Signal50, LA Lakers + Monte Carlo

Hello.

I have news.

Signal50 and Scale50 folks, over the next couple of days, you’ll get an email letting you know. Please, please, please keep it to yourself until 15th October, when the lists go live 🙂

To that effect, if you’re at ITC Vegas, make sure you come along to our Beyond Boundaries launch:

📍 Wednesday October 15th, 12-1.30pm
Innovation & Demo Stage

And as if that wasn’t enough, to celebrate the launch, Sønr and QBEV have sorted hospitality at the LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks game that very same evening. Invitations are on their way (to a select few 😬).

It promises to be an EPIC night.

Connected – a new Beyond Boundaries interview published this week features James Orchard, digging into the role of corporate venturing in insurance innovation.

• The QBE Ventures backstory – and that pivot from chasing returns to creating strategic impact
• How a lean global team drives local value by embedding innovation across markets
• Why QBE trusts a “coalition of the willing” to scale ideas internally
• How they define problems first, test carefully, and only scale when it’s nailed

It’s a cracker.
Enjoy.

Parametric Is Growing Up

Sola has landed an $8M Series A (bringing the total to $11.7M) to power its data-driven property insurance offering.

The aim is to own every step from modelling to claims.

On the partnership side Liberty Mutual Re and Safehub have launched ShakeNet Parametric – merging seismic sensor tech with insurance triggers to deliver faster, more accurate earthquake payouts. Nice.

They’re also reducing basis risk and enabling deployment even in poorly instrumented regions.

And in Asia, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance rolled out a Weather Insurance Index to tackle financial losses from severe or odd weather events. A solid move and definitely part of a wider trend we’re seeing of incumbents experimenting with parametric tools to help protect themselves in climate-exposed markets.

Good work MSI.

Motor Made Simple

A somewhat European focus on motor today. Apologies to the overseas contingent.

Berlin’s Feather has launched car insurance for expats in Europe. It’s fully digital, English‑language, and bound in under three minutes.

Expansion, Everywhere

bolttech is making global moves. As always.

In Kenya, it teamed up with LOOP (NCBA Group) to launch LOOP Flex, letting customers spread device payments with protection built in.

In the Philippines, it’s similarly pushing into device upgrade territory with telco partner Globe – adding protection to the annual upgrade cycle.

Distribution at scale, anchored to everyday consumer behaviour.

Love it. As always.

And in a neat niche move, Kayna x WTW have embedded insurance into Equine MediRecord, giving racehorse owners and trainers quicker access to bloodstock cover. Not your usual channel, but embedded insurance keeps finding new corners.

Expansion & M&A Buzz

Some big names making some big moves this past fortnight.

Consolidation continues to reshape the market – from reinsurance scale to specialty muscle, and fresh capital backing UK distribution.

​​Skyward Specialty is acquiring London-based Apollo Group for $555m. The deal includes $371m in cash and $184m in stock, and is expected to close in Q1 2026.

Apollo adds over $1.5bn in managed premium, Syndicate 1969’s specialty lines (think political violence, product recall, disruption) and Syndicate 1971’s new-economy liability playbook. It’s a culture- and capability-aligned fit that supercharges Skyward’s “Rule Our Niche” strategy.

Nice work Andrew Robinson and team.

Gallagher Re has agreed to acquire Steadfast Re, the Sydney-based broker originally set up as a joint venture back in 2014. The deal bolsters Gallagher’s APAC reach and is expected to wrap up in Q4.

Sompo is buying Aspen Insurance for ~$3.5bn at $37.50 a share.
Aspen brings $4.6bn in annual GWP to the table, giving Sompo deeper reach into specialty and reinsurance. Closing is pencilled in for the first half of 2026.

Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) has picked up Robins Insurance, a Nashville outfit focused on real estate, hospitality, and manufacturing. The full team, including CEO Van Robins, stays on. A smooth tuck-in.

And in the UK, Bain Capital is acquiring Jensten Group, a commercial broker managing around £600m in GWP across retail, wholesale, and MGA lines. Regulatory approval still to come, but the deal should complete before year end.

Finally, and not sure it quite fits here, great to see COVU – the AI-native agency “operating system” has just secured $16m.

Health & Life, With a Digital Twist

Osigu secured $10m from Eos Venture Partners to simplify healthcare payments across Latin America. The ambition is to streamline everything from claims to reimbursements using AI and finance tools.

Also, one I spotted earlier – Eleos Life has launched Theea, an AI-powered co-pilot for life insurance shoppers.

Supposedly it delivers agent-style quality with speed, clarity, plain language, and multi-language support. It’s not just smart – it’s inclusive. NIce.

Cyber Gets Portfolio-Ready

And finally what’s a SøNws without a little cyber?

This week CyberCube has rolled out Exposure Manager (XM), giving (re)insurers quantified, portfolio-level cyber risk exposure.
It’s already in use by major players and is fast becoming a must-have for cyber underwriting and management.

–

I’m heading out to Monaco on Monday for the Rendez-Vous. Well, actually for a last-minute meeting that just happens to be at the event. Potato. Tomato.

If you’re out that way, let me know, always keen to say hello.

Have a great weekend.

Big love.
Matt

Make smarter decisions with AI-driven market intelligence.

Sønr helps (re)insurers around the world explore market trends, track competitor activity, and scout and assess best-in-class tech companies.

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