure, robotics and biotech
AI targets London insurance costs as Lloyd’s expense ratio rises
AI is being applied to London insurance workflows as brokers and underwriters seek to reduce duplicated work and Lloyd’s 35.6% expense ratio
Admiral plans 500 UK insurance job cuts in £100 mn savings push
Admiral plans to cut about 500 UK insurance jobs, or 5% of its workforce, as the Cardiff insurer pursues £100m in annual cost savings
Specialty MGA Nirvana appoints Kevin Kettrick as Cyber Lead London
Nirvana names Kevin Kettrick as Cyber Lead London to expand its standalone cyber offering, starting with excess cover before adding a primary product
Sapiens appoints Nazir Esmail and Maggie Fox to leadership team
Sapiens names Nazir Esmail as Chief Autonomous Enterprise Officer and Maggie Fox as CMO as it expands AI, technology and marketing leadership
Severe Caribbean hurricanes rise 94% over the past decade – Atrium research
Atrium research finds Category 3-5 Caribbean hurricanes rose 94% in a decade, increasing property losses and insurance exposure across tourism markets
Sapiens launches AI-native platform for autonomous insurance workflows
Sapiens launches SapiensAIP, an AI-native insurance platform embedding agentic tools across policy, claims, billing and core system transformation
Lloyd’s posts 22% return on capital, pre-tax profit remains £10.7 bn
Lloyd’s reported a 22% return on capital and £10.6 bn pre-tax profit in 2025, while AM Best expects pricing pressure to lift the combined ratio in 2026
Association of British Insurers sets out cyber security controls for UK businesses
ABI guidance identifies cyber controls UK organisations should consider, including MFA, endpoint security, backups, monitoring and supply chain checks
UK commercial insurance adds £29 bn to economy, ABI says
UK commercial insurance contributes about £29 bn annually and supports over 300,000 jobs, according to a new ABI report
easyJet faces $72 mn lawsuit over six abandoned Airbus jets after Russia’s invasion
STLC Europe Eight is seeking at least $72 mn from easyJet over six Airbus aircraft grounded after Russia-related sanctions disrupted their leases
ABI publishes new guides for UK insurers on economic and domestic abuse
The ABI has published two guides to help UK insurers and pension firms support customers and employees affected by economic and domestic abuse
AI adoption exposes insurance gaps in digital health
Beazley’s 2026 Digital Health & Wellness report finds medical negligence remains the leading claims driver as AI creates multi-line insurance exposures
Aon launches Underwriting Analytics for insurers and reinsurers
Aon launched Underwriting Analytics within its Risk Analytics Platform to help insurers assess new risks against existing portfolio accumulations
UK mortgage lending rises as high-LTV share hits 18-year high
UK gross mortgage advances rose 11.1% in Q2 2026 to £77.4 bn, while lending above 90% LTV reached its highest share since 2008
Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters appoints Melissa Cunningham as new President
CILA appointed Marsh’s Melissa Cunningham as its youngest President, with Sedgwick’s Aruna Chandrapalan elected Deputy President
Certua Life partners with Heka to offer Surely life insurance
Certua Life has partnered with employee benefits platform Heka to offer personalised individual life insurance through its Surely brand
Property catastrophe reinsurance prices fall at mid-year renewals
Property catastrophe reinsurance prices fell by double digits at June and July 2026 renewals as global reinsurer capital reached $790 bn
Starr and Goalhanger launch geopolitical risk series at Lloyd’s of London
Starr and Goalhanger will host The Risk Briefing at Lloyd’s, bringing political commentators and insurance executives together to discuss geopolitical risk
World Insurance Associates acquires Pellechio Family Agency
World Insurance Associates acquired New Jersey-based Pellechio Family Agency, expanding its commercial and personal insurance business
EQT to acquire majority stake in McGill and Partners for $2 bn
EQT X agreed to acquire a majority stake in McGill and Partners for $2 bn, with Warburg Pincus exiting and Steve McGill remaining CEO
Global cyber insurance rates fall globally
Swiss Re data shows global cyber insurance rates declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2026, though the pace of reduction slowed
Insurance AI adoption exposes verification gap, study finds
Insurance AI adoption is moving faster than verification controls as synthetic media raises fraud risks across claims and underwriting, research finds
Lloyd’s reports £3.5 bn profit as premiums rise in 1H 2026
Lloyd’s reported £34.7 bn of gross written premium and a 90.8% combined ratio in 1H 2026, with underwriting profit rising to £1.9 bn
Lloyd's outlines how insurers are adapting war risk coverage, cyber war exclusions and pricing to geopolitical threats, hybrid warfare and rising exposure accumulation
AI data center insurance faces rising catastrophe, business interruption and power risks as infrastructure spending grows and electricity demand accelerates
Global reinsurance capital reaches $688 bn as InsurTech companies target AI liability, parametric insurance and automated underwriting to drive premium growth
US cyber insurance rates have declined 9.7% since the beginning of 2024. Across markets outside the United States, prices have fallen 24.5%