Instant Underwriting and Irwell Insurance Launch New Professional Indemnity Solution for UK Brokers

Instant Underwriting has expanded into the Financial Lines sector through a partnership with Irwell Insurance Company, launching a Professional Indemnity product for the UK market. For brokers and carriers, this move applies high-speed, automated underwriting to complex professional risks, aiming to reduce the friction typically associated with securing professional liability coverage.

What was announced

The new Professional Indemnity (PI) product, scheduled for debut on 1 October 2026, represents Instant Underwriting’s first foray into Financial Lines. Developed in collaboration with Irwell Insurance Company—a UK insurer carrying an AM Best Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good)—the offering is designed specifically for brokers serving a diverse array of professional sectors.

The product’s scope is broad, targeting several key trade segments that often require specific risk considerations. These include:

• Architects and engineers: Covering technical design and consultancy risks.
• Design and construction: Addressing the professional liabilities inherent in the building sector.
• Non-RICS property professionals: Catering to estate agents and consultants not under the RICS umbrella.
• Non-chartered accountants: Providing essential cover for independent practitioners.
• Miscellaneous professional trades: A catch-all for various service-based businesses.

Limits of indemnity for the new product range from £250,000 to £5 million, allowing brokers to scale coverage according to their clients' contract requirements. To ensure precision in coverage, each trade segment features bespoke wording tailored to the specific risks of that profession. A core component of the launch is the integration with Instant Underwriting’s online trading platform. The system is built to provide brokers with immediate quotes for most submissions. In instances where a risk requires manual intervention, the MGA has committed to a 60-minute turnaround time for referrals. This focus on speed is intended to streamline the placement process for brokers who have historically faced longer wait times in the PI market.

"Launching our new Professional Indemnity product this October is a milestone moment for Instant as we enter the Financial Lines sector, and we are incredibly proud to take this step alongside a trusted partner. From acting as one of their first cover holders for standalone liability, to now pioneering their new PI offering, this launch perfectly illustrates the momentum of our relationship."

Turul Brown, CEO of Instant Underwriting.

The companies involved

Instant Underwriting operates as a technology-enabled Managing General Agent (MGA) focused on the UK insurance market. The firm distinguishes itself through its proprietary online trading platform, which prioritizes rapid quote generation and efficient referral handling. By positioning itself at the intersection of insurance expertise and digital automation, the company seeks to modernize the interaction between brokers and underwriters. As an MGA, the company acts as an intermediary, using its technological stack to perform underwriting functions on behalf of its carrier partners, focusing on speed and accessibility for the broker community.

Irwell Insurance Company is a UK-based insurer that provides the capacity and regulatory backing for various insurance products. The company maintains a Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) from AM Best, reflecting its stable position within the domestic market. Irwell has a history of working with MGAs to bring specialized products to market, having previously collaborated with Instant Underwriting on standalone liability products. This latest expansion into Professional Indemnity marks a deepening of the commercial ties between the two entities. While the broader insurance landscape includes various international players, Irwell remains a focused UK carrier, leveraging partnerships to extend its reach into specific professional trade segments that require nuanced underwriting and bespoke policy wording. The partnership model allows Irwell to deploy its capacity through agile, tech-driven platforms like the one managed by Turul Brown and the team at Instant Underwriting.

What this means from an insurtech perspective

This expansion into Financial Lines signals a shift in how complex professional risks are distributed and underwritten. By combining Irwell’s B++ capacity with a 60-minute referral commitment, the MGA model places significant pressure on incumbent carriers and legacy vendors who rely on manual processing. For brokers, the ability to scale indemnity limits from £250,000 to £5 million via an automated platform addresses long-standing friction in mid-market PI. However, the reliance on bespoke wording for technical segments like design and construction raises questions about long-term loss ratios. The industry must now determine if high-speed digital automation can maintain the rigorous underwriting discipline required for professional trades without compromising the technical precision traditionally provided by human oversight.