Two UK-linked specialty insurance businesses have announced acquisitions to expand in Europe. Optio Group has bought Norwegian aquaculture MGA SAFE Forsikring, and Gibraltar-based Taurus Insurance Services has acquired Status Insurance Management, the business behind the Europesure brand.
Optio has acquired SAFE Forsikring for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2012 by Thore Amundsen and Espen Stange and based in Oslo, SAFE underwrites aquaculture, offshore energy and marine risks through delegated binding authorities. It has built a leading position in aquaculture insurance, serving many of the sector’s largest operators in Norway and internationally.
SAFE will join Optio’s Norwegian platform alongside S Insurance and AGS Forsikring, with Amundsen continuing to lead the business.
“Thore, Espen and their team have built a truly specialist underwriting business with an outstanding reputation in the aquaculture market,” said Deepak Soni, chief executive of Optio Group.
The deal is Optio’s latest European move. It recently launched Pinnacle Specialty Insurance, an Amsterdam-based transactional risk MGA serving the European Economic Area. It follows Cinven and La Caisse agreeing to take a majority stake in Optio in July, with Optio saying the investment would support expansion into new specialist lines and international markets.
Taurus Insurance Services, a Gibraltar-based lifestyle insurance specialist best known for gadget and travel insurance, has acquired Status Insurance Management. Status operates in the UK and Cyprus, holds Lloyd’s coverholder capabilities, and distributes through brokers, financial advisers, travel agents and affiliate partners.
Its products include Europesure travel insurance for UK and European residents, corporate travel insurance, international private medical insurance and student insurance. Status will continue trading under its existing brands, including Europesure.
James Cottrell, managing director of Taurus, said the deal would let the group accelerate its European plans by drawing on an established business with deep market knowledge, rather than building everything from scratch.
The acquisition builds on Taurus’s recent European build-out, including its Dutch subsidiary, Switched On Insurance Cooperative, opened in Eindhoven in September 2025, and the launch of Switched On Insurance in Ireland in February.
Both deals reflect strong demand for specialty and MGA businesses. MarshBerry’s latest UK M&A data showed specialty targets made up more than 30% of UK insurance distribution deals in 2026, a record share, even as overall UK deal volumes fell to their lowest in years.
UK-based specialists are also looking beyond the UK. Owning businesses inside the EU and the European Economic Area gives them local licences, distribution and capacity relationships that are harder to access from the UK after Brexit.
For marine and energy brokers, Optio’s purchase of SAFE brings a niche aquaculture specialist into a larger, well-funded MGA group. That should add resources and market access, while the founders’ continued leadership points to continuity for brokers and clients.
For travel and health brokers and partners of Europesure, Taurus’s acquisition promises continuity of brands, with new investment in technology and products. Partners should expect Taurus to expand the range over time.
