The Theme this week is cross-industry expansion. This indicates that insurance is getting a higher degree of integration with our lives.
The Insurtech Front Page Weekly CXO Briefing is all you need to know for the week, jargon free for executives, entrepreneurs and investors who want a piece of this huge, fast changing market. Each week we select one theme illustrated by 3 news items, because we know that you are busy. Our job is to filter out the noise, so you can read the signal. We bring you the raw news plus our take on why it is significant.
For this week we bring you three stories illustrating the theme of cross-industry expansion:
Story 1: Credit Karma Makes Significant Move with New Insurance Experience
Extract, read more on Business Wire:
“Credit Karma today announced its expansion within insurance. Launching today in California and Texas, Credit Karma’s members will be able to see what they could be paying for auto insurance based on what members like them are paying for the same coverage.
This move will address the mis-pricing issue of Americans’ auto insurance policies and will soon arm its more than 80 million members with the information needed to make the best decision on their insurance policy, without the headache. Credit Karma estimates that Americans overspend on auto insurance by nearly $21 billion per year.”
Credit Karma is already providing auto-related services to its users such as loans and evaluation of their cars. This move into insurance is apt and can be effective.
Story 2: Flipkart forays into insurance space, teams up with Bajaj Allianz
Extract, read more on The Economic Times:
“E-commerce major Flipkart Sunday said it is foraying into the insurance segment after securing a corporate agent license. To begin with, Flipkart has partnered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to offer customised insurance solutions to power its mobile phone protection programme for all leading mobile phone brands that are sold on its platform, Flipkart said in a statement.”
News from India that is globally significant because it is one more example of an e-commerce giant moving into insurance. Amazon from America and Alibaba from China are already making this move. India is a big market with it’s own local champions like Flipkart, but what makes India such an interesting market to watch is that it is a market that big global players, such as Amazon and Alibaba, are fighting over. India is a battleground market. If any of these e-commerce giants can make the user experience of Insurance as easy as the user experience of e-commerce, they will change the lives of billions and make fortunes.
Story 3: WeWork taps Lemonade to offer insurance to WeLive members
Extract, read more on Techcrunch:
“WeWork has partnered with Lemonade to provide renters insurance to WeLive members.
WeLive is the residential offering from WeWork, offering members a fully-furnished apartment, complete with amenities like housekeeping, mailroom, and on-site laundry, on a flexible rental schedule. In other words, bicoastal workers or generally nomadic individuals can rent a short-term living space without worrying about all the extras.”
This is a great example of two big innovative ventures innovating together to deliver unique customer value. It is a fine example of the art of the partner. When your customers are almost from the same group, a partnership would be great to improve the quality of your service. That’s what Lemonade and WeWork are trying to accomplish. It is also another example of how Insurance is central to our lives and how if one makes what is essential but boring easy to buy and consume, then customers will buy.
Cross industry expansions can be actions like establishing a new business as well as building a partnership with players in other fields. Integration can amplify the value propositions for insurance industries. Tech giants like Amazons and Alibaba have done this in earlier times and I’m sure we will see more and more integrations between insurance and other industries.
Zarc Gin is an analyst for Warp Speed Fintech, a Fintech, especially InsurTech-focused Venture Capital based in China.
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