Insurance Technology
PR Newswire | October 19, 2023
Acturis, the leading technology provider to the general insurance industry, has partnered with Customer Lifecycle Intelligence platform FullCircl to integrate its SmartBroker solution into the platform in order to deliver a rich, contextualised, and connected data solution for brokers, insurers, and MGAs. The SmartBroker API integration will provide next generation data enrichment to Acturis users proven to drive growth, improve decisioning, and enhance compliance.
Recent research has highlighted a persistent level of doubt when it comes to broker and insurer trust in data. This has significant knock-on impacts when tackling many of the biggest challenges facing the industry - onboarding speeds, underwriting accuracy, underinsurance, personalised customer journeys, risk and fraud reduction, and meeting compliance duties. By integrating FullCircl SmartBroker into the Acturis platform brokers and insurers can:
Efficiently identify and win new customers
Save time and pre-populate forms in Acturis with validated data
Run screening and onboarding checks
Enrich customer data to save time and improve underwriting submissions
Improve in-life monitoring for personalised experiences, elevated renewal rates, and expanded upsell opportunities
Improve customer outcomes and comply with the Consumer Duty
Speaking about the partnership Tony Goddard, CEO of Acturis commented: We're always looking for new ways to enhance how our customers write more business and ensure the trading experience is accurate, efficient, and effective. Integrating with FullCircl is another opportunity for us to elevate our platform and connect the insights brokers need, when it matters most.
Andrew Yates, CEO and Co-Founder at FullCircl said: "This integration has been driven by demand from our shared customer base. We've worked together to provide users with a connected solution that will provide meaningful opportunities to drive growth. We believe brokers, insurers and MGAs are better with data, and this integration makes data enrichment more accessible. We're delighted to announce this partnership so quickly after the launch of our SmartBroker solution and exclusive facility for BIBA members. It's an exciting time for us, and for our customers in the insurance sector."
Phil Barton CEO at Partners&, collaborators in the integration, expressed his excitement at the launch commenting: "I am delighted to see the integration of Acturis and FullCircl being announced. As a partner of both firms, and a business committed to intelligent use of technology, we could see the natural synergy in this integration, and the potential added value for our business. I am pleased to have played a role in influencing the development of this valuable proposition for the broking community."
About FullCircl
FullCircl is a Customer Lifecycle Intelligence (CLI) platform that connects the insight you need, when it matters most.
Its software, delivered through a platform, API, and suite of applications, is used to identify and acquire customers, verify entities and assess risk to accelerate onboarding, and retain and grow customers by delivering proactive account management.
FullCircl identifies millions of actionable insights daily on entities from 160 countries, providing a near real-time record of companies, their officers and shareholders, and the relationships between them. FullCircl improves commercial effectiveness while empowering businesses to satisfy regulatory requirements and make informed decisions about their customers.
FullCircl was formed following the merger of Artesian Solutions and DueDil and is backed by top tier investors including Octopus Investments, Notion Capital and Augmentum Fintech. In 2023, FullCircl acquired W2 Global Data Solutions, strengthening its KYC, AML and identity verification capabilities. Today, it serves 700+ customers, 15,000+ users, processes over 300 million onboarding and monitoring transactions per month and facilitates the onboarding of 200,000+ customers annually.
About Acturis
Acturis is the leading, award winning Software-as-a-Service provider to the insurance industry.
Founded in 2000, we have grown exponentially over the past 20 years. To date, more than 100,000 individuals, in over 40 countries, use Acturis solutions to power their business. We drive innovation in both personal and commercial lines by working closely with brokers, insurers, and MGAs. Our work has helped create and shape the insurance market of today.
The Acturis Group includes Acturis SaaS, Nordic Insurance Software (NIS), ICE InsureTech, Broker Buddha, Acturis Deutschland, Acturis France and Acturis Canada.
Read More
Compliance
PR Newswire | September 21, 2023
NEXT Insurance, a leading digital small business insurer, today announced a differentiated new offering that will enable agents to fully customize coverage quotes to better meet the needs of their small business clients. NEXT's Coverage Builder represents a fundamental leap in allowing agents the ability to micro-tailor small business quotes for their clients, all while maintaining NEXT's superior instant bind capabilities. Coverage Builder is fast, easy to use, and tailored exclusively to agents pre-purchase, equipping them with the tools they need to select the appropriate limits and fully control the coverage they're quoting.
With Coverage Builder, agents can select their base policy limits, add or remove coverage or update limits post-purchase, all while benefiting from the convenience of instant underwriting and price updates. This saves agents valuable time and money, allowing them to make changes automatically without the need to pick up the phone and connect directly with an underwriter. NEXT's Coverage Builder offering furthers the company's commitment to its agents by providing a user-friendly and accessible digital quoting experience, 100% online. Coverage Builder is also available to all NEXT customers post-purchase, allowing small business owners to tailor their policies with immediate price updates and seamless policy management.
"NEXT's Coverage Builder feature is 100% hassle-free," said Cody L Slocum Lammers, Commercial Lines Agent & Broker at Affordable Insurance Solutions. "This new feature sets NEXT Insurance to a new level, above its competitors, as this allows agents the flexibility to customize policies to fit the needs of each individual small business. It's user-friendly and simple to understand- this is truly a game changer for NEXT Insurance agents!"
"Agents are the go-to insurance experts and know exactly the unique types of coverage small business owners need - that's why we're offering them the opportunity to customize policies for their clients instead of standardized coverage packages," said Jack Ramsey, Vice President of Agent Business at NEXT Insurance. "Now, with NEXT's Coverage Builder, we are empowering agents to instantly quote and easily customize and bind policies that will best serve their customers. As a result, small business owners will gain the peace of mind that they're only paying for the coverage they need to protect their business and livelihood."
NEXT's Coverage Builder offering comes on the heels of the company's launch of commercial umbrella/excess liability coverage to support small businesses in their entrepreneurial journey. The digital small business insurer also recently announced its integration with Ivans Download™ for General Liability and Workers' Compensation policies and its strategic hire of Jack Ramsey as the company's Vice President of Agent Business. These developments are further evidence of NEXT's commitment to agents and dedication to providing them with a smoother, more intuitive insurance purchasing process for small business clients.
If you're interested in working with an insurance agent through NEXT Insurance, visit our website to find an expert to help you get the right coverage at the best price.
About NEXT Insurance
NEXT Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, digital, affordable and tailored coverage. Trusted by over 480,000 business owners, NEXT offers policies that are easy to buy and provides 24/7 access to Live Certificates of Insurance, additional insured, and more. Revolutionizing a historically complicated insurance industry, NEXT utilizes AI and machine learning to simplify the purchasing process and provide more affordable coverage. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, has received a total of $881 million in venture capital funding, is rated "A- Excellent" by AM Best and has been recognized by CNBC Disruptor 50, Forbes Fintech 50, Inc.'s Best-Led Companies, and Forbes Best StartUp Employers. For more information, visit NEXTInsurance.com. Stay up to date on the latest with NEXT on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and our blog.
Read More
Core Insurance
PR Newswire | September 14, 2023
Cowbell, a leading provider of cyber insurance for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announced its partnership with Zywave, an industry-leading provider of insurtech solutions. The partnership is powered by Herald, a digital infrastructure provider that connects software developers to commercial insurance carriers through a single API, and leverages Cowbell's leading technology and individualized coverage options for a superior customer experience through Zywave's expanding, simple and efficient, API-first interface for quoting commercial and E&S insurance. The collaboration marks the first standalone cyber insurance offering on Zywave's Hub, which provides MGAs, wholesale brokers, and retailers, with quicker access to modernized cyber insurance products.
Despite cyber being the fastest-growing line of insurance business in recent history, four out of five SMEs are still uninsured or underinsured, according to a recent report published by the small business resource AdvisorSmith. By partnering with Zywave, Cowbell extends its reach within MGAs and brokers and helps further accelerate the adoption of cyber insurance within the SME market.
"As the first cyber insurance provider on Zywave's Hub via Herald's API, our adaptive programs are now available to over 40 additional trading partners," said Rajeev Gupta, co-founder and CPO of Cowbell. "These partners can now experience the simplicity of placing the industry's best cyber insurance coverage for their clients and protecting their clients' future cyber risks with Cowbell's tailored risk mitigation service."
"This is an exceptionally powerful partnership between the most innovative leaders in the industry," said Duncan Crystal, co-founder and CRO at Herald. "Together, we're proving how API-driven distribution can transform an industry that has traditionally run on paper. Our unified offering makes it easier for carrier partners to plug into networks of brokerages and MGAs, resulting in more premium for all players in the value chain, along with better coverage for businesses."
The ability to adapt to ever-changing market conditions in almost real-time allows capacity providers like Cowbell to expand or contract the markets they serve without being hindered by manual processes and antiquated technology. Expanding Zywave's offerings through Cowbell's advanced technology and quality insurance programs ushers in a new and improved way for brokers to sell cyber insurance to their clients.
About Cowbell
Cowbell is a pioneer of Adaptive Cyber Insurance, a leader in providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) coverage adaptable to today's and tomorrow's threats and the advanced warning of cyber risk exposures. In its unique AI-based approach in risk selection and pricing, Cowbell's continuous underwriting platform, powered by Cowbell Factors, compresses the insurance process from submission to issue in less than 5 minutes. Cowbell is backed by 20 prominent leading global (re)insurance partners and serves SMEs in 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the United Kingdom. Founded in 2019, Cowbell is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with employees across the U.S., Canada, India, and the U.K. For more information, please visit https://cowbell.insure/.
About Herald
Herald builds digital infrastructure for commercial insurance. Developers who use Herald quote and bind insurance from multiple carriers through a single API. For more information, visit https://heraldapi.com.
About Zywave
Zywave leads the insurtech industry, fueling business growth for its partners with cloud-based sales management, client delivery, content, and analytics solutions. Zywave's all-in-one platform provides customizable, user-friendly options that enable insurance professionals to build a unique solution to fit their specific growth goals—their own Modern RevOps Machine. More than 15,000 insurers, agencies, and brokerages worldwide—including all of the top 100 U.S. insurance brokerages—use Zywave solutions to enhance client services, achieve business growth and promote greater health, wellness, risk management, and safety. Additional information can be found at www.zywave.com.
Read More