Blog: Is an AR boom incoming?
As the number of independent brokers reduces year on year, is the appointed representative model the way forward to bolster competition in the market following years of consolidation? Rosie Simms ponders the question.
In Biba’s 2026 Manifesto, it observed the number of insurance intermediaries had fallen by over 300 to an all-time low of 3,494 in 2024/25.
At the time, the trade body’s regulation director, David Sparkes, reflected: “It’s quite dramatic to see the fact that we had over 8,000 brokers [in 2006/07], and we’ve now got well fewer than 4,000, which doesn’t work with competition.”
That number halving in 20 years could create new opportunities for up-and-coming brokers looking to stand out, and the AR
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