More than 1,070 insurance brokers have responded to the 2026 NIBA Broker Market Survey – the highest participation figure in the survey’s history and the third consecutive year the number has risen.
The trend is clear in the data. The 2024 edition drew nearly 1,000 respondents, a 37% increase on the prior year, according to the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA). The 2025 edition crossed 1,000 for the first time. The 2026 figure extends that run – and the assessments those brokers have submitted will directly shape public insurer rankings.
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The survey is conducted independently by NielsenIQ and covers broker assessments of general insurers and underwriting agencies across claims handling, underwriting expertise, product quality, and overall service.
Those ratings directly determine the NIBA Insurer Awards – the Large General Insurer of the Year, Specialty Insurer of the Year, and Underwriting Agency of the Year – to be announced at the NIBA Convention from October 18 to 20 at the RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast.
The awards carry more than 20 years of history. For carriers, a public ranking built on broker feedback has concrete reputational and commercial consequences – and recent results show those rankings move when performance changes.
Vero took Large General Insurer of the Year for the second consecutive year in 2025, while Liberty Specialty Markets retained Specialty Insurer of the Year and NTI held Underwriting Agency of the Year. NielsenIQ’s Angela Carter said Vero had demonstrated continued improvement in broker perception after acting on feedback from previous surveys.
The full weighting criteria used to produce the rankings are not publicly available.
NIBA CEO Richard Klipin linked the consecutive record figures to engagement across the broking community. “Having more than 1,000 brokers in consecutive years take the time to share their views is a tremendous outcome. Numbers at this level tell us the broking community is active, engaged, and genuinely invested in the direction of our profession. What brokers tell us allows us to set the benchmark for industry excellence and make sure their perspectives shape how we recognise the insurers setting the standard for client value,” Klipin said.
Angela Carter, director of brand and media at NielsenIQ, said sustained participation reflects the survey’s function as an independent reference point. “Year on year, the NIBA Broker Market Survey delivers independent, practical feedback straight from brokers, giving insurers and underwriting agencies a clearer picture of what the profession needs. A record turnout like this shows just how much brokers value the chance to be heard and to help steer the industry in a positive direction,” Carter said.
The survey’s claims handling dimension sits within a broader set of pressures on the broker-insurer relationship.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) recorded 34,231 general insurance complaints in 2024-25 – a 17% increase on the prior year – with the authority noting persistently high volumes highlight “the need for industry to do more to prevent avoidable complaints reaching AFCA, particularly where claim delays are the issue.” The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has listed claims and complaint handling failures by insurers among its 2026 enforcement priorities, stating it is “targeting poor practices by insurers, who need to ensure they handle claims and complaints fairly while premiums rise.”
Brokers sit closest to those pressures. NIBA’s own research, produced with independent firm CoreData and published in February 2026, found that 98% of claims supported by a broker are successfully resolved, and 91% of clients say broker involvement led to a better outcome. When a claim stalls or is disputed, it is the broker managing the client through it.
In August 2026, NIBA formed its inaugural Claims Committee – drawing senior practitioners from Lockton, Gallagher, Marsh, Willis, and other firms – to give the profession a coordinated voice on claims issues with regulators and insurers. Claims Committee chair Adam Squire said the profession’s stake is direct. “Claims are where trust is built or lost, and brokers play a critical role in making sure clients are supported when it matters most. This Committee gives the profession a clear, coordinated voice on the issues affecting claims outcomes,” Squire said.
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The 2026 survey findings have not been released. Award winners will be announced at the October convention.
Broker participation in formally assessing insurer performance has now grown for three consecutive years – across the same period that complaint volumes and regulatory scrutiny of insurer conduct have intensified. Which carriers the 2026 rankings reward, and on what dimensions, will be the measure to watch.
