Three Canadian insurance industry players have become the first to earn certification under the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) XML Dataset Standards, marking progress in efforts to reduce manual data entry and improve connectivity between broker and insurer systems.
Acturis Canada Inc., SGI CANADA and Wawanesa Insurance received the certification after demonstrating that their systems meet CSIO's requirements for structuring and exchanging insurance information through application programming interfaces (APIs).
The standards establish a common format for data exchanged between different insurance platforms, allowing systems to interpret information consistently and communicate in real time. This could reduce the need to re-enter customer information when obtaining quotes, binding coverage or accessing policy details.
The potential savings are significant. A 2023 study by the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) found that eliminating duplicate entry through API connectivity could reduce the work involved in personal lines policy changes by as much as 40%, with similar reductions in customer waiting times. The study also found that improved connectivity could cut the overall time required to complete a personal lines quote by almost half.
The new certifications cover some of the transactions involved in these workflows, but the findings do not measure the performance of the three newly certified organizations.
Under CSIO's certification directory, Acturis and SGI CANADA are certified for personal auto quoting and habitational insurance quoting and binding. Wawanesa's certification covers quoting, binding and policy inquiries for both personal auto and habitational insurance.
CSIO's November 9 announcement describes a broader scope for Acturis and SGI CANADA, including personal auto binding, which is not currently reflected in the directory.
“Structured API standards are essential to creating consistent connectivity between brokers and insurers. We congratulate Acturis, SGI CANADA and Wawanesa on achieving XML Dataset Standards Certification and helping advance a more consistent, standardized approach to data exchange. As adoption grows across the industry, these standards will help ensure that accurate and complete data sets are shared between the insurer and the broker,” CSIO president Kathryn Sinclair said.
The certifications form part of a wider industry effort to address the difficulties brokers face when working across multiple insurer platforms. CSIO has also been advancing an API Gateway initiative, a separate project intended to allow broker management systems and insurers to exchange information through shared connections rather than relying on multiple individual integrations.
CSIO's existing certification programs already cover API security, electronic documents and JSON-based data exchange. The latest XML Dataset Standards certifications extend that work to additional insurance transactions, with Acturis becoming the first technology vendor certified under the program.
“By simplifying integration and enabling real-time information exchange, we can make it easier for brokers and insurers to connect and work together. This certification represents an important step toward a more seamless and efficient broker channel,” said Gregory Toothe, managing director of Acturis Canada Inc.
While the certification establishes that the three organizations meet CSIO's data standards, its practical impact will depend on how widely insurers and technology providers adopt them.
