The promise of 5G technology was one of the top stories coming out of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. But what does that mean for the insurance and collision repair industries? A massive increase in connected devices that respond seemingly instantly will bring about important innovations in a range of sectors, including property and casualty […]
By Jason Contant | March 18, 2019
2 min read
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated. A previous version incorrectly stated that duuo was launched at Slice Labs’ launch studio in Toronto. CU apologizes for the error. If you want to develop a new digital insurance product, it shouldn’t take dozens of months, suggests Philippe Lafreniere, chief growth officer of Slice Labs Inc. “We […]
By Greg Meckbach | March 13, 2019
3 min read
An insurtech with offices in Ontario is looking for commercial and personal lines carriers who want to sell insurance the way Spotify sells music. “We are talking to several Canadian insurers who have an interest in launching new products” Philippe Lafreniere, the Toronto-based chief growth officer of Slice Labs, said in an interview with Canadian […]
By Greg Meckbach | March 11, 2019
2 min read
Scaling innovation across a business can be a challenge, as most organizations start innovation in a “pocket, team or lab,” a speaker said late last month at the Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference. Simon Chan, head of corporate innovation thought leadership at Communitech in Kitchener, Ont. was one of two speakers at the session The Three Biggest […]
By Jason Contant | March 8, 2019
3 min read
Having a flexible and accommodating schedule is key to incorporating innovation into an organization, the director of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company’s Innovation Outpost said recently. Last June, Wawanesa opened its Innovation Outpost lab in Kitchener, Ont. One of the first projects out of the lab was a new interactive technology that uses an Amazon Alexa […]
By Jason Contant | March 7, 2019
2 min read
Technology and data will change the underwriter’s job but will not eliminate it, suggests Russell Johnston, chief executive officer for North America of QBE Insurance Group Limited. “At the end of the day, people still make the decisions,” Johnston said during an interview with A.M. Best TV. “Technology and data will change the role of […]
By Greg Meckbach | March 6, 2019
2 min read
As the digital healthcare market continues to evolve, the insurance industry in Canada should consider gaps or exclusions in current policies and the need for a bespoke option. Digital healthcare will include a focus on two areas: From an insurance standpoint, the main issue is that exposures in this area span across multiple underwriting teams, […]
By Jason Contant | March 5, 2019
3 min read
Legacy systems have long been the scourge of the industry and they are one of the things standing in the way of artificial intelligence (AI) implementation, a speaker suggested last week at the Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference in Toronto. “There’s a bunch of legacy software out there, so we have to interact with legacy systems and […]
By Jason Contant | March 5, 2019
2 min read
PITTSBURGH – Companies testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh will have to immediately report crashes resulting in any injuries as part of new guidelines announced Monday intended to boost public confidence in the testing after a deadly accident in Arizona last year. Karina Ricks, director of the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the city […]
By Greg Meckbach | March 5, 2019
3 min read
Companies looking to undergo a digital transformation should follow the expression “more is not always better” when it comes to selecting system integrators and vendors, a speaker said Wednesday at the Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference in Toronto. During the transformation process, some companies may decide to have multiple different advisors or implementation partners, noted Firas Al […]
By Jason Contant | March 1, 2019
3 min read