The Chronicle: Issue 2015-42, October 20, 2015


What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology?

Innovation in Insurance: A Cautious Imperative?
The innovation discussion is permeating the insurance industry. But beyond the talk, data suggest that, as an industry, we would prefer to be cautious in innovation development and deployment.

Some would say that “cautious” and “innovation” don't fit in the same sentence. But perhaps this is just the way of insurance.

For common understanding, let's use Celent's definition of innovation: “Fundamental changes to products, services, or business models that break existing tradeoffs and provide value to the customer.”

The Intersection: Insurance-Canada.ca Blog
The Intersection

an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog


Technology

Gartner: The programmable economy has the potential to disrupt every facet of the global economy
The far-reaching technology-driven transformation that Gartner, Inc. defines as the "programmable economy" has the potential to disrupt virtually every facet of the global economy. The programmable economy represents a massive technology-enabled transformation of traditional concepts of value exchange, empowering individuals and smart machines to both define value and determine how it is exchanged. Gartner analysts unveiled these Maverick research findings at the sold-out Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.

IBM launches industry's first consulting practice dedicated to cognitive business
IBM has launched the industry's first consulting organization dedicated to helping clients realize the transformative value of cognitive business. IBM Cognitive Business Solutions extends the exclusive cognitive leadership of IBM Watson and the company's established market leadership in business analytics. The new practice draws on the expertise of more than 2,000 consulting professionals spanning machine learning, advanced analytics, data science and development, supported by industry and change management specialists to accelerate client journeys to cognitive business.

Munich Re: Working together with clients and partners to find new insurance solutions for digitalisation
Dynamic market change may bring countless opportunities, but it invariably also brings new risks. In a client survey conducted by Munich Re, some three quarters of insurance companies said they believe that digitalisation will have a dramatic impact on the industry. In order to respond appropriately to these developments, insurers need to be able to analyse the different technologies and how people use them.

Claims

Insurance Research Council: Auto injury claim severity pushes insurance claim costs higher
According to a new study from the Insurance Research Council, auto injury claim costs per insured vehicle have continued to increase across the United States. Long-term reductions in highway injuries and fatalities because of improved vehicle safety, graduated licensing laws and other factors have not been enough to offset substantial increases in the cost of injury claims. The IRC report, Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2015 Edition, documents long-term auto injury claim trends, countrywide and by state, using private passenger auto insurance claim data from national and state-level statistical reporting agencies.

Telematics

TELUS, Intact Insurance and Fleet Complete team up to help Canadian businesses reduce costs and keep roads safer
TELUS has teamed up with Fleet Complete and Intact Insurance to create a unique fleet-management insurance solution for Canadian businesses. TELUS Fleet Tracker customers could now be eligible for my Fleet Solution from Intact Insurance. Together, Fleet Complete and my Fleet Solution provide fleet owners with powerful tools to help manage commercial vehicles more effectively, while encouraging safer driving and offering potential insurance savings.

Marketing

LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute: Many Americans would put off retirements to help pay for college
Nearly one-third of Americans would be willing to defer their retirements to help their children or grandchildren pay for college educations, according to new LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute research. College is so important, one third of consumers say they have reduced or would be willing to reduce the amount they are saving for retirement in order to help pay for their children's or grandchildren's college educations. The percentage of Americans who say they would be willing to do so decreases as people get older, with Millennials most likely to agree, according to Student Loans and Retirement: Consumer Behaviors and Attitudes.

Consumer Information

Esurance Alberta survey: Consumers feel uninformed about car insurance
A recent Esurance-sponsored survey revealed that many Albertans don't fully understand all aspects of their auto insurance policy and would embrace an online option that provided more clarity and ease. The survey showed that the majority of Albertans believe interacting with their insurance provider online is beneficial for convenience, cost, and simplicity.

eMarketer: Millennials are more on board with the sharing economy
The sharing economy appears to have significant traction among US internet users. According to one source, this year a majority of internet users have at least given it a try. According to Vision Critical research from this year, 51% of US internet users have participated in the sharing economy, using technology to connect with peers to transact for goods and services. And younger people are significantly more likely than their elders to see the benefits.


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