Sometimes asking the right questions is more important than the answer. So we were pleased to read a recent Instech London report, which asked:

What information do insurers need when underwriting and managing their exposure to risks?

How is information obtained, what is the current “state of the art”, and where are the gaps?

Where in the workflow does this information and analytics fit, and how is it used within existing systems?

The report considers applications mostly for property insurance. But these questions are vitally important across all mid-market commercial lines, from marine to specialty to PandC.

In this case, getting the right answer to these questions will mark the difference between the top quartile performers in commercial insurance over the next decade. So this blogcast looks at them in more detail.

You’ve probably heard a lot of talk about the gap that exists between underwriting strategy and frontline execution in recent months. Insurers are becoming more and more concerned about the disconnect between their target portfolio, and what’s actually happening on the underwriting frontline. Because most risks, still need to be processed manually.

So what do the experts have to say on the issue? We asked three insurance leaders to share their views, and outline where the opportunity lies for the future.

Find out how to tackle the gap between underwriting strategy and frontline execution, and how to accelerate growth by ensuring underwriters solely focus on risks that are aligned to strategy, in-appetite, and are winnable.

Technology and data have changed the world. We’ve all experienced that evolution in some form - when hailing a taxi, paying our bills, applying for jobs or communicating with friends and family.

Insurance is no exception. And while there’s still some way to go in providing commercial customers a truly digital experience, we have seen great strides in data and technology to support the underwriting process.

Accurate data can help with risk selection, fraud detection and pricing. But according to a recent Instech London and Sapiens event, data alone is not enough. Information needs to be fully integrated into the underwriting and business workflow, and be credible and validated.

We recap the key themes that came from this event, and share our thoughts on building an effective partner ecosystem.

What do Lemonade, President Eisenhower and embedded insurance have in common?

Answer: they all feature - to varying degrees - in this year’s Oxbow Partners InsurTech Impact 25 report. The fourth edition, based on six months of analysis, outlines the trends that are shaping insurance and provides three actions executives should take in the digital decade ahead.

In this Blogcast, we give our perspective on one of the key trends outlined in the article – the underwriter of the future.

There has been much debate in recent years about the winners and losers in commercial insurance - which was the topic of debate at the latest TLA insurtech working group.

Here, we recap learnings about the changes in commercial insurance today, where to find the real potential for disruption, and how innovators are engaging with incumbents to change existing business models.

You can read Juan's blog in full on the Cytora website.

At Cytora, we spent some time understanding how to ensure people have the best possible opportunity to practice self-care and focus on their own mental and physical wellbeing in today's new world of work.

We share our learnings with you in the latest blogcast.

You can read Holly's original blog in full on the Cytora website.

To coincide with this year's International Women's Day, Cytora's Kyrsten McCartney spoke to Insurance Times about diversity and inclusion in insurance.

Here, she tells us why a diverse workforce is so important in the industry and outlines how insurers can actively support people from different backgrounds to drive a more relevant and effective output.

You can read Kyrsten's blog in full on the Cytora website.

As we closed out 2020, global commercial insurers saw yet another round of price increases, according to reports from Marsh and WTW. And the findings reveal more fundamental issues being faced by the market today.

Cytora's Richard Hartley explains how in today's environment, smart insurers can generate a significant volume of profitable new business by using platforms to digitise submissions and renewals.

You can read Richard's blog in full on the Cytora website.

There's a great irony that for all the flexibility that remote working has given us, many people around the world have been unable to leave the house due to Lockdown.

But that hasn’t stopped us from seeing the benefits that remote work brings and learning from our experiences so far.

Cytora's Tom Coward explains why we made the permanent move to remote-first, the impact we've seen to date and learnings from implementation so far.

You can read Tom's blog in full on the Cytora website.