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Ki, the algorithmically-powered Lloyd’s digital follow platform, is delighted to announce a partnership with QBE and welcome them as a capacity partner on its platform.
This partnership with QBE is another major milestone for Ki following its move to become a standalone Fairfax company earlier this month and creates significant further momentum in the market’s adoption of algorithmic digital follow.
QBE capacity will be available on the Ki platform from 3 February 2025, for business incepting from 1 March 2025, across eleven open market classes of business: Cargo, Contingency, Cyber, D&amp;O, Energy Midstream, Energy Upstream, FI, Hull, US PI, Property NA and Property WW. Partner capacity is being introduced to the Contingency class for the first time at Ki.
The launch of the QBE capacity will coincide with Ki growing its overall open market follow capacity with its current partners. Together, these enhancements mean brokers will be able to access larger line sizes across more classes of business from five Lloyd’s syndicates on the Ki platform.
Today’s announcement further supports Ki’s goal of delivering efficient, high-quality digital follow capacity to the Lloyd’s market, bringing value to brokers and their clients.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, said: “We are proud to launch our partnership with QBE by adding their capacity to the Ki platform. QBE is a highly respected business in the specialty insurance market, with significant scale across the London, US and International markets. Their enthusiasm to partner with Ki reinforces our shared vision regarding the importance of seamless digital trading for the future of the specialty insurance marketplace.
We are also pleased to be expanding capacity with our existing partners. Offering brokers capacity from five syndicates is another positive step in Ki’s continued commitment to the London market and our mission to drive innovation and digitisation within the insurance industry.”
Jason Harris, CEO at QBE International, said: “As the insurance market continues to evolve, we are pleased to be partnering with Ki and its digital offering.  Digital follow is driving positive outcomes for the market, brokers and insureds by providing faster access to high quality capacity and more certainty of placement and complements traditional underwriting. We anticipate significant growth taking place over the next decade in this space and, as a market leader, look forward to collaborating with Ki to drive increased digitisation and efficiency throughout the entire risk journey.”

Ki enters partnership with QBE and expands digital follow capacity

Ki welcomes QBE capacity, offering even more diverse capacity for London brokers

Ki was created in 2020 and started writing business through its Syndicate 1618 in 2021. Since then, it has grown and evolved significantly to become an algorithmic underwriting platform offering follow capacity from a growing number of syndicates, with over $1 billion of GWP written in 2024.
As a standalone company, Ki will continue to focus on its vision: becoming the market leading digital and data led specialty insurance business, whilst helping to make Lloyd’s the most efficient market for specialty insurance in the world.
Ki has appointed Asta Managing Agency Limited (“Asta”) as Managing Agent, providing Ki with expert support in this critical role for the business.
The change to corporate structure and operations will not impact how brokers trade with Ki or its appetite in any class of business. Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities committed $500m of capital in 2020 to support Ki and enable the business to grow rapidly to significant scale. Blackstone and Fairfax will continue as Ki’s shareholders.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, commented: “Ki has become one of the most successful insurtech start-ups in our sector. In the space of four years, we have seen real momentum build behind our business model and we have now reached the scale to become standalone. We have helped brokers and clients seamlessly place complex specialty business at Lloyd’s with our market-leading platform. As Ki embarks on the next chapter of its growth, our autonomy, alongside the partnership with Asta, will enable us to focus on expanding our support of our partner brokers and accelerating the development of our algorithmic underwriting capabilities.
As a standalone company within Fairfax, we will be even better placed to achieve our potential and we are excited by the opportunity to further innovate in our offering to brokers and clients in years to come.”
Lorraine Harfitt, CEO of Asta, said: “We are delighted to partner with Ki as it embarks on this exciting new chapter.  Asta’s independent third-party platform allows us to focus exclusively on delivering for our clients, helping them achieve their strategic ambitions. Working with Ki on this significant transition to Asta hosting Syndicate 1618 underscores our commitment to fostering innovation and evolution in the market.  We look forward to continuing our work with the Ki team through 2025 and beyond.”

Ki completes separation to become standalone company within the Fairfax Group

Ki completes separation

Ki, the digital and algorithmically driven Lloyd’s follow platform, is delighted to announce a partnership with Beazley which will include Ki offering additional follow capacity from Beazley syndicate 2623/623 through its digital platform from 2 April 2024.
This is another major milestone in Ki’s journey to simplify and digitise the follow market. Ki has grown significantly since its launch in 2021, expanding its capacity and line size each year. Today’s announcement will bring further value to brokers and their clients, accelerating the adoption of digital follow across the London market.
The capacity will be available across Ki’s open market classes of business in the Property, Casualty and Specialty divisions, delivering a more efficient means through which brokers can complete placements in Lloyd’s.
With Beazley joining Aspen, Travelers and Ki Syndicate 1618, brokers can now access capacity from four Lloyd’s syndicates on the platform.
The multi-year partnership with Beazley, alongside the existing multi-year partnerships with Travelers and Aspen, and growth plans for Ki Syndicate 1618, will see Ki materially increase the follow capacity it is able to offer in 2024.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, said: “We are delighted to launch our partnership with Beazley by adding their capacity to the Ki platform. Our vision is of an efficient digital follow market in Lloyd’s and the potential for technology to shape the future of our market. Ki’s partnership model and approach to algorithmic underwriting will accelerate the adoption of digital follow in Lloyd’s.”
Adrian Cox, CEO of Beazley, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with Ki and learning more about the capabilities of follow only algorithmic underwriting for open market business, having been an early mover in the follow market for facilities and consortia via Syndicate 5623. As a market leader we believe automatic-follow solutions bring welcome efficiency to the expertise-led underwriting for which our marketplace is rightly known.”

Ki enters partnership with Beazley, significantly expanding Ki’s digital follow capacity 

As part of this significant strategic milestone, Ki will become the first algorithmic underwriter in the market to offer additional capacity from multiple syndicates. The capacity will be available across Ki’s open market classes of business in the Property, Casualty and Specialty divisions. Ki’s brokers and clients will continue to benefit from its efficient digital platform and immediate response to quote requests, with the platform also facilitating follow capacity offers from the partners alongside the existing Ki 1618 line.
The multi-year partnerships with Travelers and Aspen, alongside Ki’s own growth plans for Syndicate 1618, will see Ki materially increase the follow capacity it is able to offer from 1 January 2024, subject to Lloyd’s approval.
Ki has grown significantly since its launch in 2020, expanding its capacity and line size each year. The new partnership capacity being added in 2024 will further enhance its proposition as a compelling way for brokers to seamlessly complete placements in Lloyd’s.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, said: “We are delighted to be launching these ground-breaking partnerships to accelerate the adoption of digital follow in the Lloyd’s market. As a result, Ki will significantly expand the follow capacity available through algorithmic underwriting, marking a major step towards a fully digital follow market. We are pleased to partner with Travelers and Aspen, two leading companies in our sector, who share our vision of a more efficient follow market and we look forward to working closely with them as long-term partners.”
Matthew Wilson, CEO of Travelers Europe, said: “Innovation and digitisation are significant drivers for the continued evolution of the insurance industry. We are pleased to partner with Ki on this opportunity as their platform creates efficiencies for an important segment of the London insurance market and provides a better experience for brokers, customers and carriers.”
Mark Cloutier, Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Aspen, commented: “Lloyd’s is an important platform for Aspen, and one we have successfully grown in recent years with our syndicate now one of the top performers in the market. We have been clear in our aspiration to continue to grow our presence in Lloyd’s and our long-term partnership with Ki will form an important part of this. Mark and the team have built an outstanding platform that has already been enthusiastically adopted by the broking community, we look forward to working closely with them as partners.”

Ki announces partnership with Travelers and Aspen to expand digital follow capacity

Anita will be responsible for leading Ki’s product strategy, developing the roadmap for Ki’s rapidly evolving technology platform, algorithmic underwriting, and broker proposition, and working with the executive team to further develop Ki’s market position.
Anita was most recently Vice President of Product at fintech firm Cleo, where she focused on AI-driven banking products. She brings over 15 years of experience in Product and Technology roles in the UK and US, having also held product leadership &amp; senior executive roles at start-ups Wefarm and Zava. She also previously worked at Google, Amazon, and Bain &amp; Company, and holds an MBA from Kellogg Business School.
Anita joins in September and will report to James Birch, Development Director. Anita will also join Ki’s Executive Management Committee.
Mark Allan, CEO at Ki Insurance, said: “I am delighted that Anita is joining us at Ki and bringing her first-class knowledge in user experience, product management, and AI-led products to our business. Anita will be an excellent addition to the management team, bringing her experience of multiple senior executive roles at other technology firms globally, as we look to further expand our differentiated technology and data capabilities in the market.”
Anita Woods, Ki’s Director of Product, commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Ki. The team have built something truly unique, and the business’ growth trajectory is hugely exciting. Ki is a great example of what can be achieved with innovative use of technology in financial services, and I look forward to helping further develop and refine Ki’s product offering.”

Ki appoints Anita Woods as Director of Product 

Rebecca joins from Sompo International, where she held the role of International Casualty Treaty Underwriter. Prior to this, Rebecca was a Casualty Treaty Underwriter at Liberty Mutual Reinsurance for four years, working across a number of different lines across the UK, Europe and US. She started her career at Liberty Specialty Markets.
In her new role, Rebecca will work across the Casualty classes, supporting the growth of Ki’s portfolio and acting as a key point of contact for distribution partners.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, commented: “Bringing in high calibre talent, such as Rebecca, both from inside the insurance market and beyond is an important part of Ki’s growth. We are focused on continuing to provide a highly responsive service for our brokers and maintaining underwriting expertise as we manage our portfolio, while also further investing in our technology and engineering capabilities. This will remain at the heart of our vision for Ki: realising the potential of tech and digital and underpinning this with insurance expertise and a passion for the Lloyd’s market.”

Ki appoints Rebecca Marsh as Underwriter 

Launched in 2020 and incubated by Brit in collaboration with Google Cloud and University College London, Ki enables follow capacity to support lead syndicates more efficiently. Brokers logging in to Ki’s digital platform can instantly generate a follow line, in as little as ten seconds. Ki offers capacity instantly, with an algorithm determining how much capacity they want to offer to that risk.
In September, Ki raised US$500m of committed capital from Blackstone and Fairfax; the largest seed-stage fundraise for any insurtech globally to date.
Congratulations to the entire Ki team for this well-deserved recognition of their achievement.

Ki announces platform updates and successful first quarter

Ki wins Digital Insurance Award

London, 4 May 2021: Ki, the first fully digital and algorithmically driven Lloyd’s syndicate, is pleased to report a strong first quarter and the release of its Broker API.
Ki, which began trading in January 2021, bound over 1,000 risks in the first quarter of this year and is on track to deliver its targeted full year premium. Working closely with its partner brokers, Ki has continued to update and enhance the platform, incorporating feedback with multiple updates and enhancements to further streamline the placement of risk.
During the period, Ki transacted with each of its broking partners and in all of its classes of business. It significantly expanded its market presence by onboarding the reinsurance divisions of its partner brokers and increasing its active user base on the Ki platform to over 800 brokers.
Ki has also developed and released its first Broker API. This transformative step will allow partner brokers to integrate digitally with Ki and create a totally seamless connection to Ki’s algorithm to obtain quotes within their own broking platform. This will further accelerate access to Ki’s capacity, providing straight-through processing of data and a fully integrated end-to-end quotation process between market participants at Lloyd’s.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, commented: “We are delighted by the market response to Ki so far, proving the potential for technology in our market. We have built Ki in London, for London, and the brokers have embraced the idea that Ki makes Lloyd’s a stronger proposition globally. We plan to expand further with our partners, giving them and their clients access to valuable capacity in Lloyd’s.
We have also shown the potential of our talented tech and data teams with the enhancements we have already made to our platform. Our response time has improved from 60 seconds to around 10 seconds on average, and we have now created a game-changing API capability that allows quotes to be requested directly by a digital broking platform. We look forward to establishing our first partner integrations shortly.”

As part of the partnership, Ki, Howden and Hyperion X, Hyperion’s insurtech platform, will collaborate on the development of a fully-digital end-to-end Lloyd’s placement journey during 2021. This marks a Lloyd’s first, enabling seamless and instantaneous commitment of follow capacity in the market and realises a shared vision for the digital future for the Lloyd’s follow market.
The creation of Ki was first announced in May 2020. Ki will aim to significantly reduce the amount of time taken for brokers to place their follow capacity. Ki’s algorithm, developed with support from University College London, will evaluate Lloyd’s policies and automatically quote for business through an always available digital platform, built by Google Cloud and accessed directly by brokers. Ki will write a broad range of specialty business following selected leaders in the Lloyd’s market, including Brit. Ki recently announced that is has raised US$500m of committed capital from two backers, funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (“Blackstone”) and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Howden and Hyperion X. The creation of the first fully digital end-to-end Lloyd’s placement is another significant milestone, and we are proud that Ki is a central part of this. We believe digital models have major advantages for Lloyd’s and unlock substantial opportunities for the market in the future.”
Barnaby Rugge-Price, Executive Chair of Hyperion X and Chair of Howden Broking Group, said: “Howden’s commitment to transaction efficiency allows our people to focus their expertise and time on the areas that add the greatest value for clients. Ki shares our vision for the market with all the benefits it brings for clients, brokers and capital providers. Hyperion X’s data, technology and automation is key to the delivery of transaction efficiency and has been a real catalyst for progress. This partnership is just the start of a significant long-term relationship between Howden and Ki, we look forward to collaborating, growing together and driving innovation across the market.”

Ki and Howden forge long-term partnership to build digital first in Lloyd’s

The risk was bound by Ki on its fully-aligned Lloyd’s Syndicate 1618, with Ki’s line having been generated by its proprietary algorithm. This represents a first for the Lloyd’s market, as Ki breaks new ground as the first algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s syndicate.
This first risk cements the start of an exciting partnership between Ki and THB. Both firms share an ambition to transform the placement of follow business in Lloyd’s and ensure a sustainable future for the market.
Ki achieved ‘permission to underwrite’ from Lloyd’s on 7th October 2020. Syndicate 1618 is Ki’s fully aligned follow-only syndicate.
Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, commented: “Being able to announce the first risk bound through Ki is a significant moment, completing our journey from concept to reality. We’re pleased to be partnering with THB/AmWINS and their commitment to the Platform is a strong statement of the value we are bringing to brokers and their clients.”
Mark Cody, CEO of THB Worldwide Specialty Division, added: “We are delighted to be the first to bind a risk with Ki, and are excited about the start of a significant partnership. The value of Lloyd’s can be dramatically enhanced through the use of technology and Ki embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the market. Our clients and trading partners will see tangible value from THB securing Ki’s capacity on their placements for 2021 and beyond.”
The creation of Ki was first announced in May 2020. Ki will aim to significantly reduce the amount of time taken for brokers to place their follow capacity. Ki’s algorithm, developed with support from University College London, will evaluate Lloyd’s policies and automatically quote for business through an always available digital platform, built by Google Cloud and accessed directly by brokers. Ki will write a broad range of specialty business following selected leaders in the Lloyd’s market, including Brit.
Ki recently announced that is has raised US$500m of committed capital from two backers, funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (“Blackstone”) and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.