The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) will launch its first International Insurance Summit in February 2027, as insurers increasingly focus on artificial intelligence (AI) governance, climate resilience, operational resilience, and workforce capability. The inaugural summit, to be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney on Feb. 11-12, 2027, is expected to attract more than 900 delegates and feature more than 22 speakers from Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific region, and other international markets. According to the published program, the two-day event will examine AI, cyber risk, climate resilience, digital transformation, regulation, leadership, customer expectations, underwriting, claims, and workforce capability through keynote presentations, panel discussions, case studies, and interactive sessions.
ANZIIF chief executive officer Katrina Shanks said the summit reflects the breadth of change facing the profession. “The future of insurance won't be determined by technology alone. It will be determined by the decisions our profession makes today about trust, resilience, leadership, and the value we deliver to society,” Shanks said. She said the event is intended to provide a forum for those discussions. “The ANZIIF International Summit is where those conversations happen; bringing together the people who won’t just respond to the future but help define it,” she said. Rather than focusing on individual insurance disciplines, the summit agenda reflects how strategic decisions increasingly span underwriting, claims, risk management, governance, technology, and leadership.
The themes featured in the summit align closely with priorities identified by Australian regulators and international insurance supervisors. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) Prudential Standard CPS 230, which came into effect in 2025, strengthened requirements for operational risk management, business continuity, and oversight of material service providers. In April 2026, APRA also warned that governance and assurance practices across banks, insurers, and superannuation trustees were not keeping pace with AI adoption, urging boards and senior executives to strengthen oversight, accountability, and risk management. Internationally, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) has identified AI, cyber resilience, operational resilience, and climate risk among its supervisory priorities for 2026, reflecting challenges facing insurers across global markets.
Technology is only one of several issues shaping insurers’ strategic priorities. Climate resilience continues to influence underwriting, claims management, pricing, capital management, and reinsurance purchasing following successive years of major catastrophe events. In Australia, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has continued issuing catastrophe declarations during 2026 for events including ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, severe flooding, and widespread storms, highlighting the continuing operational and financial impact of natural hazards on insurers.
At the same time, insurers are investing in AI and digital technologies while adapting to changing customer expectations and growing demand for specialist skills. Deloitte Australia’s 2025 Insurance Predictions identifies AI adoption, technology modernisation, regulatory change, and workforce capability among the trends expected to reshape insurers’ operating models. Although these challenges differ, they increasingly require insurers to make coordinated decisions across governance, technology, underwriting, operations, and workforce planning rather than treating them as separate operational issues. Those interconnected issues are reflected throughout the summit program.
The launch of ANZIIF’s first International Insurance Summit illustrates how professional development is evolving alongside the industry itself. As insurers respond to AI adoption, operational resilience requirements, climate-related risks, cyber threats, and workforce transformation, industry education is increasingly focusing on enterprise-wide capabilities that support decision-making across the organisation.
