MetLife subsidiary LumenLab is using blockchain technology to automate life insurance claims, according to a news release published on June 17. Known as “Lifechain,” the collaboration with Singapore Press Holdings and NTUC Income will enable bereaved families who place obituaries in a local newspaper to instantly trigger searches to see whether their loved one had a life insurance policy. This month, 1,000 Income policyholders will be randomly selected to take part in a pilot scheme. The technology works by submitting the deceased’s National Registration Identity Card to Lifechain as hashed data once consent from the family has been obtained. Families …

Insurance tech firm BlockClaim has recently received £500,000 ($627,000) in funding for its blockchain-based claims solution, according to an official blog post on June 17. The firm raised the funds from venture capital firm Amadeus Capital Partners and software firm Pragmatica, in addition to other angel investors. According to the announcement, BlockClaim uses blockchain technology to automate its claims process. Furthermore, the company says the product reduces claim costs by 20% and results in faster settlements. As per its website, BlockClaim uses a private blockchain to streamline the claims process: “Leveraging the power of a private blockchain helps to keep …

Online retail giant Amazon has partnered with United Kingdom-based insurance agency Legal & General to create a blockchain system for managing corporate pension deals, according to a report by Reuters on June 11. Legal & General will reportedly make use of the Amazon Managed Blockchain for its bulk annuity transactions, which happen when companies transfer their pension schemes to Legal & General for insurance. According to an article by the Financial Times, companies make bulk annuity transactions to insurers like this so that they are not ultimately responsible for personally paying their employees’ pensions. CEO of Legal & General Reinsurance …

Pan-African insurance company Old Mutual has opted out of insuring cryptocurrency mining equipment due to the absence of regulation in the industry, local technology-focused new outlet ITWeb reported on June 10. Following comprehensive research of the industry, Old Mutual has arrived at a decision not to insure equipment used for digital currency mining because of the unregulated nature of the industry. Among other reasons, the company also named cryptocurrencies’ exposure to fraudulent activity and modified electronic infrastructure of mining equipment that leads to overheating and other malfunctions. Christelle Colman, an insurance expert at Old Mutual, said that “we have chosen …

Aon — a leading insurance broker that purports to occupy 50% of the crypto-insurance market — will reportedly provide crypto custody solutions provider Metaco with crime insurance coverage via a panel of London insurers. The news was revealed in a Metaco press release published by fintech news outlet Finextra on June 11. Lausanne-based Metaco is part-owned by Swiss telecoms giant Swisscom, the country’s national postal service, Swisspost and banking technology vendor Avaloq. The insurers — none of whose names have been disclosed — will reportedly provide the crime insurance coverage for institutions using Metaco’s SILO crypto asset infrastructure solution for …

United States insurance giant State Farm and military-affiliated bank United Services Automobile Association (USAA) are testing a blockchain-based subrogation solution with real claims data. State Farm announced the development in an official press release on May 30. The two insurance titans are using blockchain technology to automate and streamline the subrogation process in insurance claims. The platform purportedly allows them to automatically compile total payments, net the balance, and conduct a regularly scheduled payment between insurers. State Farm states that the blockchain solution is being tested with real claims data. State Farm explains that subrogation occurs when two insurance companies …

Cryptocurrency custody services firm Anchorage has added insurance coverage for storing digital assets, it announced in a blog post on May 29. In the post, Anchorage — which raised $17 million in a Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz — announced insurance coverage for institutions that covers digital assets under custody. The coverage comes as the result of a partnership with major insurance broker Aon. Previously, Aon stated that the firm was seeing more cryptocurrency-specific protections catering to the new cryptocurrency industry. Anchorage outlined in the post that not all coverage of cryptocurrency custody insurance is equal as most …

Crypto securities company Curv has partnered with insurance company Munich Re to obtain $50 million in coverage, according to a Curv press release on May 10. This new insurance is designed to cover any cases in which a bad actor was able to gain access to either Curv or the customer’s shares, both of which would be needed in order to sign off on an illicit transaction. As is stated in the press release: “Even in an extreme scenario where both networks’ shares were somehow simultaneously compromised and a transaction were initiated outside of the corporate policy, Curv’s insurance would …

Chinese internet giant Tencent will work with a local disruptor insurance company to develop new blockchain solutions, Bloomberg reported on April 30. Waterdrop, which forms part of China’s rapidly-expanding crowdfunded health insurance industry, will leverage Tencent’s existing presence and experience in the field to create as yet undefined blockchain tools. The move follows the closure of Waterdrop’s Series B funding round in March, led by Tencent, which raised 500 million yuan ($74.2 million). At the same time, the company is looking for fresh financing, Bloomberg revealed, along with seeking a valuation of at least $1 billion. “The company will spend …

Canada-based global insurance broker Marsh will soon roll out its proof of insurance (POI) blockchain platform to American commercial clients, the firm announced in a press release on April 25. First launched as a Proof of concept (PoC) in April 2018, Marsh’s POI platform will purportedly provide more certainty of insurance coverage as well as speed up business processes. Marsh clients will soon be able to acquire certificates of insurance via a blockchain-powered digital application, as the firm announced in a tweet. The app will initially be available to a select group of Marsh clients, and will enable clients to …

Ireland-based global consulting firm Accenture and Italy-based insurance giant Generali Group’s employee benefits unit have debuted a blockchain solution for employee benefits. The partnership was announced in a press release from the firms on April 16. Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) is an employee benefit solutions provider and global business line of Italy’s largest insurance firm — and 8th largest globally. The press release states that GEB operates the largest employee benefits solutions network worldwide. The blockchain solution will reportedly facilitate data sharing for parties involved in the reinsurance process for captive and pooling services. It will also reportedly improve procedures’ …

French insurance markets can now invest in cryptocurrencies, following the passage of a new law, foreign exchange news agency FXStreet reports April 11. On April 11, the National Assembly of France adopted a bill that is designed to stimulate local business development, including redirecting savings from individuals to businesses, according to local news agency Les Echos. According to Reuters, the Assemblee Nationale voted 147 in favor and 50 against. Known as “Plan d’action pour la croissance et la transformation des entreprises,” (Pacte) the act reportedly allows insurance providers in France to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) with no …