Aon-owned NFP has acquired Leeds-based Bepoke Insurance Group, which operates a collective of niche market managing general agents. The Bspoke businesses will continue to operate under their existing brands, while the Bspoke management team will report into Matt Pawley, president of NFP Europe.

Pet premiums for lifetime cover fell by 2.4% in Q2, according to the latest Pet Insurance Pricing Index from consultancy Pearson Ham. This nullified the 2.2% increase recorded in Q1. On an annualised basis, premiums are 2.7% lower than they were in June 2024.

Managing general agent Alps has launched a guaranteed asset protection product aimed specifically at motorhomes. The product is underwritten by Financial & Legal Insurance, which is one of the insurers allowed to recommence selling GAP insurance in the wake of a recent market intervention by the Financial Conduct Authority in regard to the value offered by such products.

Hiscox Ltd has reported insurance contract written premium of approximately £2.2bn for H1 2025. This was up from the £2.1bn reported for the same period last year. It said profit before tax was £207m, down from £212m in H1 2024. The undiscounted group combined ratio deteriorated from 90.4% (H1 2024) to 92.6% (H1 2025).

Managing general agent services platform OneAdvent has agreed a partnership with payment operations specialist Diesta, which specialises in supporting the intermediated insurance sector. OneAdvent said the collaboration would enhance the efficiency, transparency, and scalability of premium processing on its platform.

Noble Insurance Group has acquired specialist insurance intermediary, Caravanwise with a £5m loan from digital bank OakNorth helping to fund the deal. Noble Insurance Group was established in 2019 following the management buy-out of Noble Marine. Its speciality insurance brands now include, CBI, Graham Sykes, New Moon and WG Yachts. Caravanwise was founded in 1998 and specialises in the camping and leisure market.

Service provider Utility Warehouse has added managing general agent Arkel, which is part of the Atec Group, to its household panel. The move is expected to generate annual gross written premium of around £3m. Arkel will provide non-standard insurance solutions, including protection for buildings with unusual types of construction, occupancy, and flood risk. It also provides cover for buildings under renovation or that have previously been underpinned.

Speciality managing general agent platform Optio Group has announced the completion of its acquisition of UK-based Custodian Management Ltd. The deal, first reported in May, has now received the requisite regulatory approvals. Optio said the acquisition would improve its professional indemnity proposition and help diversify its platform.

Digital insurance company Lemonade has launched a buildings-only product, developed via an ongoing partnership with Aviva, to complement its home insurance offering in the UK. Lemonade launched in the UK in 2024 and said the country had become one of its fastest growing markets.

Technology and back-office solutions provider Liberty Blume has acquired Lloyd’s broker PHL Insurance Brokers Ltd. Liberty Blume said the deal would strengthen its financial services arm and open up new insurance markets for the business and its clients. Liberty Blume employs 900 people across seven locations in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Wholesale broker Wholesure, which is part of Acrisure, has teamed up with cyber risk specialist CyberCube. Under the agreement, Wholesure will license CyberCube’s Broking Manager and CyberConnect solutions to enhance the support it offers SMEs. Broking Manager helps to quantify exposures and provide benchmarking to support decisions around insurance. CyberConnect plugs into existing workflows to provide analytics data.

Brit Group Holdings Limited has reported insurance premiums of $1,692.2m for the six months to 30th June 2025. It said this was up by 8.3% on the same period last year. The carrier said its profit before tax had nudged up from $301.3m (H1 2024) to $307.7m (H1 2025). However, the results showed its undiscounted combined ratio had deteriorated from 80.3% (H1 2024) to 95.2% (H1 2025).

Sabre Insurance Group plc achieved gross written premium of £100.3m for the six months to 30th June 2025. This was down on the £125.7m recorded in the same period last year. However, profit after tax was up from £15.1m in H1 2024, to £18.9m in the first six months of this year. Sabre’s combined operating ratio also improved from 86% to 82.6%.

Axa has struck a deal to acquire Prima, an Italian-based direct insurance provider that recently launched operations in the UK and Spain. It controls premiums of around £1bn and has a focus on the motor market. The deal will see Axa acquire 51% of Prima. The carrier said the move would help it expand its direct distribution channel, which it has identified as a significant growth opportunity.

Avatar MGA Ltd has received Lloyd’s coverholder and Financial Conduct Authority approval and will begin binding business from today, 1st August. It will trade as an appointed representative of Pro Global.

The London Market Group’s second Regulatory Sentiment Index has shown that individuals leading compliance and risk teams at London Market insurers and brokers believe the performance of both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority have significantly improved over the past year.