In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠KASKO⁠ CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr and VIG Platform Partners CEO Dr. Ronald Engel speak with Alexander Heß, Managing Director & Country Manager of Assurant Germany.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

📍Assurant’s re-entry into Germany driven by a major telco win and European growth strategy.

📍Overview of Assurant’s three verticals: housing, automotive (EV-focused), and connected living.

📍Distinction between embedded vs integrated insurance and their operational implications.

📍Use of circular economy in device protection through trade-in, repair, and refurbishment models.

📍Introduction of forward trade-in and upgrade programmes to increase customer retention.

📍Local supply chain investment to meet partner expectations and ensure service quality.

📍Flexibility to act as insurer, reinsurer, or administrator depending on partner needs.

📍Challenges in smart home insurance due to fragmented device ecosystems.

📍Sustainability positioned as a business enabler, not just a compliance function.

📍Telco case study demonstrating end-to-end integration of insurance and service offerings.

📍Decline of outbound sales in Germany; focus on inbound and digital upsell opportunities.

📍Potential in banking-telco-insurance convergence for embedded propositions.

📍Concern that economic pressure may delay required investment in embedded infrastructure.

This episode provides strategic and operational insight into how global players like Assurant localise #embeddedinsurance models, integrate circular economy thinking, and navigate complex #b2b2c #partnerships, relevant for executives shaping product, distribution, or transformation strategies across #insurance #ecosystems.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠KASKO⁠ CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr speaks with Ronald Engel, CEO of VIG Platform Partners and Head of Transformation at Vienna Insurance Group (VIG), who just took over the role as Nick's new co-host.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

📍Ronald Engel’s background in law, consulting, and entrepreneurship.

📍Overview of his role at VIG Platform Partners and the group’s innovation function.

📍VIG’s focus on enabling B2B2C digital insurance across CEE markets.

📍Discussion on VIG Platform Partners’ complementary approach to existing insurance partnerships.

📍Embedded insurance as a potential structural shift in distribution.📍Reflections on early embedded insurance implementations and evolving product strategies.

📍The role of modular insurance products in customer acquisition and upselling.

📍Views on embedded insurance economics and scale challenges.

📍Common challenges in corporate venturing and execution.

📍Importance of strategic alignment, internal sponsorship, and operational autonomy.

📍Risks of over-investing early in corporate start-ups without proven traction.

📍Preference for lean teams and variable cost structures in early stages.

📍Use of external support to stay agile in execution.📍Experience launching the SZIGET Festival insurance pilot under tight deadlines.

📍Innovation governance across a decentralised insurance group structure.📍Efforts to shift from isolated pilots to scalable business contributions.

📍Reflections on success and failure in group-wide innovation efforts.📍Vision for Platform Partners as a group-wide execution and acceleration unit.📍Discussion on challenges scaling pilots without dedicated infrastructure.📍The role of in-person events like ITC Europe in relationship building and industry engagement.

📍Ronald Engel’s motivations for joining the podcast as co-host.

This episode offers strategic and operational perspectives on how Vienna Insurance Group approaches

#embeddedinsurance, #corporateventuring, and #innovation #orchestration across a decentralised organisation. It provides insights for executives involved in #productinnovation, #digital #distribution, or #digitaltransformation initiatives within #insurance #ecosystems, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠KASKO⁠ CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr speaks with Viola Zsédely-Takács, Business Development Director for New Growth Engines at Ageas.

During the conversation Viola shares insights about how Ageas is scaling B2B2C insurance across Europe and Asia - focusing on distribution innovation, digital bank assurance, and what it really takes to industrialise embedded insurance.

Here are some of the key-topics discussed in the episode:

📍Strategic evolution at Ageas from the Impact 24 to Elevate 27 strategy, narrowing focus towards B2B2C distribution innovation.

📍Three innovation areas Ageas prioritised: health, protection (life products beyond traditional underwriting), and B2B2C partnerships, and how these areas intersect.

📍The challenge of adapting insurance products—especially protection products—for embedded and digital distribution contexts, with a strong emphasis on customer-centric simplification.

📍Differences in product design and UX between advisory channels (e.g. agent/broker) and digital or embedded journeys.

📍Concrete use cases from India and Turkey, including successful digital loan and credit life products with optional riders like unemployment protection.

📍Scalability as a core principle, including standardised product backends, reusable assets, and partnerships to allow onboarding of new B2B2C partners in as little as 48 hours.

📍Digital B2B2C distribution channel strategies beyond bank assurance, including telcos, e-commerce, digital wallets, and microfinance institutions—while deliberately excluding red ocean segments like travel.

📍The importance of flexible technology stacks and external partnerships over bespoke internal builds to ensure adaptability, speed, and cost-effectiveness.

📍Key performance indicators used to track success, including business inflows, number of lives insured, product profitability, and number of reusable assets.

📍Cultural and operational insights from implementing a centralised B2B2C innovation model across 13 markets with diverse regulatory and digital maturity levels.

Check out the episode to find out more!

#insurance #insuranceindustry #insurers #versicherung #b2b2c #insuranceproducts #distribution

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr speaks with Christopher Meyer-Mölleringhof, Venture Lead for Pet Insurance at Fressnapf Maxi Zoo about how Europe’s leading pet retailer successfully launched its own pet insurance offering. Here are some of the key-insights from the episode:

➡️ Fressnapf Maxi Zoo’s entrance into pet insurance, focusing on high demand, commercial attractiveness, and its role in their broader pet care ecosystem.

➡️ The business model decision to act as an insurance agent rather than take on risk, partnering with Petolo in Germany and launching a white-labelled Maxi Zoo Assurance in France.

➡️ The role of co-creation in insurance product development, ensuring tailored coverage, transparency, and an easy buying journey to drive adoption.

➡️ Key product differentiators, such as breed-specific disease coverage, pre-existing conditions, and integration of an online vet service as a built-in benefit.

➡️ The power of brand trust and customer access, reducing acquisition costs and increasing conversions by embedding insurance into an existing pet care ecosystem.

➡️ Retail distribution and customer engagement, including digital-first sales, store employee education, and referral incentives.

➡️ Challenges in aligning retail and insurance mindsets, particularly regarding long-term revenue models and ecosystem-driven engagement.

➡️ The future of embedded insurance, highlighting opportunities for non-insurance brands to co-create and distribute innovative insurance products.

Check out the episode to find out more!

#petinsurance #insurance #insuranceindustry #business #businessgrowth #strategy

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr welcomed Lars Markull, embedded finance expert and host of the Embedded Finance Review Podcast, to discuss together how insurers can harness embedded finance models to drive customer engagement, unlock new revenue opportunities, and strategically integrate financial services into their offerings.

They dive into real-world embedded finance use cases that demonstrate how financial products can be embedded seamlessly into insurance and other industries, reshaping customer experiences and business models.

Here are some of the topics discussed in the podcast:

📍The role of embedded finance and its intersection with insurance, exploring how non-financial brands integrate financial services to enhance their core offerings.

📍Financing solutions for rejected insurance claims, offering customers alternative funding options rather than outright claim denial.

📍Life insurance payouts linked to investment products, such as savings accounts, ETFs, or fixed-term deposits, to retain customer engagement.

📍Risk management financing for SMEs, enabling businesses like hotels and restaurants to invest in preventative measures with insurer-backed lending.

📍Refund protection insurance in e-commerce and travel, helping businesses reduce purchase friction and increase conversions.

📍Business protection solutions for industry-specific needs, such as tailored financial products for restaurants and retailers.

📍Lessons from fintech pioneers, including how Shopify, Metro Financial Services, and MUSE leverage embedded finance to monetise payments, lending, and banking products.

📍Challenges and opportunities for insurers, including regulatory scrutiny, the importance of timing when launching embedded finance products, and strategies to add value beyond traditional insurance.

This episode provides insights for insurance leaders looking to capitalise on #embeddedfinance trends and redefine their role in the evolving financial #ecosystem.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast,KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr (Nick), talks with Alexander Bockelmann, Group CTO at Baloise Group.During their conversationAlexander shares and discusses with Nick:📍 His background and role at Baloise Group, transitioning from environmental science to leading IT transformation in insurance across multiple countries.

📍 Baloise’s strategic IT priorities, focusing on technical profitability, operational excellence, growth, and capital efficiency, with IT playing a critical role in driving efficiency and digital transformation.

📍 Balancing short-term business needs with long-term IT investments, ensuring modernisation efforts like cloud migration and technical debt reduction align with shifting business priorities.The shift from perimeter-based to asset-based security models, strengthening cybersecurity strategies to protect digital assets in an increasingly connected environment.

📍 The challenges of centralising IT across multiple markets, navigating trade-offs between standardisation and local flexibility under Baloise’s One IT strategy.

📍 Difficult trade-offs in IT strategy, including stopping multi-year projects when financial or technical risks outweigh potential benefits and prioritising long-term IT modernisation over short-term business demands.

📍 AI adoption in insurance, from AI-driven financial advisory tools and speech bots in customer service to embedding AI in business processes for automation, document analysis, and operational efficiency.

📍 Scaling AI beyond proofs of concept, focusing on high-impact, scalable use cases that improve efficiency across entire functions rather than niche, siloed applications.

📍 The evolution of AI agents and their impact on insurance, exploring how autonomous AI could reshape underwriting, claims, and operational workflows while raising questions about cost structures and enterprise adoption.

📍 Key IT projects for 2025, including cloud migration for core insurance systems, strengthening enterprise data capabilities, implementing zero-trust security models, and enhancing broker integrations through BIPRO standards.Check out the episode to find out more.

#podcast #insurance #insuranceindustry #insurancetech #insurtech #innovation #cto #businessgrowth

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr (Nick) speaks with Lars Gehrmann, Chief Digital Officer at Qatar Insurance Group, about fostering innovation and navigating the unique dynamics of the Middle Eastern insurance market.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO- & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr speaks with Randel Bennett, Head of Qixent, about driving insurance innovation for startups and transforming bold ideas into market-ready, profitable products.

During the conversation Randel shares and discusses the following insights with Nick:

📍His background in insurance product design and development, and how Qixent specialises in transforming insurance ideas into profitable products by guiding clients from idea to product to profit.

📍Qixent’s process for supporting startups and established businesses:

- Providing essential insurance coverages like D&O, liability, and cyber risk for startups.

- Acting as an insurance broker or appointed representative to simplify market entry for new ventures.

- Offering feasibility studies, idea validation, and sourcing partnerships with insurers, distributors, and carriers

- Utilising Qixent’s own licences and agents to create a proving ground for clients, reducing their need to establish their own partnerships initially.

📍Client types and use cases, including:

- Startups and MGAs looking to launch innovative insurance products.

-County Mutuals seeking modernisation and growth strategies to maintain relevance.

- Non-traditional businesses in insurance-adjacent industries wanting to add insurance as a revenue stream.

📍Examples of client collaborations, including both implemented and ongoing projects:

- Developing insurance products for Hispanic consumers in the US with Spanish-first digital experiences and fair fee structures.

- Creating solutions for athletes with name, image, and likeness (NIL) value, addressing risks like cybersecurity and personal liability.

- Designing wildfire risk mitigation frameworks in California and workplace safety solutions using computer vision and wearable tech.

📍Qixent’s commercial model with the clear focus on scalability and value creation for clients.

📍 Industry challenges, like the pitfalls of cost-plus pricing models and the race to the bottom in consumer pricing, and advocating for value-based pricing approaches.

📍 Predictions about the future of insurance, including the potential disappearance of personal auto insurance as autonomous vehicles and manufacturer-provided liability products gain traction.

Check out the episode to learn more about Insurance innovation for startups and how Randel Bennett is turning ideas into profitable insurance products

#insurance #US #insuranceinnovation #insurancecoverage #insuranceindustry #insurancepolicy #businessgrowth #business #startup #businessideas #newbusiness

In the latest episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr had the pleasure of talking with Phil Hobson, Managing Director and International Affinity Leader at Marsh. They discussed how one of the world's leading insurance brokers is redefining risk and insurance services globally.

With over 38 years of experience in the insurance industry—including 28 at Marsh—Phil shares how he blends startup innovation with a legacy business to deliver exceptional client value.

Here’s a glimpse into what Phil and Nick discussed in theirr podcast session:

📌Phil’s professional background

📌 Marsh and its role as an international distribution engine that keeps distribution costs low for its partners

📌 Why focusing on client pain point diagnosis, customer journey, digital distribution and offering consistent product delivery across countries is essential to their business model

📌 Which products are interesting in terms of cost vs. return and which are not attractive

📌 4 key sectors Marsh is focused on (Automotive, Shared Economy, Consumer Electronics & machinery & sponsored programs

📌 Client pain points & problems clients are willing to pay for

📌 Marsh’s expertise in product distribution globally and locally

📌 Why many InsurTechs fail and lessons learned about client acquisition success and partnering with carriers and distribution success

📌 Why evolution is the biggest competitor for traditional affinity delivery mechanism and how Marsh encounters evolution at a corporate level

📌 How Marsh is unlocking new business opportunities

📌 Why it’s important to think product agnostic when it comes to affinity.

Check out the episode to deep dive into the world of #affinity!

#insurance #insuranceindustry #distribution #Versicherung #Versicherungsbranche #podcast

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, Nikolaus Sühr talks with Simon Moser, Co-Founder & CEO of Muffintech an AI tech startup developing the first conversational AI for Insurance Context!