INSURANCE TECHNOLOGY
Socotra | October 28, 2022
Socotra, the modern core platform provider for innovative insurers, today announced that KOBA Insurance, an insurtech MGA pioneering usage-based insurance products in Australia, is migrating its insurance program onto the Socotra policy core platform.
Currently, KOBA is one of the first insurers to offer pay-per-kilometer personal auto insurance in Australia. Since launching nationwide last November, KOBA is rapidly evolving the car insurance narrative; growing 50% month-on-month, helping Aussies pay-per-KM for over 1,000,000KM across Australia and more importantly, providing a connection between a driver and insurer like never before. Traditional insurance only covers expenses to get you back on the road. But that is not enough. KOBA believes that modern car companies and smart insurers of the future will be about making you safer, helping you avoid accidents, and focus on building a true car-care relationship.
With a data-driven focus, KOBA is nimble and is innovating distribution and product solutions for niche markets. In June 2022, KOBA also launched a car share product in partnership with Uber-owned Car Next Door. KOBA plans to expand its portfolio to include other usage-based insurance products for boats, fleets, rideshare vehicles and motorcycles.
Socotra gives KOBA a platform for international scalability and the ability to introduce new products and innovations quickly as KOBA evolves its distribution model. Socotra also provides cloud-native capabilities and the flexibility to plug in multiple raters, claims systems and a single platform to launch any insurance product for any geography or distribution channel.
“KOBA is empowering mid-sized carriers to activate and scale innovative insurance products—from day one, By partnering with Socotra, we are laying down a rock-solid technological foundation to rapidly launch multiple usage-based insurance products, flexibly white-label them for mid-sized carriers, and scale our insurance-as-a-service platform internationally.”
-Andrew Wong, founder and CEO of KOBA
Usage-based insurance (UBI) is auto coverage that uses data collected from the driver’s vehicle and analyzed by the insurer to determine policy cost. The better the driver, the better the discount.
KOBA’s Insurance as a Service Platform provides carriers access to their line of white-label products on a subscription basis.
Mid-sized insurance carriers have been reluctant to launch usage-based insurance products because such offerings require them to redesign not only their technology platforms, but also their processes and organization structures. But KOBA will enable mid-sized carriers around the world to sell white-labeled versions of its innovative and tech-driven products, without having to spend the time, money and effort to create these products themselves. KOBA will provide insurance-as-a-service with its out-of-the-box pricing models, raters and go-to-market strategies.
KOBA, which designs products for value-driven customers, was the winner of the Excellence in Insurtech award at the seventh annual FinTech Australia Finnie Awards in 2022. It won Mozo Expert Choice Awards’ “Car Insurance Best New Product 2022” and “Excellent Value Car Insurance 2022,” as well as “Best Insurtech Innovation 2022” by Australia’s Finder Awards. It was also recognized, alongside Socotra, as one of the 10 leading insurtech companies in Australia by Insurance Business Australia.
I applaud the team at KOBA for their vision of accelerating innovation for mid-sized carriers, KOBA understands that data is central to better assessing risk and giving customers the types of experiences they have with other technology services daily. With Socotra, they’re creating usage-based insurance products that deliver immense value and cost savings for their customers,said Dan Woods, founder and CEO, Socotra.
About Socotra
Socotra brings unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra’s modern core platform, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate product development, reduce maintenance costs and improve customer experiences. Socotra provides open APIs, a product-agnostic data model and out-of-the-box capabilities to manage the entire policy lifecycle, making insurance innovation faster, easier and more affordable.
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CORE INSURANCE
NFP | October 19, 2022
NFP, a leading property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager, and retirement plan advisor, today announced it has acquired Mason James Insurance Services Limited (doing business as Bentley Insurance Services), one of the largest brokers in Staffordshire. Bentley has provided complex commercial and personal insurance solutions since 1922. Mike Rostron, managing director at Bentley, will join NFP's commercial insurance leadership team in the UK and continue to drive company growth across Staffordshire and beyond.
"Bentley Insurance Services has a longstanding presence in Staffordshire, a great reputation, strong leadership and well-earned trust in the region, making them a perfect partner for NFP, We are proud to welcome Bentley, a broker that embodies our ethos, to our growing global group."
- John Paul Allcock, UK and Ireland managing director at NFP
This acquisition aligns with NFP's growth strategy and brings another respected, service-orientated broker to NFP's UK operations. With this deal, NFP grows its roster of exceptionally skilled brokers, furthering its commitment to bringing bespoke risk management solutions to more businesses and individuals across the UK.
The last two years have been particularly challenging for organisations and consumers alike, and their insurance needs have evolved, This partnership allows us to offer services to businesses in the Midlands that more effectively meet the challenges our clients face today, said Allcock.
Bentley will maintain its local office presence in Staffordshire, and all existing Bentley customers will continue to be advised and managed by their current broker in the same way they always have. Through NFP, clients will also have full access to enhanced products and a broader range of solutions designed for their specific needs.
We're excited to join the NFP family and collaborate with colleagues that share our commitment to providing client-centric solutions and maintaining a people-first work culture, This incredible opportunity also allows us to offer our clients access to NFP's broad network of integrated insurance, benefits, wealth management and retirement solutions, said Rostron.
About NFP
NFP is a leading property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager, and retirement plan advisor that provides solutions enabling client success through the expertise of over 7,000 global employees, investments in innovative technologies, and enduring relationships with highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions. NFP is the 9th best place to work for large employers in insurance, 7th largest privately-owned broker, 5th largest benefits broker by global revenue and 13th largest broker of US business (all rankings according to Business Insurance).
About Bentley Insurance Services
Bentley Insurance Services is one of the largest independent insurance intermediaries in Staffordshire and has been dealing with personal and commercial insurances since 1922.
We specialise in providing bespoke insurance solutions for private cars (including high performance and high value vehicles), household insurance, commercial insurance, industrial insurance, self-employed tradespeople and liability.
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CORE INSURANCE
The Standard and Noyo | October 21, 2022
Standard Insurance Company (The Standard), a leading provider of financial protection products and services for employers and individuals, has entered into a strategic partnership with Noyo. This partnership reinforces The Standard's commitment to digital transformation by bridging member enrollment and eligibility data across benefits technology platforms. The solution will enable faster group connection and processing times, as well as decreasing operational overhead for benefits administration.
By incorporating Noyo's capabilities around handling, standardizing, and transmitting data quickly and accurately, The Standard is making it easier for employers to administer their benefits and employee enrollments and reducing data issues that can disrupt coverage. The partnership will provide an enhanced billing experience and access to data, allowing information to pass quickly and seamlessly between stakeholders.
“The Standard is making a significant investment in our group insurance business to transform the way we connect with and provide service to our customers, We are investing to deliver a superior outcome for our customers through a unique combination of expertise, caring and digital experience."
-Jill Schlofer, second vice president of Implementation and Enrollment for The Standard
Key Partnership Benefits
Streamlines member maintenance updates including open enrollment, new hires, qualifying life events and demographic and termination changes across all group sizes.
Allows brokers to connect clients faster, spend more time advising their clients and less time on administration.
Performs member enrollment data audits to ensure eligibility changes are processed quickly and accurately.
I am incredibly excited to see an insurance carrier with more than a hundred years of history adopt the technology of the future, We look forward to transforming the way key benefits data is managed and enabling The Standard to focus on their mission to protect the lifestyles of their customers,said Shannon Goggin, CEO at Noyo.
About The Standard
The Standard is a family of companies dedicated to helping customers achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. In business since 1906, we are a leading provider of financial protection products and services for employers and individuals. Our products include group and individual disability insurance, group life, dental and vision insurance, voluntary (employee-paid) benefits, absence management services, and retirement plans and annuities for employers and individuals.
About Noyo
Noyo is the modern data infrastructure that makes frictionless employee benefits possible. Founded by leaders in benefits, insurance and API technology, Noyo is the first company transforming the underlying infrastructure of the benefits industry with seamless digital connectivity. With Noyo, crucial benefits data is instantly available anywhere it’s needed, unlocking new possibilities for how benefits are designed and delivered.
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