InsTech London: Parametric insurance – 2021 outlook and the companies to watch

Insurtech emerged in around 2015 as new entrants looked to challenge traditional insurance by providing a better client experience, access to new capital and ways of insuring the uninsurable. The expectation was that this could be powered by massive amounts of new data, sophisticated analytics and powerful computing technology. Insurtech, as it was originally conceived, has not yet delivered any major changes to how conventional insurance is offered, but parametric insurance does have potential in all these areas. The lure of parametric insurance is the ability to increase the certainty between a loss occurring and a pay-out being made, quickly, accurately and cheaply.

Parametric insurance is not new, but it has seen the most success in providing alternatives to property catastrophe reinsurance, an important but somewhat niche product. A handful of micro-insurance offerings have used parametric triggers. Weather derivatives providing hedges against extremes of heat or rainfall have been around for a couple of decades but take up has been slow.

This is changing. Parametric covers are now being considered across the full spectrum of risk types and sizes. Technology exists to define and deliver insurance coverage based on real-time reporting of accurate data. Parametric insurance is starting to offer attractive solutions where conventional insurance has failed.

About Parametrix

Parametrix is the leading provider of cloud outage analytics and insurance solutions. We specialize in underwriting parametric insurance for system interruption, helping businesses protect against the costly impacts of downtime. Leveraging proprietary technology, we continuously monitor third-party IT services, gathering granular data on service performance and interruptions. This data enables us to assess risk accurately, provide instant insurance quotations, and streamline claims payments, ensuring our clients receive fast, reliable support when they need it most. Parametrix is a Managing General Agent and Lloyd’s Coverholder whose policies are backed by major A-rated global insurers. The company is based out of New York.

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