Managing general agent OneBefore, in partnership with insurance provider Freedom Insurance Services, has launched a new product called Travel Europe. It is aimed at those travelling for leisure purposes and can cater for those with pre-existing medical conditions. The collaboration comes on the back of joint work done last year to bring their One Tree Travel product to market.

Direct Commercial Limited has launched Haul in One Truck IHP on the Acturis platform to offer an e-trade solution for larger commercial vehicles. The cover was already available for vehicles under 12 tonnes and has now been extended to provide cover for those above that weight limit.

Ageas has gone live with LexID for Insurance in a bid to create a single view of its customers. The identity resolution tool from LexisNexis Risk Solutions pulls in customer data from across multiple lines of business, distribution channels and platforms. It also assesses data from all insurer functions ranging from quotes to claims and settlement.

Risk and claims administration specialist Sedgwick has adopted Verint Trust Bot, which uses patented behavioural analytics and AI to analyse conversations between claimants and claims handlers, and flag potential fraud risks. Sedgwick said the technology would enable users to expedite genuine claims and identify fraudulent ones more quickly. It said the technology did not rely on intrusive processes and created minimal friction in the claims experience.

WTW has enabled its London market international property facility to operate on its digital trading platform Neuron. The move was timed to coincide with the facility’s renewal on 1st May this year. WTW said Neuron made it possible to trade risks quickly, efficiently and at scale, giving underwriters more time to focus on complex risks.

Pricing consultancy Pearson Ham has reported that premium finance costs have eased in both the motor and home insurance sectors. In the motor market, it said premium finance costs averaged just over 10%, which was approximately one percentage point lower than the same time a year ago. In the home insurance market, the average premium finance charge was 8.1%, which was 1.3 percentage points lower than the same time last year.

London-based specialty insurance platform Insurwave has signed a strategic partnership with aviation risk management specialist Osprey Flight Solutions. The collaboration brings together Osprey's aviation risk data with Insurwave’s real-time data aggregation and visualisation technology to give underwriters, risk managers, and brokers a better view of their aviation security risks and exposures.

Momentum Broker Solutions has started broadcasting Momentum Conference Radio for a limited period between 5th and 16th May. The network created the pop-up radio station to support its own conference last year and has returned to the airwaves this year to mark the forthcoming British Insurance Brokers’ Association conference. Participating partners include Allianz, Arch Insurance, Aviva, Axa, Covea, Pen Underwriting, and Premium Credit.

Allianz Legal Protection has inked a deal with ancillary product specialist Lexelle Ltd and will now underwrite its legal expenses insurance products. Lexelle was established in 1996 and is part of PM Law Group. Lexelle distributes to over 400 UK insurance brokers either directly or through UK intermediaries.

Sutton Winson has rebranded to Acrisure UK Broking Limited and is the first of nine recently acquired UK brokers to change its name. In the past three years Acrisure has acquired nine retail insurance brokers, three managing general agents and a network. Acrisure has also gone live with a new website to support its retail broking proposition.

Touqir Nasir of Luton has been sentenced to one year in prison for illegally advertising himself as an insurance broker on social media. He was also found to have used false information to insure his own vehicles. He had plead guilty to ten counts of fraud by false representation and breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act.

UK insurance technology provider RDT has agreed a collaboration with data intelligence specialist Percayso Inform. Under the deal, RDT will incorporate Percayso Inform’s data enrichment capabilities into its own API-led platform for insurers and managing general agents.

Jewellery and allied trade specialist TH March Insurance Brokers has announced that is has moved to an employee ownership trust model. It said the change would ensure its independence going forward and recognise the ongoing contribution made by employees to the firm’s success. The broker was established in 1887 and also supports personal lines and high net worth clients.

The Managing General Agents’ Association has agreed a deal with consultancy Sicsic Advisory to provide regulatory and risk insight to its members in the Republic of Ireland. Sicsic Advisory is already a UK supplier member and will now provide regulatory updates, quarterly publications, expert guidance, and event participation to support Irish-based MGAA members.

Beazley plc achieved insurance written premiums of approximately £1.1bn in the three months to 31st March 2025, up by 2% on the same quarter the previous year. However, it saw premium rate fall across its major lines of business. In cyber, it said rates were down by 8%, in property they fell by 6% while in digital and MAP risks [marine, aviation, political risk and terrorism] the dips were 4% and 2% respectively. The carrier said rates in its speciality lines division held steady.

GlobalData has forecast that direct written premiums in the UK general insurance market will rise from £92.9bn in 2025 and increase at a compound annual growth rate of 5% to reach £113bn in 2029. It said the CAGR over the period would be 2.4% in the motor market, while the liability sector would see a CAGR of 7.4%.