Keeping up with the market – January 2021

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New players on the Belgian market

Nickel, the bank account without a bank

Nickel will arrive in Belgium by 2022. It is a French alternative model of overdraft-free accounts that can be opened in 5 minutes at your tobacconists (in Belgium we call these press shops). Indeed, Nickel does not have any agency but relies mainly on a network of tobacconists and independent retailers to sell and manage simple banking operations (deposit and withdraw money, make transfers and withdrawals thanks to a IBAN number given directly at the opening of the account). Since its launch in 2014, the company has attracted around 2 000 000 customers and intends to continue its growth by expanding to other European countries, including Belgium.

Independer.be, the new independent online insurance broker

Independer.be was launched on January 18^th by DPG Media, a Belgian press and media group. It is a car insurance comparator and an online broker. Three major insurers are collaborating with Independer.be: Corona Direct, Ethias and Yuzzu. Of course, other collaborations are in progress. It is already planned to expand the range of insurance products. Independer.be was inspired by its Dutch sister company Independer.nl that has become a renowned online insurance broker for private individuals in the Netherlands.

A new global project in the Belgian insurance sector

Belgian insurers unite to create a common claims database to fight against fraud

Assuralia and Alfa Belgium have developed a claims database that should help companies’ anti-fraud departments to detect fraudulent activities more effectively. It is expected that 90% of Belgian insurance companies participate in the project. As a result, almost every traffic accident should be recorded in the database. The claims database will allow insurers to cross (encrypted) information on their claims. For the time being, only car insurance is concerned. The claims database will be launched in February.

Covid impact on insurers

Insurer Corona Direct played its cards right

The CEO of Corona Direct may have had a few weeks of bad sleep when the pandemic hit Belgium, but the insurance company finally pulled through. Rather than disappearing, the insurer decided to adapt its communication and even took advantage of the opportunity to speed up the diversification of its insurance products offer. Although the insurer’s turnover fell by 40% after the first lockdown, Els Blaton finally draws a rather positive balance sheet of this eventful year. The company registered 30,000 new contracts and its turnover has returned to its pre-crisis level (95 million euros per year).

AXA announces deploying its smart working strategy in Belgium and worldwide

The Covid crisis has also profoundly disrupted our day-to-day work. For some companies, that change may be for the best. At AXA, almost everyone, including the CEO and the rest of the management, has been using this possibility to work remotely for several years now. After several months of full-time remote working, AXA intends to give its employees the freedom to determine each day whether they want to work at the office or at home. The company will rely on its employees’ sense of responsibility and believes that employees will feel when it is best for them to go to the office.

New partnerships, acquisitions and mergers

The fintech Revolut partners with the insurtech Qover, offering digital insurance to its customers

As part of a complete overhaul of its paid plans, Revolut now offers its customers an embedded insurance solution provided by Qover all over Europe. The insurance solution is fully integrated into the banking app, allowing users to access the 3 products in real-time from their accounts. The insurance products are active at no extra cost for Revolut customers.

Broker AlliA buys over Assumax, its competitor

AlliA consolidates its position as the second largest independent broker in Belgium with the acquisition of its competitor Assumax. The AlliA group is active in insurance brokerage for businesses, while Assumax is mainly active in the construction insurance field in Flanders. With the acquisition of Assumax, AlliA becomes a company with 245 employees, with a premium income of more than 410 million euros and commission income of more than 37 million euros.

German insurer Ecclesia acquires insurance broker Kegels & Van Antwerpen, to merge with Concordia

The Germans are already active in Belgium with the insurance brokers Concordia and IC Verzekeringen. Kegels & Van Antwerpen and Concordia will finally merge under the flag of Ecclesia.

Kegels & Van Antwerpen is mainly active in Antwerp and focuses on the small and medium-sized enterprise’s market.

Sources :

• Nickel, “le compte sans banque”, débarquera en Belgique en 2022
• DPG Media lanceert verzekeringssite Independer nu ook in België
• Les assureurs unissent leurs efforts dans la lutte contre la fraude
• Corona plus fort que le Covid: l’assureur tire son épingle du jeu face à la pandémie
• FVF : Impact Covid 19 auprès des courtiers en assurances et intermédiaires financiers
• AXA Banque laissera à ses employés les choix entre le bureau et le télétravail
• DPG Media lanceert verzekeringssite Independer nu ook in België
• Nickel, “le compte sans banque”, débarquera en Belgique en 2022
• FVF : Impact Covid 19 auprès des courtiers en assurances et intermédiaires financiers
• World’s leading FinTech Revolut chooses InsurTech Qover to fully redesign its insurance offering across Europe
• AlliA met la main sur Assumax
• L’assureur ecclésiastique allemand Ecclesia rachète le courtier en assurances Kegels & Van Antwepen