News
Policy Expert recruits from PIB for new COO to replace co-founder Powell
Personal lines specialist Policy Expert has appointed Richard Kirby as chief operating officer to support what it has described as “its next phase of growth”.
Beazley profit drops 19% in year prior to Zurich deal
Beazley has reported a profit before tax of $1.14bn (£857.99m) in the year ended 31 December 2025, down from $1.42bn in 2024, as insurance written premiums stayed stagnant.
Zurich and Beazley deal ‘not about laying off staff’ – CEO Greco
Zurich CEO Mario Greco has made clear the £8.1bn acquisition of Beazley is “not about laying off staff” as he noted Beazley will become fully part of Zurich in 2027.
FCA way off target on insurance new firm authorisation service
New data and goals from the Financial Conduct Authority have revealed the regulator is far behind the target for authorising new insurance firms, with the level of service squarely in the red zone at 81.8%.
imarket premiums tick up in 2025 as Polaris confirms MGA joiners and AI pilot
Digital trading platform imarket handled £454m of premium in 2025 with policies traded rising to just over 547,000, Insurance Age can reveal.
Andrew McGee named Howden Retail chief broking officer
Howden UK and Ireland Retail has appointed Andrew McGee as chief broking officer.
Zurich takeover of Beazley a step closer after boards agree offer terms
The respective boards have agreed the terms of a recommended all-cash offer by Zurich for the entire issued and to-be-issued share capital of Beazley.
Gwilliam seeking to make ‘genuine impact’ after nCino departure
Ashleigh Gwilliam, director of insurance at nCino, announced he has left the business and is looking for a new challenge “to make a genuine impact”.
Bspoke increases HNW line size to £15m after locking down new capacity
Bspoke Private Clients, the mid and high-net-worth offering from Bspoke Group, has secured a new five-year capacity deal via the Accelerant Risk Exchange, increasing the maximum line size to £15m per single location.
Coversure opens eleventh office in past year
The Coversure Network, part of the Jensten Group, has strengthened its footprint in Manchester with the launch of Red Apple Brokers.
Superscript to open new Glasgow office and promotes trio
Superscript has announced plans to open a third office in Scotland and unveiled a series of promotions as part of what it has described as “next phase of growth”.
Bermuda insurer invests in MGA consolidator
The owner of UK MGAs Avid and Landmark, Bishop Street Underwriters, has announced that it has completed a strategic structured capital investment of $125m (£93m) by White Mountains Insurance Group.
Aviva grows broking Rising Stars programme with largest cohort
Aviva has extended its Rising Stars programme with its 19 cohorts, aiming to help brokers retain the best talent from across their business.
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Allianz CEO Holmes: ‘Head-scratching’ rivals holding up commercial market hardening
Allianz UK CEO Colm Holmes has lambasted a couple of rivals for pushing “head-scratching” commercial rates into the market and discounting to a point that is “excessive in extreme”.
Aviva restructures GCS team as Probitas CEO Washington leaves
Matt Washington, managing director of Global Corporate & Specialty at Aviva and CEO of Probitas, is set to leave the insurer as it restores his responsibilities into two roles.
Axa reports UK and Ireland softest markets in Europe in FY results
Axa UK and Ireland saw the softest markets across commercial and personal lines within the group’s European business, it reported today.
Bspoke secures £250m capacity deal with Accelerant
Bspoke Underwriting, the UK personal lines MGA, has secured a five-year capacity deal via the Accelerant Risk Exchange providing £50m of capacity annually.
Allianz UK profits jump 29.5% to £476.2m on the back of COR improvement
Allianz UK has reported a 29.5% increase in profit in 2025 to £476.2m (2024: £386.8m) on the back of an improved combined operating ratio of 93% (2024: 93%) as its total business volume shrunk by 0.3% to £4.66bn (2024: £4.64bn).
Hiscox recruits Jadav from Axa XL as UK CUO
Anish Jadav has been appointed UK chief underwriting officer at Hiscox, succeeding Ben Horton.
Ageas posts higher UK premium amid deal effects starting to kick in
Ageas grew UK premium by 6% to €1.93bn (£1.68bn) last year with the insurer noting a “solid UK result despite [the] softer market”.
Hiscox grows UK book even faster in 2025
Hiscox’s growth momentum has accelerated again in the UK, with the insurer excited about its results and even “more excited about the future” with brokers, according to group chief underwriting officer Joanne Musselle.
Wiser Academy launches bite-size training platform
Wiser Academy has launched a free digital platform supporting more consistent learning by making content easier to access and complete, and giving employers better visibility of skills development and progression.
Ex-senior Dual duo launch new specialist manufacturing MGA
Accelerant-backed managing general agent incubator Mission has hit double figures for UK/EU start-ups with the launch of Elitium today.