Insurtech UK published its Roadmap of recommendations for policy-makers to retain and strengthen the UK’s leading global status in insurance innovation on 25th June 2024.
Insurtech is a dynamic growth sector with infinite potential in the UK and beyond, using the latest technology to improve traditional insurance products and processes. The UK is already home to the world’s second largest insurtech cluster with an estimated combined value of more than $20 billion. More widely it supports 60,000 jobs across the country, contributing almost £5 billion to the UK economy (GDP).
The industry is working together, through its trade association Insurtech UK, to cultivate a proactive ecosystem that inspires and strengthens UK start ups and scale ups, but to achieve the UK’s full potential this energy and expertise must be complemented and supported by a positive, enabling policy environment.
The Roadmap sets out how the next government can pave the way for UK insurtech to flourish, through:
- a regulatory regime that enables more new entrants
- an investment environment that facilitates funding
- more action to unlock opportunities to scale
With the UK’s insurtech credentials firmly established on the world’s financial stage, now is the time to support these innovative firms further in their drive to internationalise. Accessing higher levels of overseas investment and entering new markets will accelerate the next stage of UK insurtech’s exciting global journey.
Key recommendations with the roadmap include:
Regulation and Digital Transformation
A regulatory regime that enables more new entrants
Recommendation 1: The PRA to maintain momentum in evolving the regulatory regime to the needs and structures of insurtechs as they start and scale, including:
a: a swifter, more transparent application process for PRA authorisation
b: clear guidance and communications as the new PRA mobilisation regime is introduced and embedded, meeting the commitment to be in place by end 2024
Recommendation 2: The FCA to work closely with the insurtech industry to ensure the ongoing availability of, and confidence in, a proper Appointed Representative scheme which allows market access for start-ups and enables future innovations in embedded insurance
Recommendation 3: Regulators to deploy a progressive, enabling approach to emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain and Open Finance, taking into account how these may best be applied within an insurance context to maximise consumer benefit and confidence
Access to Finance
An investment environment that facilitates funding
Recommendation 4: HM Treasury should extend SEIS and EIS to all categories of insurtech to incentivise more investment into this high-potential sector, and to prevent a cliff-edge where Managing General Agents may transition to being a regulated insurance firm
Recommendation 5: HM Treasury should significantly extend qualifying criteria for EMI from its current limit of £30 million gross assets to attract more experienced talent as insurtechs scale
Recommendation 6: HM Treasury should re-extend the long-stop date for Advance Subscription Agreements back to 12 months, removing the additional pressures on concluding accelerated funding rounds that reducing this to 6 months has created
Recommendation 7: An urgent review of the HMRC R&D credit scheme should be conducted to provide clarity, consistency and confidence in both the application of scheme criteria and scheme administration
Recommendation 8: The value and positive impact of Innovate UK’s Professional and Financial Services programme supporting research and development in insurance should be recognised and expanded by HM Treasury in future spending rounds
Tackling barriers and driving growth
Targeted action that unlocks future potential
Recommendation 9: HM Treasury should introduce a fairer VAT/IPT regime, enabling insurtechs to scale quicker and on a level playing field with other tech sectors
Recommendation 10: A three year strategy from the Department for Business and Trade for international promotion of UK insurtech - to facilitate access to key overseas jurisdictions and encourage inward investment, drawing on evidence of priority countries and positive past experiences with insurtech corridors and fintech bridges
Recommendation 11: New government-backed reinsurance schemes (Innovation Re) should be scoped by HM Treasury to enable cover of new societal risks or act as a back-stop for new accessible and affordable insurance policies providing greater financial inclusion in insurance
