Don’t miss out on the new insurance web domains
The insurance industry now has its own exclusive internet domain suffix as an alternative to the traditional dot com.
fTLD Registry Services, which is partly owned by the insurance industry, has launched the ‘insurance’ suffix which can now be registered via register.insurance subject to security checks.
As those registering must be verified members of the global insurance industry, it could help prevent fraud and scams by giving users confidence that they are dealing with a certified insurer.
“The global insurance community is vast, with millions of companies, agents, and brokers participating. With .BANK and now .INSURANCE, we’re providing great value to the financial services community, as well as helping to build trust with their customers,” said fTLD managing director Craig Schwartz.
fTLD launched the ‘bank’ domain suffix in 2015 and revealed that a year later 45 per cent of banks had registered their name. The open period of registration for insurers has now begun.
Benefits start-up secures $25 million venture capital
Canadian benefits start-up League has secured $25 million of venture capital funding. The firm’s platform allows employers and employees to customize their health insurance requirements using an app.
The company’s services are already available in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Seattle with a wider roll-out to come.
League has almost 500 companies signed-up and is in the process of adding service providers but that has been slowed by legislation: “Obamacare sets constraints on the kinds of plans we can offer and who we can partner with but the underlying problem is universal,” League CEO Michael Serbinis told TechCrunch.com.
Study begins into Blockchain for wholesale insurers
PwC plans to launch a research project looking at how the emerging blockchain technology could benefit the wholesale insurance industry.
The proposed study will bring together insurers, reinsurers and wholesale brokers and will include a global survey of the industry. This will be used to assess current thinking and explore the potential for ‘mutual’ or consortium research into taxonomies and standards for the insurance industry.
PwC partner Steve Webb commented: "With a new technology like blockchain, it's fundamental that you work in an agile way to prove that the technologies not only work, but provide the right solutions to specific business problems. Businesses need to build, learn from mistakes refine and improve.”
