Axco’s Global Insurance Summit returned to London this April, welcoming a record number of insurance and risk professionals for two days of insight, collaboration and international connection. Now in its fourth year, the summit brought together nearly 400 delegates from more than 130 companies across 30+ countries, reflecting the growing importance of global intelligence, practical insight and cross‑border collaboration in an increasingly complex risk environment.
Opening the event, Mark Trumper, Managing Director at Axco, welcomed delegates and highlighted the value of creating space for the industry to step back from day‑to‑day pressures, share perspectives and focus on practical solutions that can be applied within global insurance programmes.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, economic volatility, accelerating technological change and climate‑driven disruption, the summit programme was designed to move beyond theory, focusing on how organisations can strengthen resilience and navigate risk across borders with confidence.
Global forces reshaping risk and Insurance
The opening sessions set the tone for the event, exploring the macro‑economic, political and technological forces reshaping global risk in 2026 and beyond. Discussions examined the impact of geopolitical fragmentation, shifting trade dynamics and uneven economic momentum, alongside the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its implications for productivity, investment and insurer portfolios.
Delegates explored how these forces are altering underwriting assumptions, supply chains and capital flows, and what this means for multinational organisations seeking clarity and stability in an increasingly interconnected world.
From Programme Design to Real‑World Claims
A central theme throughout the summit was the gap between programme design and real‑world outcomes. Regulatory localisation, tax complexity and compliance friction were addressed head‑on, with sessions unpacking how fragmentation is challenging the foundations of global insurance programmes. Discussions explored the trade‑offs between control, efficiency and local compliance, and whether increasing localisation is eroding the value of traditional global structures.
Case‑based discussions focused on lessons learned from significant claims events, the importance of preparation before loss, and the role of transparent data, accurate asset values and realistic indemnity periods in driving better outcomes. The message was consistent: insurance delivers the greatest value when it moves beyond cost containment and becomes an enabler of resilience and recovery.
Claims certainty remained a recurring focus, with debate over whether true consistency across borders is achievable and how better governance, global protocols, technology, and collaboration can help close the gap between expectations and reality.
Technology, Data and the Future of Global Programmes
Day two shifted focus toward innovation and the future of multinational insurance. Sessions explored how AI is moving from experimentation to enterprise‑level impact, supporting everything from compliance assurance and programme design to claims handling and cross‑border collaboration.
Importantly, discussions emphasised that successful innovation is not purely technological. Culture, governance, data quality and human judgment remain critical to unlocking value and ensuring new tools strengthen, not complicate, global programmes.
Looking ahead, debates examined the expanding role of captives and alternative risk transfer, the evolution of global networks, and how insurers, brokers and corporates must adapt their international capability to meet rising client expectations over the next five years.
Collaboration in Action
The Axco summit featured collaboration hubs, regional intelligence briefings and interactive learning clinics alongside the keynote programme. These sessions provided hands‑on opportunities to explore themes such as programme structures, premium flow challenges, regulatory developments, Axco product developments and region-specific emerging risks.
Looking Ahead
A huge thank you to our sponsors and partners for making Axco’s Global Insurance Summit London possible. Your support helps create a platform where ideas turn into action and collaboration drives progress.
Axco is the leading supplier of global insurance market information with over 55 years’ experience in researching and publishing industry intelligence on insurance and employee benefits. Its unique business model and methods of research have enabled the development of an extensive suite of products comprising in-depth reports, focused profiles, Q&A databases, intelligent questioning tools, and email services which are delivered to every corner of the globe.
