The MGAA has opened its membership to eligible managing general agents (MGAs), insurers and suppliers based outside the UK and Ireland.
The association said the move reflects the increasingly international nature of delegated underwriting. The change follows consultation with members and growing interest from European and US insurance businesses seeking access to the UK and Irish MGA markets.
Under the new criteria, the MGAA will consider applications from organisations based outside the UK and Ireland that have a genuine interest in those markets. That could include established MGAs, insurers, suppliers and market practitioners looking to develop distribution, capacity or commercial relationships in the UK and Ireland. It also covers businesses considering setting up or buying an MGA there.
Members will gain access to the MGAA’s community, market insight, events and networking. The association’s regulatory and compliance support will stay focused on the UK and Ireland, and it will not provide support for other jurisdictions.
“The MGA market is increasingly international, and we regularly hear from organisations outside the UK and Ireland that want to engage with our community,” said Mike Keating, chief executive of the MGAA.
Keating said the change would create new opportunities for members to build relationships with the wider European and international MGA market.
The move builds on the MGAA’s earlier decision, after Brexit, to admit organisations based in the Republic of Ireland. The association now represents more than 500 organisations across its MGA, market practitioner and supplier membership. Its MGA members collectively write more than £18.5 billion of gross written premium.
The UK MGA sector has become a major draw for international capital and acquirers. UK M&A data from advisory firm MarshBerry this month showed specialty targets, including MGAs and Lloyd’s brokers, accounted for 28% of UK insurance distribution deals by number in 2026, but more than 85% of deal value. Buyers from the US, Japan and Australia have all completed sizeable specialty deals this year.
Traffic is flowing the other way too. Specialty MGA group Optio recently launched an Amsterdam-based transactional risk MGA to serve the European Economic Area.
For UK and Irish MGAs, opening membership to overseas firms should widen access to potential capacity providers, distribution partners and acquirers, particularly from Europe and the US.
For international firms looking at the UK market, membership offers a route into its networks and market intelligence. The limits of the MGAA’s support matter, though. Overseas MGAs will still need their own advice on UK regulation, and on any requirements in their home markets, before writing UK business.
