Ontario regulatory sandbox helps fintechs develop digital insurance products
January 14, 2022 Clinton d’Souza, Marsh CanadaFor children, the sandbox is a place to build, and experiment without facing the risks and dangers of the real world. But sandboxes of a different type allow start-ups to develop innovative products, services and business models without immediately facing…
Why open banking could ‘terrify’ brokers
October 8, 2021 by Greg MeckbachIf open banking comes to Canada, this could make it easier for fintechs and banks to offer embedded insurance and it will be hard to stop firms from using open banking data for underwriting purposes, a technology executive predicts. Open…
Is it okay to use open banking data for underwriting?
August 10, 2021 by Greg MeckbachMutual insurers support a proposal to prohibit insurers in Canada from using banking data for underwriting, in an initial phase of open banking. However, one industry expert questions whether there is any harm in letting consenting consumers give their own…
Banking data should not be used for underwriting insurance: open banking committee
August 5, 2021 by Greg MeckbachOpen banking should not be used for underwriting insurance, a federally appointed committee said Wednesday. In its final report issued Aug. 4, the Advisory Committee on Open Banking recommended that the “initial phase” of open banking, in Canada, be up…
Why insurance apps need to be extremely simple to learn
March 9, 2021 by Greg MeckbachFor the P&C industry, one of the biggest challenges of going digital is the relatively few times a client interacts with an insurer provider, a fintech webinar speaker suggested Tuesday. When the financial industry started offering electronic cheque deposit, “it…
Meet the new Canadian Association of Mutual Insurance Companies president
October 22, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWith the COVID-19 pandemic drastically reducing the frequency of in-person meetings, the new president of the Canadian Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (CAMIC) plans to meet online with each member to hear their concerns. “I am mapping out a plan…
How you can cut down time spent searching underwriting manuals
October 5, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSome brokerage staff members could be spending hours each day just searching for information in their carriers’ underwriting manuals – time that could be put to better use, the head of a technology vendor suggests. Some of the longest underwriting…
One broker’s bold prediction about contactless payment options
September 21, 2020 by Greg MeckbachConcerns over the risk of COVID-19 transmission could accelerate the changes that technology has been bringing to financial transactions, including contactless payment options, a commercial broker suggests. “Financial services are changing very quickly,” said Mark Morency, senior vice president and…
Four opportunities COVID provides for fintechs
April 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe COVID-19 pandemic is putting renewed emphasis on digitizing of insurance processes including payments, claims, applications and signatures, a Canadian fintech venture capital executive suggests. “This is a good opportunity for fintech, because the acceleration of innovation in financial institutions…
What are Canadian insurtechs doing with their new venture capital funding?
March 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA sharp rise in venture capital funding to Canadian fintechs has spawned investments in technology intended to improve property and casualty claims management, the insurance leader with PwC Canada suggests. “There has been a broad-stroke move to have significantly more…
Three reasons fintech is driving brokerage acquisitions
December 11, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDisruption by fintechs will be one driving force behind mergers and acquisitions among insurance brokerages, industry executives say.“I think fintech will help perpetuate this continued consolidation trend because I think at the small end of the market, fintech is viewed…
Intact-backed insurtech cracks the Fintech100 list
October 23, 2018 by Greg MeckbachA French robo-broker and an auto insurer backed by Canada’s largest property and casualty carrier are among the insurtechs “driving disruption” in financial services, a report released Tuesday suggests. KPMG announced Tuesday the fifth annual Fintech100, a report that highlights…