How blockchain will help brokers bypass traditional insurers
July 12, 2018 by David GambrillVancouver-based Fineqia International Inc. has taken an equity allocation in Black Insurance, a Tallinn, Estonia-based digital insurance startup on the blockchain that has set its sights on creating a direct investor-to-broker relationship, bypassing the need for a traditional insurance company.…
How this top-tier Canadian brokerage plans to double its revenue in 5 years
July 11, 2018 by David GambrillNavacord Inc., Canada’s fifth-largest insurance brokerage by premium volume, has entered into an agreement that will see a management-led buyout of its minority capital partner, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., with the support of Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), a leading private…
Canadian benchmark interest rate up 0.25 percentage points
July 11, 2018 Andy Blatchford - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday in an economy that it predicts will remain resilient even as it faces an even bigger bite from deepening trade tensions. The rate hike was the central bank’s…
How to explore an untapped market in identity fraud protection
July 5, 2018 by Jason ContantWhile the majority of polled Canadians (86%) believe they are increasingly at risk of identity fraud, only about one-quarter have identity fraud protection, a recent survey has found. Conducted on behalf of Vancouver-based fintech company Mogo, the survey polled 1,514…
M&A-lite: a new way to transform the business
July 4, 2018 by Greg MeckbachImproving distribution and exploring sophisticated technologies such as artificial intelligence are among the major reasons why insurance CEOs are looking to make deals such as mergers and acquisitions these days. But some of these objectives can be accomplished through other,…
Beazley Canada appoints territory manager for eastern Canada
July 4, 2018 by Jason ContantSpecialist Lloyd’s insurer Beazley has appointed Jo-Anne Hawthorne as territory manager for eastern Canada. Reporting to Cheryl Hobbs, Hawthorne will be responsible for developing closer relations with brokers in Ontario, Atlantic Canada, Ottawa and Quebec, with a view to building…
What Canadians think of their travel medical insurance
June 29, 2018 by Jason ContantMore than eight in 10 polled Canadians who have purchased travel medical insurance are “satisfied with the product and the value it provides” and 98% of those who made claims in the past year were fully or partially paid, a…
Building an innovative culture? Here are two pitfalls to avoid…
June 29, 2018 by David GambrillCompanies often make two common blunders when they seek to disrupt themselves. First, some talk about hiring a bunch of “intrapreneurs” – creative geniuses who break all the rules and swim against the corporate tide – and then silo them…
In search of cannabis product liability coverage
June 28, 2018 by Greg MeckbachBrokers looking to place product liability policies for cannabis vendors might face an uphill battle. The cannabis industry “desperately” needs access to the same coverage that insurers already provide to non-cannabis businesses in agriculture pharmaceutical or manufacturing, said Wendy Sinclair,…
Marijuana legalization to offer pot by mail, access to banks
June 26, 2018 Gene Johnson - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMail-order weed? You betcha! With nationwide marijuana legalization in Canada on the horizon, the industry is shaping up differently there than the way it was established in nine U.S. states that have similarly broad legalization. Age limits, government involvement in…
Paid This is how savvy commercial underwriters are getting ahead of the competition
June 25, 2018 Opta Information IntelligenceIn a fiercely competitive and increasingly challenging commercial lines marketplace, Opta Information Intelligence’s Commercial Perils Solution can now display an unparalleled scope of risk related insight to a particular piece of business. Allowing savvy underwriters to better manage their existing…
Former Zurich Canada CEO elected to claims software vendor board
June 22, 2018 by Greg MeckbachRobert Landry, a former president and CEO of Zurich Insurance Company’s Canadian branch, was elected Thursday to the board of directors of Symbility Solutions Inc., a claims software maker. Calgary-based Symbility held its annual shareholders meeting Thursday. The vendor’s products…