Root Platform (Root), the API-first, end-to-end insurance technology platform provider, today announces the results of a live poll hosted during a Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA) Market Briefing, which reveals that 50% of attendees are still at the earliest stages of their digital/ and Application Programme Interface (API) transformation journey.
The poll, taken by senior leaders from MGAs during Root’s recent Market Briefing
How API-Driven Insurance Models are Transforming Distribution, asked participants to identify where their organisation currently sits on its digital transformation path. The results showed:
- 40% – Just getting started
- 10% – Actively exploring solutions
- 20% – Implementing changes now
- 20% – Fully API-enabled
- 10% – Not on our roadmap yet
The findings highlight the widening gap between fully API-enabled MGAs and those only beginning to modernise their technology stacks at a time when speed, partner connectivity and operational efficiency are becoming critical differentiators in an increasingly competitive market.
Charlotte Koep, CEO at Root, said: “These poll results are a sample of the market, and are representative of the growing demand we are seeing from the MGA sector for conversations around the applications and advantages of an API-first strategy. That’s because APIs have transformed countless industries by enabling seamless, interoperable, real-time digital experiences, and insurance is no different.
MGAs are real agents of change for insurance right now - they are market makers and differentiators, experimenting with innovative new products and tech strategies, including the potential of AI. But the foundations of all of this lie with the right API-first tools. This shift isn’t only about technology, it’s about rethinking operations, embracing the agility to test and release new digitally embedded insurance products in weeks not months, and empowering teams to build better, faster and more collaboratively and better showcase their value to their carrier and broker partners.”
Oliver Evans, Head of Growth UK at Root, said: “From our conversations with MGAs and partners across the UK, it’s clear that many of the industry’s biggest pain points - slow onboarding, fragmented data, expensive product updates - have been accepted as ‘normal’ for far too long. With modular, API-driven infrastructure, these challenges become dramatically easier to solve, and due to their position in the value chain, MGAs are very well placed to respond quickly.
The most successful outcomes we see are when great MGA teams work alongside great technology. When that alignment is in place, integrations speed up, product innovation accelerates and entirely new distribution opportunities emerge that simply wouldn’t be possible on legacy systems. The MGAA Market Briefing poll reinforces what we’re hearing every day: the market is ready for this shift, and the MGAs who act now will gain a meaningful competitive advantage.”
