MillTech secures €51 mn from Apax to expand FX risk platform
London-based MillTech raised €51 mn from Apax Digital Funds, valuing the firm at €277 mn as it scales AI-driven FX hedging and treasury solutions
🇬🇧 UK Insurance News
Round Treasury raises €5.1 mn to scale AI finance automation platform
London-based Round Treasury secured €5.1 mn in Seed funding to expand its AI-driven platform and launch Agentic Workflow Builder and Autonomous Payroll
Intelligent AI enters US market to tackle property underwriting data gaps
Intelligent AI expanded into the US via the Connecticut InsurTech Corridor, targeting incomplete submissions and data quality issues in property underwriting
Aon expands data center insurance program to $3.5 bn capacity
Aon increased its Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program to $3.5 bn, adding coverage for operational data centers as digital infrastructure risks grow
Standard Life agreed to acquire Aegon UK for £2 bn in retirement savings push
Standard Life agreed to acquire Aegon UK for £2bn, creating the UK’s largest retirement savings and income business with 16mn customers
Autonomous drivetech Wayve added $60 mn to Series D, lifting valuation near $9 bn
UK autonomous driving firm Wayve added $60mn to its Series D, lifting valuation near $9bn as it moved toward robotaxi trials and wider vehicle deployment
UK startup Compound secured £500k to modernise workplace pensions
UK startup Compound secured £500k to modernise workplace pensions, targeting low engagement and high opt-out rates with automation and improved UX
FinTech Round raised $6 mn in Seed to automate treasury, payroll & payments with AI
Round raised $6 mn in Seed funding to automate treasury, payments and payroll, after processing more than $500 mn in transactions
Ralio raises $2.5 mn to build payment rails for AI agents
UK startup Ralio secures $2.5 mn pre-seed to develop payment infrastructure for AI agents, targeting secure autonomous transactions
Trent AI raises $13 mn to secure the rise of autonomous AI agents
London-based Trent AI raised €11 mn in seed funding to build security infrastructure for autonomous AI systems as enterprise adoption outpaces governance
InsurTech funding rose in 2025 to $5.1 bn as Q4 capped a stronger year
Global InsurTech funding picked up in 2025 after three weak years. Total investment rose 19.5% year on year to $5.1 bn, the first annual gain since 2021
Global reinsurance capital hit $785 bn as competition rises in 2026
Aon said global reinsurance capital reached a record $785bn in 2025, with traditional and alternative capital both climbing as renewal competition increased
KYND flags website tracking lawsuits as a growing cyber claims risk
KYND says privacy lawsuits tied to website tracking are rising fast, with SMBs showing higher exposure and insurers facing a harder-to-detect accumulation risk
J.C. Flowers backs Niyam and Lloyd’s Syndicate 2047 in India
J.C. Flowers will take a controlling stake in Niyam and lead investment in Syndicate 2047, building a reinsurance platform from GIFT City into India
Mega M&A deals hit post-2008 high in first quarter of 2026
WTW said 12 mega deals worth $10 bn or more closed in Q1 2026, pushing total completed deal value to a five-year high of $438 bn
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
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
Starr closes IQUW M&A deal to expand specialty reinsurance platform
Starr completed its acquisition of IQUW Group, expanding its specialty insurance and reinsurance platform across Lloyd’s, Bermuda, and UK motor
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
Brit launches BRIDGE cargo consortium with up to $80 mn capacity
Brit launched BRIDGE, a new cargo consortium offering up to $80mn in line capacity as cargo values rise and supply chains grow more complex
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
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
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
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
Fitch flags Iran conflict risk for Lloyd’s and specialty insurers
Fitch warns Iran conflict could hit marine, aviation, and energy lines, with indirect risks from inflation, asset declines, and defaults
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
Active Re completes global retrocession programme and expands cyber underwriting
Barbados reinsurer Active Re strengthens capital protection and increases AI adoption across underwriting operations
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
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
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
Canada Life Insurance completes £80 mn Safeway pension buy-in
Canada Life finalises £80m buy-in with Safeway Pension Scheme, securing benefits for 1,800 members as trustees advance de-risking strategy
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
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
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
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
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
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
Healthtech Pontiro secured £357,5k to scale NHS imaging AI infrastructure
Pontiro raised £357,500 in a round led by SFC Capital, with participation from Plug and Play Ventures and the British Business Bank
Startup FYLD raises $41 mn Series B to scale AI for field operations
London-based FYLD, an AI-powered intelligence platform for the infrastructure sector, closed a $41 mn Series B round led by Energy Impact Partners
Startup SurrealDB raised $23 mn, launched v3.0 multi-model AI database
London-based SurrealDB secured a $23 mn extension to its Series A round and released version 3.0 of its multi-model database platform
Insurtech Concirrus unveils AI-native Inspire underwriting platform
Concirrus has launched Concirrus Inspire, an AI-native underwriting platform built for specialty insurers and MGAs seeking faster decision cycles without loosening risk controls
DQPro selects Hartford for US expansion with InsurTech Corridor support
London-based specialty data firm will build US operations in Connecticut, citing access to carriers and regulatory guidance
UK insurers pay £6.1 bn property insurance claims as weather losses climb
Insurers in the United Kingdom paid out £6.1 bn in property claims during 2025, including £1.5 bn in the fourth quarter alone
Hiscox Re & ILS rebrands and launches Hiscox Capital Partners
Hiscox Re & ILS has rebranded as Hiscox Re and introduced Hiscox Capital Partners, a platform consolidating the group’s third-party capital operations
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%