IPIPELINEQUARTERLY

Let the countdown begin!

Recent headlines suggest a level
of unpreparedness whilst a study
by Standard Life investigating the
behaviours of 100 advisers over the
last two years has revealed that
just over half believe they’re ‘well
prepared’ for the Consumer Duty
31st July deadline. This compares
with a poll we ran in our recent
Consumer Duty webinar in which
just 51% of attendees agreed
that they had a medium level of
confidence in their response to this
game-changing regulation.

The Youth of Today

I concur with Oscar Wilde who once said; ‘With age comes wisdom’. While there’s huge truth in this simple statement, the reverse also applies. We can all learn a lot from younger, open minded and progressive generations in so many ways – they are the future (and often the today). Yet when it comes to knowledge around financial resilience and the vital role financial protection can play, many people under 30 seem to lack what we might call wisdom and our data tells us that of all applications received in the last 12 months, only 17% were from the under 30s.

Challenge, Communication and Change

With Summer over and schools starting back, we’re all returning to some sort of normality, whatever normality is! Parts of the UK experienced the driest July in a century and we’ve all been forced to adapt to these new conditions. For some, the heat may have been welcomed but for many, it’s been a real challenge.

Back to the Future – Consumer Duty Special

With Summer over and schools starting back, we’re all returning to some sort of normality, whatever normality is! Parts of the UK experienced the driest July in a century and we’ve all been forced to adapt to these new conditions. For some, the heat may have been welcomed but for many, it’s been a real challenge.

It’s Time To Celebrate

Time: our most precious resource. We are governed by it, we kill it, save it, lose it, waste it. We must all work to manage our time as most of us claim not to have enough of it!

It Ain’t What You Do, (It’s The Way That You Do It)

Despite the ongoing challenges we faced during 2021, there were good news stories too and we continue to focus on the positive. We’re determined that 2022 is going to be different – and better! It’s been a strong start to the year for protection activity across iPipeline with 4% YoY growth in new business sales in January and our second-highest month on record in February. We’ve also had a number of record new business application days during February.

Opportunity Knocks – and we’re ready!

When I reflect on industry headlines over the last year, it’s clear to see the shift towards a much more positive outlook within protection. Granted, we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, but we’ve weathered (hopefully) the worst, we’ve learnt from the challenges we’ve faced and to some extent capitalised on the enforced changes to continue to transform the market.

Time To Reset And Restart

As we find ourselves racing towards the end of the year, it feels as though the UK is beginning to open up. Businesses are starting to leave the virtual office and people are starting to meet colleagues and network face-to-face. It really is an exciting and uplifting time and we’re all keen to welcome a brighter future. We do though recognise the uncertain nature of this and the differing experiences around the country and the world.

Stage Set For Future Growth

There are reasons to be optimistic about protection.

Summer is upon us and so too is the fourth and final step of the government’s roadmap to ease restrictions across England. We can look forward to a route back to a more normal way of life with optimism and perhaps a little trepidation. What does this mean for our industry?

A Crucial Role

Last year was a rocky one for our sector. Protection sales continued to grow in January and accelerated rapidly in March and early April once the risks of COVID-19 became more apparent.

A Year Like No Other

It’s a massive understatement to say that 2020 has not gone as planned. The words “unprecedented”, “challenging” and “crisis” have featured in abundance since the COVID-19 virus hit the UK’s shores in January, but they are no less true for their overuse.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

We recently published our Q2 new business statistics, which gave a snapshot of how many protection policies were sold and by which channel when COVID-19 was at its peak. While I can’t hide the fact this made for grim reading, there is cause for optimism judging by recent insight we have gathered.

Survive, Digitise and Thrive

Every individual and every organisation is facing challenges and, while at the time of writing there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel, it’s clear that life won’t return to any semblance of normality for quite some time recognising that this normality will ultimately be different than before.

Having the Quality Conversation

As we power through the first quarter of 2019, we continue to build on the hugely motivating successes of last year which ended with a record-breaking YoY 21% increase in total volume of new business.

Looking Back on a Successful Year

Welcome to the final edition of iPipeline Quarterly for 2019. The end of the year is a natural time for reflection and, as I look back on the past 12 months, I feel immensely proud not only of our continuing work to grow the protection market, but also of our contribution to a range of worthwhile industry initiatives.

Continuing Market Growth

It’s good to see protection sales continuing to grow. Last year, the market achieved its highest level of new business since 2004 according to Swiss Re’s annual Term & Health Watch report. This growth is reflected in our Q2 results where new business volumes were up 39% compared to the same time in 2018.

Diversity and the Digital Revolution. How do we Measure Up?

At iPipeline, our clear vision of leadership and innovation of financial products keeps us focused on helping the UK insurance market achieve greater numbers of protection conversations.

Positive Results Indicate Strong Year Ahead

As we power through the first quarter of 2019, we continue to build on the hugely motivating successes of last year which ended with a record-breaking YoY 21% increase in total volume of new business.