Some lead, others follow: Smart underwriting and broking strategies for 2026

About this event

It was in May 2020 that Brit Insurance first launched Ki, a fully digital and algorithmically driven Lloyd’s of London syndicate designed for the commercial insurance market as a “follow-only” syndicate. It has been a driving force behind the development of a new digital-only business model in the London Market, setting a precedent that many others are seeking to follow.

While Ki kicked things off, there is now a whole new ecosystem forming around algorithmic decision-making. In 2025, QBE is a major player in the space having entered a capacity partnership with Ki and invested in algorithmic MGA Aurora. Concirrus has evolved its proposition to provide a platform enabling end-to-end digital capabilities for syndicates and MGAs. For brokers and carriers, Artificial has built digital follow underwriting technology that helps allocate underwriting capital across lead and follow opportunities in the most effective way, using API-driven insights to support faster, more consistent underwriting decisions. And other tech-enabled MGAs, such as Augentic, are emerging with algorithmic capability technology designed to facilitate automated, smarter follow underwriting.

In this evening event on 17 February, we assessed the state of the algorithmic commercial insurance market in 2026: what is working and what is not, what has been learned and how the market is set to evolve from here.

Topics we discussed included:

• The case for algorithmic underwriting as a service
• How brokers are evolving their placing strategies for a digital world
• Adapting between soft market vs. hard market dynamics
• The growth of smart facilities and portfolio solutions
• The need to improve connectivity and the role of market infrastructure

This event was supported by QBE, Concirrus, Artificial and Augentic, among others.

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