This time, we had a chat with Hedi Mardisoo, co-founder and CEO at Cachet. Speaking of market trends, Hedi says that insurance companies will be reassessing their service and distribution models, products will become more flexible and personalised, and user experience will be reinvented. Technology will create perfect grounds for this as it brings transparency and defines new norms with regard to service speed and personalisation.
See what Hedi thought about the rest of our questions.
What are the top 3 trends in the insurance industry next year?
I predict that the main trends will be:
- insurance companies will be reassessing their service models to decide whether to focus more on direct customer sales, distribution, or MGA underwriting;
- more modular, flexible, and personalised products;
- transparency and user experience. Today, the younger millennial generation, which makes up to 50% of the workforce, is digitally savvy and requires a different type of insurance purchase experience. As a result, they are more demanding towards the price and ease of use of the service. Insurtechs have positioned themselves well in this category.
What are the main challenges the insurance industry will face next year?
2022 is looking to be a turbulent year for the insurance industry.
- We will see many problems in macro economy, inflation, welfare, and political tensions. So, the funding and investment side of the business could hit a wall in growth.
- For the industry, the biggest challenge is increasing unpredictability.
- New market players will emerge. The challenge will be how to compete with large tech and data giants (Amazon, Tesla, etc.), which enter the insurance business with a modern take on risk.
What is the biggest impact technology will have on the insurance industry?
I’m confident that the main impact of technology is increased transparency. It defines new norms with regard to service speed and personalisation.
Which business models will create the best revenue streams for insurers and MGAs?
One of the biggest problems for insurance has been finding good distribution channels and educating people on why they need insurance cover. Embedded insurance and affiliate sales are new bold approaches, which have addressed these issues. Though, the question of how to make these models sustainable for all parties, still remains.
What will be the main innovation in terms of product offerings?
Technology and data provide a tremendous number of new possibilities for making insurance much smarter. However, I believe the biggest innovation in terms of product offerings to be modularity. It will provide more transparency and understanding of what a person is covered against.
It is also good to follow the early success of parametric insurance – having a different way to underwrite risks, covering the probability of certain events to happen. I believe this will build the courage to become more creative in rethinking many traditional insurance lines.
About
Hedi Mardisoo is the co-founder and CEO at Cachet, a financial services ecosystem on a mission to create a better platform economy. She is passionate about designing services that help people to be smarter about and benefit more from their data. In 2020, Sifted listed Hedi among Europe’s “Women to Watch in Fintech”. Cachet has been listed among top 100 insurtechs in the world by FinTech Global.
Stay tuned for more insurance influencer stories and don’t forget to check out Marco Del Carlo’s story.
