Insurance innovation across Asia-Pacific is moving beyond pilot projects and into core insurance operations, according to Insurance Business’s 5-Star Insurance Innovators 2026 special report.
The sixth annual report identifies 25 companies across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand that Insurance Business selected for their work introducing technology, products, distribution strategies, and other forms of innovation to the insurance industry.
The findings come as the Asia-Pacific insurtech market continues to record double-digit growth, although estimates of its size vary depending on how the market is defined. Fortune Business Insights puts the market at US$6.56 billion in 2026, while Mordor Intelligence estimates the Asia-Pacific insurtech market at US$239.19 billion in 2025.
Growth estimates also differ, with Research and Markets reporting an annual growth rate of 37.7%, compared with Fortune Business Insights’ 33.9%.
For insurers, brokers, and service providers, the report points to innovation becoming an operational issue rather than being limited to technology trials.
Insurance Business began accepting nominations in May from insurers, brokerages, and service providers operating across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Applicants were asked to outline the steps they had taken to introduce innovations to the insurance industry. The report encouraged companies to focus on initiatives introduced, and results achieved, during calendar year 2025.
The Insurance Business team assessed submissions based on the level of detail provided, the nature of the innovation, evidence of success, and comparisons with other entries.
That assessment produced the 25 companies named as the 5-Star Insurance Innovators for 2026.
The methodology places the emphasis on initiatives that had moved into implementation and produced results, rather than concepts or early-stage pilots.
Two Australian companies are featured among the report’s winners:
The report’s selection process covers more than technology adoption alone. Its criteria include new technology, insurance products, and distribution channel strategies, alongside evidence that the initiatives were implemented and achieved results.
That scope is relevant to insurance professionals because innovation can affect multiple parts of the insurance value chain, including how products are developed, distributed, and delivered.
The report therefore provides a snapshot of initiatives that Insurance Business assessed as having moved beyond an innovation concept during the 2025 calendar year.
The 25 selected innovators span the Asia-Pacific insurance market, with the report covering companies in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
The full 5-Star Insurance Innovators 2026 special report contains the complete list of winners, research findings, and industry insights.
