Leading Chinese insurtech firm, ZhongAn, has announced the addition of a new fintech incubator; ZhongAn Information and Technology Services Co., Ltd. will be focused on technology development in the following four areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing and data; seeks to be a technology accelerator for insurtech. Source
Privately-owned, US marketplace lender, SoFi, has announced it will be expanding its product offerings to include life insurance by becoming a broker; within the industry the company is primarily known for its student loan refinancing services; it has also been expanding its product offerings to include personal loans, mortgage loans and wealth management in an effort to more actively meet broader financial needs for its clients; Lend Academy provides more details on the life insurance offering and future growth expectations for the company in their article. Source
A research report on insurtech from Gartner says the majority of the world’s 25 largest insurance companies will invest in insurtech by 2018; 64% of these companies have already made significant investments in emerging insurtech companies and innovation; among the highest priorities for investment are digitization, digital customer management, mobile and analytics. Source
Propel, the $150 million fintech venture capital company set up by Spanish bank BBVA is investing $14.1 million into InsurTech startup, Hixme; the investment was announced at Money 20/20 in Las Vegas; Propel’s sole backer is BBVA - its $150 million of funding makes it one of the biggest fintech-focused funds in the world; the company's hope is to invest in next-generation fintech companies. Jay Reinemann, managing partner at Proper Ventures, says: "Insurance has been one of the latest hot areas, it's been that way for at least a year. Source
Facebook's data and privacy rules have slowed business development plans for insurtech firm, Admiral; many fintech firms have sought to use social media profiles in crowdfunding with little success for various reasons; insurtech firm, Admiral, will now be forced to end its plans to use Facebook social media posts and likes for consideration in auto insurance underwriting; Facebook says use of the information is a violation of its data privacy rules. Source
SoFi has begun to acquire state life insurance licenses and is working with Protective Life Insurance Co. on a life insurance partnership; known for student loan refinancing, life insurance would add to the company's expanding product offerings which now include mortgage loans, personal loans and wealth management. Source
Online auto insurance company, EverQuote, has raised $23 million in Series B funding; the funding is part of a pre-IPO plan to provide liquidity to its founders and employees; the firm will also use the funding to hire 120 employees focused on sales and data; plans also include directly selling insurance on the platform with the use of proprietary data from the firm's app, EverDrive. Source
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