Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Robo-Insurance Agents? Bring ‘Em On, Phygitally, Say Consumers
Jan 12 2017 // Seven in 10 consumers around the world would welcome robo-advisory services – computer-generated advice and services that are independent of a human advisor – for their banking, insurance and retirement planning,...
MEMIC Group Hires Coy as Senior Director of Information Technology
Jan 12 2017 // Workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group, headquartered in Portland, Maine, has announced the appointment of Matthew Coy to the position of senior director of information technology. In this role, he is...
Social Polarization, Inequality Raise Potential for Risk, Disruption: WEF
Jan 12 2017 // Rising inequality and social polarization are set to shape world developments for the next decade after contributing to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the ballot-box success of U.S....
India to Open High-Tech Financial Hub for Banks, Insurers
Jan 10 2017 // Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate an international exchange in Gujarat state’s new finance zone, seeking to grab some of India’s $48 billion in offshore banking activities from Singapore, Dubai...
Today’s Insurance Agency E&O Costs, Coverage and Claims
Jan 10 2017 // Independent agency owners spend their entire careers worrying about the risks and exposures of others. Managing the risks of their own agencies can take a backseat to helping their clients. While agents appreciate the...
China in Midst of Insurtech Boom: Opinion
Jan 9 2017 // While China’s fintech boom continues unabated, another fast-growing phenomenon has gone almost unnoticed — so-called insurtech, the latest industry to be spawned by the intersection of online finance and the...
Driverless Cars Mapping Route from Labs to Driveways
Jan 5 2017 // Car electronics supplier Delphi Automotive Plc went coast-to-coast in 2015 in a self-driving Audi Q5 sport-utility vehicle to prove the autonomous automobile had arrived. Now, Delphi is shifting from stunts to selling. In...
How to Gain ‘Digital Trust’ of Employees in Age of Internet of Things
Jan 5 2017 // Employers will need to accept tradeoffs to foster “digital trust” with employees if they want to gather the workplace data necessary to realize the full benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the sharing...
Newest Big Thing in Drones Is Technology to Block Them
Jan 3 2017 // A boom in consumer drone sales has spawned a counter-industry of start-ups aiming to stop drones flying where they shouldn’t by disabling them or knocking them out of the sky. Dozens of start-up firms are developing...
Wisconsin’s AIS Technology, Maryland-Based Kite Tech Merging
Dec 30 2016 // Maryland-based Kite Technology Group and Wisconsin-based AIS Technology are merging their operations effective Jan. 2, 2017. The merged company will operate under the name Kite Technology Group. Nick Oliver, owner and...
How Agents Feel About Their Compensation from Carriers… and Other Matters
Dec 30 2016 // On a first quarter results call W.R. Berkley Corp. President and CEO Robert Berkley cited a growing and alarming level of tension between carriers and distributors, driven by what he called a fight to grow margins in the...
Top 12 Insurance Trends and News Stories of 2016: Countdown
Dec 27 2016 // In the year 2016, as in past years, there were the familiar or continuing stories including reinsurers still wishing and hoping for a hardening market; property/casualty insurance carriers reporting financial results...
Hong Kong Agents, China Insurers Face Tech-Related Disruptions: 2017 Predictions, Part 4
Dec 22 2016 // The twin forces of regulation and technology will see the emergence of new distribution models in 2017. This sounds like a commonly heard disrupter scenario for the U.S. and European markets, but it’s actually a...
2017 Predictions for Insurtech, Australia D&O & India Cyber Insurance, Part 2
Dec 20 2016 // Insurtech was an insurance buzzword in 2016 and that’s likely to continue next year when it will permeate almost every aspect of U.S. industry, according to a prediction from international law firm Clyde &...
XL Catlin Invests $4M in Insurtech Microinsurance Startup, Stonestep
Dec 19 2016 // XL Catlin’s venture fund, XL Innovate, committed $4 million in first-round financing to Stonestep, a property/casualty insurtech startup looking to streamline how microinsurance is sold in emerging markets. The...
Why a Unique Perpetuation Model Still Stands Strong
Dec 19 2016 // In the insurance agency system, it’s no secret that right now many agencies are merging or being acquired, increasingly by private equity firms. For some, this is a blessing because they have not been able to keep up...
California Vs. Uber in Legal Bout over Self-driving Cars
Dec 16 2016 // Uber is riding its self-driving cars into a legal showdown with California regulators. The ridesharing company is refusing to obey demands by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles that it immediately stop picking...
Allstate Continues Its Technology Drive, Invests in Autonomous Vehicle Research at Stanford
Dec 15 2016 // Allstate Insurance Co., the nation’s largest publicly-held personal lines insurer, is continuing its drive into new technology, agreeing to a multi-year research project with the Intelligent Systems Laboratory at...
‘Disruptor’ Hippo in California Raises $14M in New Funding Round
Dec 14 2016 // Mountain View, Calif.-based startup Hippo today announced it has closed a $14 million Series A round. The funding was led by Horizons Ventures, which invests in disruptive technology and startups. It was joined by RPM...
U.S. Sees Mandate on Talking Vehicles Cutting Road Crashes, Deaths
Dec 14 2016 // U.S. automobile regulators want passenger cars and light trucks to wirelessly stream data about their movements and monitor other vehicles so they don’t crash into each other. All new light-duty vehicles would be...
